Internal communications in a time of crisis

Multi-generation, multi-channel, multimedia, multi-level, dispersed workforce communication is hard; it's harder in a crisis.

Internal communications is an area most companies struggle with, even during normal operations, but solid execution of internal communications could not be more important amidst chaos and uncertainty. Change is hard and scary, before involving a pandemic.

Here are some things to consider to ensure you are communicating well with your team. At the end, I've included an actionable "what to start and stop doing right now" section so you know how to put it in practice.

I'm writing this in hopes that it helps you better communicate while everyone is wading through the COVID-19 crisis. I am sharing recommendations from my experience in internal communications, academic background including a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (Strategic Innovation and Change) and a bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communications (PR and Strategic Media), Change Management Professional certification, and observations as an employee and customer.

Internal communications basics.

These are the basics that should be considered in all of your communications and are most important in a crisis. You'll see these as a theme throughout the rest of the recommendations below.

• Be consistent.
• Be clear and concise.
• Don't make assumptions or leave room for assumptions.
• Change is hard and scary.

Be consistent. Consistency is one of the most important things when everything is moving. Consider your communication schedule, channels, voice, sender, etc.

Be clear and concise. Now is not the time to waste words or talk around your point. Employees are looking to leadership for answers and unclear communication often creates more questions than it answers.

Don't make assumptions or leave room for assumptions. Remember that communication is happening, whether you're doing it on purpose or not. So it's best to choose to do it on purpose, without leaving room for assumptions. We all know what happens when we assume...

Change is hard and scary. Everyone is human. The emotional impact should not be overlooked. People are processing these changes, everyone processes differently and work is only one of many changes happening in their lives and day-to-day. Clear and purposeful communication and change plans are the best way to quell fears that are coming up right now.

Never assume that communications are happening, done well or that your team is up on the latest.

In a multi-tier company, it is typical for leadership to communicate with their direct reports and the message then passed down from there, however many levels there may be. This is the corporate version of the telephone game and, done without purpose, skills and tools, results in the message changing with each level.

Especially right now, depending on your industry, the message changing is more than problematic, it can be dangerous.

Considerations:

• Updates are happening quickly and around the clock.
• Your team likely lives in different states, counties and cities, all of which are setting their own guidelines and rules.
• You are not the only source of their updates nor the only updates impacting their lives (updates are coming in from schools, cities, landlords, government, etc.).
• Be aware of when an update changes or contradicts a previous communication - you need to call it out and don't assume that it's clear.
• People are trying to figure out how to do their jobs in addition to communicating down, sideways and up.
• The people you are charging with communicating the message are often (no offense) skilled or trained in communications. Make sure you are giving them the tools and support needed to further your message.
• As this situation pushes people online, remember that everyone has a different comfort and competency level with technology. An honest reflection on comfort levels with technology and tools is integral to your planning.

Establish a schedule of companywide communications (through multiple media).

As mentioned above, updates are coming at your employees in every direction at all hours of the day. Establishing a schedule for your communications will help enforce consistency and give your team expectations for where to get information.

For large companies that are in multiple states, I would recommend that this be a minimum of daily. If your industry requires (such as hospitality), you may want an AM update and PM recap. The schedule of updates will vary on level and department.

Create a place of record where information "lives." This should NOT be in emails. Whether it's a reference Wiki or a portal or whatever you may have in your communication ecosystem, there should be a place where employees can go to find the most up-to-date information.

Emails, calls, texts, etc. communicate changes and updates, but should not be the source of record. All communication should point people back to the established source of record.

Make a plan for multi-directional communication. Do people know where to go with questions? Feedback? Make a plan for how employees will communicate up, down and sideways and make sure they know what that is.

Considerations:

• Create a schedule and stick to it - if you tell your team you will be updating daily at 9:00 am, don't miss your deadline. Even if your update is that there is no update, there is value in it.
• If employees work varying schedules (for example, in a restaurant), does your communication schedule meet those needs? If someone had a day off, how will they get up to speed on what they've missed?
• If you create a tiered communication plan (like a phone tree), how will each level communicate down? Provide a template or tools so you know that it's done well and consistently. No assumptions.
• Don't overcommunicate. Too many emails is worse than not enough, especially if they send mixed messages. Be clear and concise.
• With every communication, the source of record should be updated so that people don't have contradictory information. If something has changed, acknowledge it (e.g., "This update overrides the update on XX/YY date.").

Be honest about what you don't know and don't avoid the tough topics.

Remember that in the absence of a story, people create their own and it's usually negative. While you might think you are waiting to have a detailed answer before sharing, what your silence might be communicating is that you don't care.

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.

Maya Angelou

It might feel easier to delay delivering bad news or to say "I don't know yet" when you're a leader. But keep in mind how your choices make your team feel. If you aren't going to communicate until you know more, tell them. If your superior is sending mixed messages, tell them. Multi-direction, honest communication is essential right now.

Considerations:

• Change is hard and scary!
• If you don't know the answer, be open about it and when you expect to have more information. Acknowledge that you are working on it and concerns are heard.
• Your employees are making decisions (or waiting to make decisions) based on what you are telling them. They might be thinking about second jobs, worried about childcare, trying to figure out how to pay rent, and so on. Leaving them waiting either pushes these decisions back or forces them to be made without enough information.
• Hard news is tough to hear, but it's worse when you have to wait in a prolonged period of uncertainty to get to it.

Don't forget about your undesked/front line team (retail associates, cooks, servers, the people answering the phones, etc.) and their needs.

The hardest group to communicate with are the front line, customer-facing teams. This is especially difficult when they are undesked and don't have a central source of information and communication established. Trickle-down communication is often used for these employees, but, again, make sure you're providing the right tools for managers to do so.

Considerations:

• Do they need communication via different channels, media, in different languages, etc.?
• Do they have access to the source of record?
• Do you need to track that they've received communication (for regulatory or safety reasons)?
• Do they know whom they can reach out to with questions and do they feel like they can? Ie, if you point them to corporate HR for questions about job security, does a retail cashier have the confidence, mechanism and support to do so?
• Do you have a mechanism for providing feedback or asking questions anonymously? The questions that go unanswered because they weren't asked are often the most important and cause the most worry.
• How do they get updates between times that they are in the building/on the clock? If they have been off for a few days, how are you updating them? Think about a restaurant employee who has two days off, and in that time off, the city has declared a state of emergency and closed dine-in - their schedule, job security, income, and ultimately, job has changed. How do they know what's happening?
• What are you communicating to your customers? Do your employees know what customers are hearing or seeing from you? They need to be prepared for questions and should not hear about what the company is doing from customers or social media.

Tailor the level of detail to the audience, but make sure everyone has a full view of the company.

People, of course, need communication tailored to their role, they need to know how everything impacts them, specifically. But they also need a broader view of the company, especially if they are in a support or customer-facing role. And, naturally, people talk, so you want to make sure they're hearing the same message.

Considerations:

• Consider all of your communications channels. Are they saying the same thing? While details will vary, the general direction and theme should be the same.
• Are you a company in the news? Address what people might be hearing in the news directly (whether it's to confirm or refute) so that you don't leave room for speculation or worry.
• What are you communicating to your customers? Do your employees know what customers are hearing or seeing from you? They need to be prepared for questions and should not hear about what the company is doing from customers or social media.
• Are you operating in multiple physical locations? What do your employees need to know about what's happening in other locations? Is an office or department shut down, should they expect delayed response, etc.?
• Are you communicating with the support teams about your plans for communication, work from home, etc.? For example, if you are moving all employees to work from home, does IT know? Are their emails set up? Does everyone know how to access your VPN?
• Are support teams prepared and equipped to handle communications changes and their impacts?

What to start and stop doing right now

Enough philosophy and considerations, right? Here are the things you should start and stop doing right now:

• Stop: Stop making any assumptions about how your communication is going.
• Start: Establish a feedback mechanism so that you know how well employees are receiving updates. Adjust accordingly.
• Start: Establish a place of record for all communications to live and for the most up-to-date information when things have changed. Include this place of record in EVERY communication moving forward.
• Start: Designate ONE point person for internal communications (even if you already have someone in that role, make sure everyone knows who that point person is); make sure that person has the support s/he needs, but that person is in charge of all of the above.
• Start: Make a communications schedule and calendar and make sure everyone knows how they will receive updates, from whom and when.
• Stop: Making any assumptions about how communication is going or that it is trickling down.
• Start: Provide tools for each person on the communication chain to communicate the message further.
• Start: Identify all communications channels and media used in your company, communicate the role(s) each will play in your communication plan. Consider how comfortable and competent your team is with the channels and media you will be using. What are the tools for communication for updates versus for doing business?
• Stop: Don't rely on technology if that isn't your standard of communication. If people don't expect to receive emails from you, they don't know to look for them.
• Start communicating on purpose, stop assuming people have the information they need.

Now, get to it!

I hope this helps you communicate with your teams and employees in this time of crisis. Please add what you are doing, thoughts or feel free to reach out with questions. If you need help with your communications, I am available.

What else would you add? Do you have examples? Share below so we can all make this a little easier!

And if you're in for a relevant, academic read on the topic, here is a link to my master's thesis on People and Change Management Strategies in a Blended-Generation Workforce.