From travel to healthcare, manufacturing to education, there is a wide range of industries that can be impacted by industrial action and, as these disputes often have unique characteristics, it’s difficult to create a comms strategy that unilaterally fits every need.
We held a closed discussion with our members and had the opportunity to hear from some whose organisations are in the middle of pay ballots or facing negotiations at the end of the month. Without disclosing any names or organisations, we have taken away some of the primary concerns and uncertainties they’re currently navigating.
The questions and concerns
Where do we start?
When some colleagues may want industrial action, and others do not, how do we communicate amidst the debates, and who do we turn to for help or clarification?
Should we involve the unions in preparing communications? Are there other stakeholders to consider?
What happens if the internal communicators are union members? What are the expectations and requirements of them if industrial action does take place?
How do we maintain our integrity? Or, if a strike does occur, how do we maintain or recover our reputations and trust from employees if they feel we’ve chosen a side due to the comms we send out?
What do we do after a strike is over? How do we recover engagement once a strike has occurred and behaviour or attitudes change within the workplace? How do we avoid shifting the perception of values without taking away from what is trying to be achieved?
The answers
These sessions are intended to be collaborative in nature, and an opportunity for members to share their thoughts and concerns. We don’t presently have all the answers, but collectively the conversation yielded the following:
Planning ahead is paramount.
Preparation and forward thinking are key to any successful communications. In cases of industrial action this rings even more true.
When do you start? A critical mistake is waiting for a crisis to act. Don’t wait to building trustworthy relationships with employees.
Who will be part of your central team? Determine key stakeholders, and be sure they include the CEO, HR, and legal.
What different scenarios or outcomes should you prepare for? These comms should be timely, draft responses that can be ready for any result.
How you deliver your messages makes a difference. Consider delivery methods that prove most impactful in your organisation, and be sure to coordinate with external comms.
Be a bridge.
You don’t want to be seen as taking a side, so where possible practitioners should adopt the principles about conversation and community. Before crisis occurs, work hard with managers and leaders to encourage listening and attempt to remove hierarchy and encourage putting forward communications in a way that is open and creates dialogue. Encouraging channels and methods of two-way communication allows more opportunity for understanding and collaboration.
Be honest.
It’s important to make information accessible. Ensuring that employees understand what is, or could be, happening and why decisions have been made can help to diminish panic and additional anxiety in the workplace.
Set clear boundaries and keep leaders aligned.
Check and share what policies exist to ensure fair conversations (or perhaps the limitation of conversations or certain topics) in the workplace.
Coach leaders to be clear and use relatable language, rather than management jargon. Apply the principles we have learned about openness, honesty, and storytelling to allow dialogue, and stay tuned into the responses. Ensure these leaders are not sharing their frustration and are keeping their feelings out of it in order to maintain integrity.
It’s important as internal communicators, and human beings, to collaborate and seek support where appropriate to gain fresh perspectives and a clear understanding of the issues at hand, who is affected, what needs to be communicated, and how to do so.