Safe working
Effective crisis communications are essential
13 August 2020
Effective crisis communications are essential
As the economy begins to open and you plan to bring your workforce back into the workplace, you need to be ready for anything. In the coming months, communicating and reacting decisively to any incident, event or emergency is more important than ever.
Staff returning to work will need time to adapt to their new workplace, which may be in a constant state of change. Government and public health bodies will continue to be the primary source of information, but there are many others. With all the news and updates from multiple sources, it’s hard to track, monitor or even determine its authenticity.
You must ensure that only critical messages are sent to staff and stakeholders during this transition period. But first, you’ll need to interpret the wealth of incoming information to determine what’s happened, and how best to respond.
Crisis communications create a common operating picture
Gather critical information
The right information from internal and external sources will provide situational awareness
2-way communications
Receive intelligence and guide your staff via effective and secure 2-way communications
Real-time information
Stay updated about the safety and status of all employees involved in an incident
Sensitive updates
Provide and receive sensitive updates in a way that integrates with standard procedures
Beyond the pandemic
Businesses cannot afford to forget about all the other non-Covid 19 threats out there. Critical incident communications apply to a broad range of scenarios, from traffic accidents to potential cyber-attacks. You need to ensure that when the unexpected happens, any reaction is coordinated in real-time and based on a detailed understanding of all the available facts.
