Quick tips for improving employee communications during a crisis

by Ongoing Operations

by. Robin Remines

Incidents happen all the time (storms, power failures, network outages) and credit unions  must be prepared. Risk mitigation is simply part of the job for every credit union employee. Our role is to turn new products and services inside out to look for possible threats before rolling out to the membership. And for the most part, this is our strength! Where we don’t do as well however is getting information regarding our DR/BCP efforts out to our employees before/during and after a crisis. I’ve compiled a list quick of tips for improving your employee crisis communications plan.

1. Educate and remind your staff about the plan MORE than once a year. Annual training is great but use creative means like screen savers and surveys to keep the message alive.

2. Invest in communications tools that allow you to stay in touch with employees during a crisis. SMS based tools enable you to send text messages. Collaboration tools such as Microsoft Lync allow you to integrate voice, video and chat.

3.  When possible, communicate face-to-face (f2f). F2F creates trust and a calm environment. When F2F isn’t physically possible, the communications tools mentioned above will allow you to set up a video session with connected employees.

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