Back in July 2022, when the World Health Organization had declared monkeypox a Public Health
Emergency of International Concern, many believed that the response to the outbreak was flawed
with miscommunication (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 2022). It was noted that even
though the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has rolled out information on its website, sourcing
information was difficult for some patients and people who had questions. Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a
clinical professor of public health at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine,
noted that the CDC could have done better on messaging (Goodman, 2023). Klausner said, “by
giving vague, nonspecific information and making comments like ‘everyone’s potentially at risk’ or
‘there’s possible spread through sharing a bed, … that kind of dilutes the message and people who
engage in risky behaviour that does put them at risk get confused, and they say ‘well, maybe this
isn’t really a route of spread” (Goodman, 2023. p. 39). According to Antón Castellanos Usigli, a
DrPH candidate at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, although early signs suggested that
monkeypox was mostly infecting among men who have sex with men (MSM) and was transmitted
through skin-to-skin contact, public health officials around the world didn’t adequately inform
LGBTQ+ groups about the danger (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2022).
Considering that monkeypox was declared a public health emergency, I would say this situation
warranted effective communication. The lack of transparency and ambiguity created room for
misinformation and confusion. Schuman (2022) noted that if communication is not getting to the
right people, or getting out at all, the information won't help much, which leaves room for
disinformation. Leaders need to have a stakeholder’s view that includes all groups affected by the
business. Having a sense of responsibility to stakeholders in their communications will generate
trust and goodwill from others (Cardon, 2021. p.12).
An example of a communication issue that arose during my work experience involved a situation
where the company embarked on the implementation of a major policy change without clear
communication given to the employees of the entity. During this specific situation, the organization
implemented a change to the office dress code policy and neglected to inform all the employees
directly instead passing the information to departmental heads and supervisors only. The
implementation of the policy resulted in confusion when employees were informed that they were
in violation of the said policy creating foundations for distrust and lack of confidence in the senior
administration of the company. In the immediate aftermath of the communication issue, the
company experienced significant downtime as the employees tried to make sense of what was
required of them as per the new policy.
Management can address these issues by creating coherent guidelines for the communication of
policy decisions in a manner that is clear, consistent and inclusive. In this way, the company can
ensure that all employees are informed of these changes in policy in a timely and transparent
manner. Adapting this approach to the communication of changes in policy decisions will eliminate
the potential for misunderstandings and confusion among staff members. Based on this example, it
is clear that clear communication of messages to employees and stakeholders is crucial to maintain
normal company operations without breeding resentment among officials who are excluded from
these communication challenges. Further, clarity in communication has the potential to increase
productivity while stimulating unity of purpose towards the achievement of company goals and
objectives. Without this communication, it is difficult for these companies to maintain productivity
during the implementation of these proposed changes.
Reference
Cardon, P. W. (2021). Business communication: Developing leaders for a networked world (4th ed.).
New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Goodman, B. (2023, January 31). Mpox is almost gone in the US, leaving lessons and mysteries in its
wake. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/31/health/mpox-public-health-emergency-
lessons/index.html
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2022). Expert cites miscommunication, missteps in
monkeypox outbreak. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/expert-cites-
miscommunication-missteps-in-monkeypox-outbreak/
Schuman, N. (2022, August 9). Monkeypox Suffers from a Lack of Communication. PR News.
https://www.prnewsonline.com/monkeypox-lack-of-communication/
