Why Employee Engagement is Vital During a Brand Crisis
A brand crisis can happen to any company. If a crisis does occur, you can turn to your employees to help recoup the brand. When shock-waves first hit, first thoughts are usually for public relations. In the ensuing panic, employees can often be taken for granted. However, your employees are the face of the brand to the customers and therefore very much connected to the public image. Not only this, but it is your employees who will continue to get the work done through any difficult times. By building a strong company foundation with employees who are faithful and motivated, if a crisis does occur, your employees will help to recoup the brand. In times of brand crisis, there are actions you can take to engage your employees: Provide reassurance Employees will naturally be worried if the company they are working for is in trouble. They will be concerned about job security, their pensions and paying their bills. This will be very demotivating for staff. If an employer refocuses them to the job in hand while addressing their fears and reassuring them – the staff will be more encouraged. Consider honesty, transparency and active listening as paramount
If staff know that they are appreciated this will motivate them further. Employees need to know that the company has their best interests as a top priority. Despite the fact that the employer is breaking bad news to the staff, employers will know they are being kept in the loop and they will acknowledge this. Openness boosts trust and reduces gossiping within the office – even if your communication is ‘I don’t know more than you do’. Patisserie Valerie is currently going through very turbulent times. Employees were reported as being concerned about how the company was being run years before the £40 million black hole was found in its finances. These employees were ignored and now they are reporting this to the media, while Patisserie Valerie are preparing for potential collapse into insolvency. Another brand crisis in the public eye was last year when The Times discovered that Oxfam had covered up the sackings of employees who were regularly paying local prostitutes while they were working for the charity in Haiti. Whistleblowers followed with reports of bullying, intimidation, and harassment of staff. Oxfam released a statement saying that they would overhaul the recruitment process – clearly needed, but exceptionally demotivating for the current employees who were now working for a charity where the fundamental values had been violated. Search engines have long memories, so the ramifications of this brand scandal will roll on for years. It is up to Oxfam to keep their current employees motivated and able to withstand any negativity from the past events. Also Read: 5 Steps to a Social-First Employee Engagement Strategy In the UK, 80% of people support charities with financially or non-financially. A brand crisis is particularly harmful for a charity as they are a non-profit organization who exist to provide help and raise money for those in need. The charities are running and paying their staff using people’s monetary donations and government funding – around £64bn income in England and Wales, so a squeaky-clean brand image is crucial. If the public believe that the charity is corrupt they will stop the donations. Cliff Ettridge, a seasoned brand consultant, has experience working with people inside organizations to help improve company culture internally especially during a brand crisis. Cliff observed: ‘Oxfam need to invest and trust in people by identifying the true role models for Oxfam and getting them out into new projects to deliver peer-to-peer on the job knowledge sharing. They also need to start listening to people, relentlessly – not just through whistleblowing channels, but by introducing open channels that allow staff to air concerns, questions and areas for clarification – this way the organization picks up on trends early’. Involve the employees in the brand recovery A brand crisis will shock staff and they may feel a loss of control. If you involve your employees in the recovery, many employees will be motivated by a renewed sense of control in helping find solutions and keep production moving. Also, make sure that you communicate a shared purpose and clear goals. Tell your employees that you will get through the brand crisis collectively and that a collective result is more than an individual can achieve. This will boost motivation and productivity.
Build the foundations for employee engagement before a crisis hits There are a number of things employers should always be doing to engage their employees and add potentially untapped value: Understand what individuals value – whether that is family, altruistic, material gain or status and power Address what individuals need – continual learning, opportunities, rewards Leverage cultural diversity to encourage innovation and growth Cliff Ettridge, agrees: ‘Brands build relationships with employees not just for day-to-day productivity, but so that they can help navigate the crises when (or if) they do occur. It’s a question for every brand. Every brand needs to look at how they are engaging hearts and minds. Look at Donna Carpenter at Burtons Snowboards, who paid for employees to attend the Women’s march.’ Engaged employees report higher levels of job satisfaction and productivity – and during a brand crisis, these benefits are needed more than ever. If the company successfully recovers from a brand crisis, they will ultimately be stronger and more resilient on the other side. Also Read: A Quick Guide to Employee Engagement Best Practices