The Role of Public Relations in Crisis Management
The ability to handle public relations can destroy or create the firm during a crisis event. An organization such as Sony is venerable to a wide range of unforeseen threats, which has the capacity to harm its reputation and have a possibly devastating impact on customer acquisition, revenue, and loyalty (Jiang and Jackson 1).
The Importance of Employee Communication in Crisis Management
More importantly, employees play a major part in the public relations management. Precisely, the communication behaviours of employees are quite valuable in the management of crisis (Chodosh 1). Therefore, workers activities in the course of crisis communication are part of general strategic decision making and planning.
Maximizing Workers' Communication Habits for Reputation Management
It is evident that corporates such as Sony needed to maximize the behaviours of workers communication habits to acquire benefits in reputation management and crisis communication (Fritz et al. 1). Moreover, when the company have durable trusting workers relationship it can help create constructive communicative practices in the course of the crisis. In this regard, the organization should seek to turn workers into ambassadors. Importantly, the PR team should concentrate on progressive and transparent external response, interacting efficiently and clearly with workers (Jiang and Jackson 1). In so doing, the firm can build influential diplomats in uneasy times.
The Significance of Employee Communication Before, During, and After the Crisis
Additionally, employee communication before, during and after the crisis is exceptionally crucial because it determine the success of the organization. For instance, before the crisis, the firm should invest in practices that would foster a crisis culture. In this respect, the management should sustain effective and constant communication with workers at every level (Chodosh 1). Furthermore, they should encourage workers participation in systematic evaluation, implementation, and planning of the firm's internal communication. Consequently, it helps to inspire a culture when workers have a feeling of empowerment but also motivated to speak up (Jiang and Jackson 1). Similarly, such as culture also offer a constant keenness for the unanticipated, where each worker understands what he/she is required to do at times of a crisis. Importantly, it assists to develop the ability to adjust calmly and decisively (Seitel 1).
Effective Communication Among the Workforce During a Crisis
Regularly communication especially among the workforce during crisis has proven to be a key milestone in dealing with the challenge at hand. For instance, creating trustful environment among the workers prior to the time by sharing information consistently and handling them with respect is important (Chodosh 1). When the management is able to cooperate frequently with the workforce, it helps to deal proficiently during crisis. Free flowing information is important for daily news, but statements from the senior managers to frontline employees are crucial in the controlling crisis (Fritz et al. 1).
The Importance of Informing Employees First
Informing the workers first is beneficial in handling the situation. For instance, notifying the workers in advance plays a big role on promoting the trust scale (Seitel 1). Substantially, the organization should deliver facts instead of common reassurances. In the absence of crucial facts, the people working in an organization may start to assume (Jiang and Jackson 1). In particular, the organization should offer information in a manner that assist workers process the matter in a less emotive way.
Conclusion
The public relations team in an organization such as Sony Company has a bigger role in crisis management. However, the success is dependent on the part the employees play in the course of the crisis. It has been established that routine employee communication helps to nurture a culture which assist workers to handle the situation calmly and effectively (Jiang and Jackson 1). In addition, they become critical ambassadors of firm in the external world.
Work Cited
Chodosh, Katie. "The Sony Hack -- Shooting The Messenger In A Time Of Crisis". Huffpost, 2015, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/katie-chodosh/the-sony-hack-shooting-th_b_6354298.html. Accessed 15 Apr 2018.
Fritz, Ben et al. "Behind The Scenes At Sony As Hacking Crisis Unfolded". WSJ, 2014, https://www.wsj.com/articles/behind-the-scenes-at-sony-as-hacking-crisis-unfolded-1419985719. Accessed 15 Apr 2018.
Jiang, Hua, and Sarah Jackson. "Dedicated Employees Are The Most Valuable Assets During A Crisis | Institute For Public Relations". Institute For Public Relations, 2015, https://instituteforpr.org/tbd-2/. Accessed 15 Apr 2018.
Seitel, Fraser. "Sony's Guide To Not Handling A PR Crisis - Fri., Dec. 19, 2014". Odwyerpr.Com, 2014, http://www.odwyerpr.com/story/public/3742/2014-12-19/sonys-guide-not-handling-pr-crisis.html. Accessed 15 Apr 2018.
