World events, pandemics, national politics, natural disasters and social change movements thrust companies and their leaders into the spotlight with employees, stakeholders and the public clamoring for a corporate statement if not also action. The corporate stance, once articulated, can shape consumer sentiment and move markets; it can also reinforce or shatter espoused corporate values. Responding to which issues in what way, when and by whom must be carefully considered. Deciding to articulate a point of view is not without its challenges but remaining silent has become a diminishing option. A critically important constituency is an organization’s workers who care about what is said in the public sphere. They also care deeply about what is communicated internally and the alignment between public and private responses. Our research shows that employees emphatically want their organizations to respond to the issues, causes and events that they passionately care about. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is just such an issue. The level of urgency, focus and specific actions will be determined by your organization’s presence (and that of your partners, affiliates or suppliers) in Ukraine and the larger eastern European region as well as the number of employees and their extended families likely to be personally impacted.

The internal communication to the employees and contractors in your workforce in times of stress and uncertainty make it vital to articulate clear plans, temporary measures and/or changes in policy or protocol as well as available support and access. It’s important to move quickly on the dissemination and, perhaps most importantly, to balance both the stark reality of the moment with the promise of the better future such that workers are reassured that they are being led by competent, caring and decisive leaders whose actions will translate into a stable future.

Why is this so important to get right? The Edelman Trust Barometer 2022 finds distrust is rampant across institutions with business emerging as the most trusted at 61%. More telling, 77% of the 36,000 respondents said they trust “my employer.” The erosion of trust for media, government and institutions means that corporations increasingly play a critical role in times of
crisis, like it or not.

What should CEOs and C-Suite leaders do? During the COVID-19 crisis, we recommended these 10 actions to help leaders communicate more effectively; slightly adapted, they still ring true.

1. Be transparent and accountable. More than anything, employees want to be able to trust what their leaders say. CEOs, and by extension C-Suite leaders, need to treat workers as adults and be direct and truthful even when it’s bad news and to be transparent when you do not have all the answers. In a moving example of transparent leadership, the late Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott, recorded a widely viewed video explaining the steps the organization had to take to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Communicate with empathy and create a sense of togetherness. These are the moments to show compassion by recognizing that employees may all be affected in different ways. You are unlikely to know just how a crisis impacts a worker on a very personal level; companies would do well to prepare for a wide range of employee reactions and needs.
3. Demonstrate a commitment to employee well-being. CEOs should make it a point to continuously communicate the organizational support and resources available to employees through a variety of formal and informal channels. CHROs can ensure that employees have the tools and information they need to feel safe and supported. Use internal communication channels to promote the availability of counseling and self-help. How the company responds to employee needs now will shape the employer brand (how the company is viewed as a place to work) long after a particular crisis has ended; employees have long memories about the support their did/did not receive from their companies.
4. Maintain a high level of situational awareness around the ramifications of unfolding events. Many employees and their families face significant hardships and the latest crisis may be just the latest in a series of challenges. CHROs should ensure that managers receive the support they need so that can identify issued among their teams and then closely with the HR team to support employees. As world events collide with personal circumstances, workers may need flexible work schedules, pay continuity, paid emergency absences, and employee assistance programs.
5. Be available and maintain regular communications during the crisis. It is crucial that employees not feel ignored or isolated. Organizations cannot lose focus on employee engagement and experience during a crisis; an inadequate organizational response will derail work continuity now and jeopardize longer-term retention. CEOs will be front and center expected to tackle difficult questions and situations head on. Create anonymous message boards or facilitate virtual “Ask Me Anything” town hall discussions during which the CEO and C-Suite leaders share basic information on current business status and impacts on employees. Offer employees avenues for personal outreach.
6. Recognize the role the CHRO and the HR function play in crisis communication. During a crisis, it is the HR function that becomes the primary resource for employees to feel safe, reassured, and heard. Keep employees aware of what is going on in the organization to create a sense of stability during a time of heightened distress. Adapt one-size-fits-all policies to address the specific needs of individual employees. Provide an easily accessible, evergreen HR FAQ to answer common employee questions.
7. Create two-way communication channels. Two-way communications between leaders and employees are just as important as one-way communications coming from the organization. It is vital for organizations to seek input, as employee voices are crucial to the company’s ability to deal with crisis and determine the pace at which it can do so. Organizations should support a continuous listening dialogue that allows the CEO, the CHRO and the rest of the C-Suite to hear concerns and current status updates from employees. Increase the frequency of employee engagement pulse surveys and/or discussion forums to tailor the questions to employees’ current experiences to keep track of and address concerns in real time.
8. Create channels for employees to share their experiences with each other. CHROs should consider setting up channels to facilitate open communication among employees. By doing so, organizations can enable their staff to be human and “safely” share various personal dilemmas, challenges, and needs while being encouraged to seek support not only from HR but also their managers and colleagues.
9. Recognize the long-term effects of dealing with a crisis. Organizations shouldn’t underestimate the need to communicate empathically with employees for a prolonged period. Employers must accept that their people and their organization will face longterm psychological impacts from successive “black swan” events and it is the cumulative impact that may make addressing the current crisis that much more difficult. CEOs should be at the forefront of articulating progress or a return to normalcy in a variety of settings so that employees do not lose sight of the eventual goal. Organizations need to be aware of the potential fallout and ensure they offer the appropriate mental health benefits.
10. Look ahead. Post-crisis communications will be just as important as current crisis communications. The CHRO can take an active role in the aftermath by checking in with each business line and regional leader and asking questions like: “Based on how the crisis affected you and your department and what you’re hearing from your community, how can we make internal communications better next time?”

Additional Resources

PUBLICATION How Leaders Can Connect With Employees In A Crisis

INSIGHTS PODCAST: Even Higher Expectations in a Post 2020 World How Organizations Engage with Social Change Issues

PUBLICATION Even Higher Expectations in a Post 2020 World