If your employees are inevitably going to play such a major role at such a critical time for your company, how do you protect yourself and make sure that it doesn’t come back to cripple you even further?
There are some specific preliminary strategies for you to put into effect before a crisis, that will turn this potentially unpleasant reality into an efficient opportunity to regain control of the crisis quicker, resolve it sooner and come out of it in one very complete piece.
Step #1: Have a crisis plan in place
It all starts here. Your crisis plan is what will get you through a crisis quickly, efficiently and above all else, smoothly. If you skip this step, well, never mind worrying about your employees, because without a social media crisis plan, that’ll be the least of your worries!Step #2: Train your staff
Your crisis communication plan is your secret weapon, but should in no way be kept a secret. – Melissa Agnes
Once you have a crisis plan in place, it does no good unless all members of your staff understand it and know what’s expected of them – and there’s only one way to make sure of this: you need to tell them and show them. Your employees need to be directed and guided before a crisis strikes, so that just like you, they’re prepared and understand the rules of the game.
Step #3: Practice makes perfect
As a fire drill secures the safety of everybody within your building in the event of a fire, the same goes for your social media crisis plan. Once your entire team understands their role and what’s expected of them, it’s time to put them to the test and practice each scenario. The more you practice the higher your chances of coming out of the crisis in speedy time and with limited repercussions to your brand.Step #4: Be open and honest with every member of your staff throughout a crisis
Many companies make the mistake of not sharing all information with their staff, and in many cases this leads to more complications, misunderstandings and consequences that could have easily been avoided. It’s very important that you make all information regarding the crisis accessible to all. A great way to go about doing this is to set up some kind of an internal communication platform before a crisis presents itself. This could be by means of an internal blog, intranet, forum or any other communication platform that allows for real-time updates as they unfold, and two-way conversations between each member of your staff.
