The steps employers should take during and after a high-profile dispute to keep their brand intact include:
- Stay focused on the game plan. “This is not the time to change direction or appear to the staff that you are losing focus during the dispute. Your message to staff needs to be clear on what you’re doing and why you are doing it (e.g. to prevent future job losses as a result of a decline in business, etc)”;
- Maintain open and clear communication with internal and external stakeholders. “For internal stakeholders this may include a Q&A section on the intranet and regular staff meetings, and for external stakeholders it may include setting up a 1800 number or being accessible to the media”;
- Show employees you care. “More than ever this is a time when you need to be open to discussing any concerns they have about their employment and the impact of the dispute”;
- Ensure the CEO and executives are visible. “Failure of a CEO to front the media or employees in time of crisis is the fastest way to damage your brand and lose trust among stakeholders”;
- Ensure sufficient resources are allocated to handle media queries;
- Brief and train internal or third-party recruiters to handle queries that come from candidates about the company’s working environment. “Ensure they are informed and clear on what the company’s employer value propositions are”;
- Track, measure and respond to what is being said about your brand online and offline. “If appropriate, take corrective action where the feedback or reporting is incorrect. Understand that customers and employees will want to vent during a dispute, so have perspective on their feedback and how you manage your response. Above all show openness, authenticity and willingness to resolve complaints or concerns during this time”;
- Continue to manage your strategy through the dispute. “For example, it would not be timely to launch a company-wide employee engagement initiative during a time of crisis. Qantas recently got caught out by launching a viral social media campaign that worked against it and was hijacked by bloggers and tweets making fun of the company’s initiative and providing another opportunity to link the Qantas brand with negative criticism – poor timing for Qantas”; and
- Be proactive. “Plan in advance the action you will take following the dispute to restore confidence and minimise long-term impact to your employer brand. Reputation takes a long time to build and a short time to destroy!”
