The Role of Employer Branding in Crisis Management

When we think about employer branding, the first thing that comes to mind is recruitment. But your employer brand has a much larger role to play than just external messaging while getting new employees on board. But if you come to think of it your employer branding is as important to your current and past employees. Here’s why.

Crisis have become common

The world has become so volatile that a controversy or a crisis can appear out of nowhere. With the social media advent and organizations using it to keep up with their stakeholders, a harmless and unintentional tweet can be taken out of context and lead to a PR crisis.

Handling the crisis

It is often the PR specialists and media experts who are best known to put out the fire, and we agree. But here’s food for thought - Who better than people working for you are better advocates? In the face of a crisis, no matter the scale, if your employees come together and stand behind the organization and the brand, it will give the management the stability and support to sail through the crisis.

Trusting the employees in a crisis

Any crisis, whether to do with a service of consumer – can lead to an employer brand crisis. So, here’s what the best employer branding companies will suggest – trust your employees to have your back – and make it a part of your employer branding. Constantly engage with them, share the ongoings, especially in a crisis situation, so that, should the need arise, they’re standing right by your side as your biggest allies. This will be advantageous on two fronts – it will paint a positive picture to the outside world looking to find gaps and it will also bring the organization together internally. The employees will feel like a part of the organization in good and bad times. To get this done, get your employer branding agency to prepare an internal communications plan as a part of your strategy.

Ways to include employers in a crisis

• Communicate with the employees with the EVP at its core. Remind your employees why your organization is a great place to work.
• Be transparent about the issue, especially the challenges which lie ahead due to the crisis
• Meet your employees across levels as far as possible. This build trusts more than emails and calls ever will.
• Prepare and deliver a consistent message to all employees.

Taking these steps will make employees your ambassadors while will in turn strengthen your employer brand. Get moving, don’t wait for a crisis. Reach out to your employer branding consulting firm today get the ball rolling.