COMM THEORY - ATTRIBUTION THEORY/CRISIS/COVID

LEADERSHIP

5 Tips for Communicating with Employees During a Crisis by Brooks Holtom , Amy C. Edmondson and David Niu

July 09, 2020

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Every leader knows that communication during a crisis is critical. When leaders communicate with urgency,

transparency, and empathy, it helps people adjust to the constantly changing conditions crises bring. A tone of

urgency encourages people to make quick decisions to mitigate harm. Transparency builds trust in leaders and

conveys respect for employees by implicitly recognizing them as capable of coping with what is being shared. And

showing empathy and conveying a compelling message of hope can foster resilience in facing the challenges that

lie ahead.

FURTHER READING

Yet beyond these basic recommendations, there is scant empirical research on what to communicate to employees

amid a crisis. As a result, most executives probably cannot answer the following question: Now that we are several

months into the crisis, how are your employees feeling about your organization’s response to the pandemic?

To help leaders fine-tune their communications

practices, TINYpulse created a 12-question assessment

designed to measure employee satisfaction with the

organization’s overall interactions with them during the

Covid-19 crisis and reveal the factors that drive a

positive reaction. We sent the assessment to employees

in 10 for-profit, not-for-profit, and government

organizations and received a total of 830 responses

between March 24 and April 22.

There were five key takeaways for leaders, which we describe below in descending order of their importance in

influencing employees’ satisfaction with how their employers are dealing with them during the pandemic.

1. Communicate frequently.

Most leaders need to communicate to staff far more often than they think is necessary. Frequent communication

reduces fear and uncertainty and ensures that employees have heard the message. While leaders may experience

fatigue from repeating core messages, they need to realize team members need to hear these messages multiple

times. Different people may need to hear messages in different ways and through different channels.

At a time when so many people are experiencing bad news and negative consequences largely not of their own

doing, leaders need to remember to find the bright spots and highlight them. They similarly can offset bad news

by reminding people of times when they faced challenges in the past and the organization came out on top (e.g.,

during the dot.com bust in the early 2000s or the 2008 financial crisis).

How organizational leaders communicate can make or break employee commitment to their organizations.

Despite the many challenges the pandemic has brought, one respondent reported, “[Our leader’s] calls with us

and reassurances that the company has our back are inspiring. I even used it as a humble brag on social media to

make sure people know we are still hiring and that this is the sort of company you want to work for when the

going gets tough.”

2. Provide safe channels for giving feedback.

Consider the comment of a disappointed employee we received: “Most information at my company never stays

safe. Information always gets out. I don’t know if that is an HR leak or people just don’t know how to stop

gossiping, but private information is never safe.” Employees must be able to express their concerns to leaders

without fear of retribution.

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Organizational leaders must communicate the channels available to offer feedback and should emphasize how

much they care about hearing from employees at all levels. For example, organizations might offer the following

means for employees to communicate: reaching out to HR, talking to a senior leader, bringing issues to a regular

one-on-on meeting with a manager, and having an anonymous suggestion channel.

Having a variety of options is important because individual employees may view the safety of a given channel

differently based on such factors as their relationship with their managers, whether they view HR as supportive,

and their views of the responsiveness of anonymous formal channels. Having choices about how to give feedback

thus helps ensure that people will do so, which, in turn, increases their satisfaction with their company’s actions.

Finally, leaders must periodically report what they are hearing from this feedback. Sharing careful summaries of

the questions, concerns, and follow-up actions will increase trust in the leadership at this critical time — trust

that is likely to continue after the crisis subsides.

3. Help employees work at home effectively.

Employees who feel they have what they need to remain productive and successful while working remotely are

more likely to be satisfied with their organization’s overall response to the pandemic.

If the organization wants to maintain productivity, it may be worth investing in work-from-home equipment. For

many, having equipment that’s common in the office (e.g., headsets, second monitors, comfortable chairs and

desks) can make a big difference, affecting their productivity. As one employee put it, “Since we were not able to

bring all the equipment we usually use to do our jobs on a daily basis, it has been a challenge making the changes

needed to continue to perform at the same level we did while on location.”

Similarly, many employees may need help adjusting meeting time expectations based on specific family and child

care situations. And given the challenges associated with Zoom fatigue, managers may want to use telephone calls

rather than video meetings when connecting for one-on-one or small group discussions with people who know

each other already.

4. Address concerns about job security.

Understandably, people are worried about their jobs. Keeping this in mind, leaders should reassure team members

that their employment is secure when this is indeed the case. When it is not, employees appreciate knowing all

they can as soon as possible so they can plan accordingly. AirBnB’s May 5 announcement that it would have make

deep layoffs is a good example of how to deliver such tough news in a timely and frank manner.

5. Provide a plan for the future.

This one is undoubtedly related to employees’ worries about their own jobs. Given the extraordinary crisis we’re

now enduring, it’s hardly surprising that many people are anxious about their own organization’s future and look

to leaders for cues. Therefore, when communicating, emphasize what is going well for the organization. Further,

share as much as you can about your strategy and planning for the future. And be sure to recognize employees

who have gone the extra mile to drive business results or help colleagues; it can have a positive ripple effect.

Given how quickly and drastically the pandemic has changed people’s personal and work lives and all the

uncertainty that lies ahead, people are looking to their leaders more than ever for guidance and support. As a

leader what you say and how you convey it will play a significant part in determining how your organizations

perform during these difficult times and after.

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way to support the creation of these resources.

Brooks Holtom is professor of management and senior associate dean at Georgetown University.

Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. She is the

author of The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth

(Wiley, 2019).

David Niu is the CEO of TINYpulse.

Related Topics: Crisis Management | Crisis Communication

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5 COMMENTS

JOY NATH 25 days ago

WFH is the new normal in these pandemic times, in fact it has now become a trend. Earlier it was too sporadic phenomenon to talk about. I

would specifically stress on the fact that are rather unusual in the usual way would have simplified the problems like "Zoom Fatigue".

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