MAXIMIZE RESPONSE ABILITY

by Leslie Vryenhoek

Companies can survive the massive disruption of a pandemic-but only if they take steps now to inoculate against the threat of contagious misinformation and fatal communication breakdowns.

That warning comes from one of Canada's most experienced disaster managers, who says even where companies have developed an emergency plan, few employees know about it, fewer are familiar with it, and nobody has tested it.

"The most comprehensive plan isn't worth the paper it's written on if no one has read it," says Steve Armstrong, who worked on incident command protocols during his decades with the Canadian military, and subsequently managed disaster responses for the Canadian Red Cross. Now the principal of PARATUS Group, a disaster management consultancy, he advises organizations on creating and exercising emergency plans.

"It's common to draft a plan and then put it on a shelf in somebody's office. More progressive organizations might put it on their Intranet. But there's no incentive to read it, so nobody does-until a crisis starts." At that stage, he says, it's too late to comprehend the plan or troubleshoot its flaws. Worse-and this he knows from military maneuvers-the chances of people misreading and misinterpreting grow as the stress ratchets up.

As in everything from marketing to marriage, successful disaster management depends on regular, consistent communication before a crisis brews.

And if talking about the pandemic possibility in advance of its arrival feels like fear mongering, it's not. "The media already has that covered. People are hearing about this. It's on their minds. What leaders have to do is face up to the tough questions, and address them to get them off the table," Armstrong advises.

The alternative, he notes, is uncertainty, false expectations and mistrust that can undermine employee commitment to business continuity.

"For example, everybody is wondering what the sick leave and family leave policies will be in a pandemic. Who can stay home? Who's going to get paid?" He says it's imperative to create policies that are concise, fair and realistic, and then let staff know what they are. "People may not like the answers, but at least they have the right information."

Make sure that your messaging is clear, and that it takes into account the unspoken assumptions. It does no good to tell employees to keep flu germs at home if everyone believes they are expected to drag themselves to work until they're dead.

Given the dire predictions of absentee rates that could top 30 per cent in a pandemic, Armstrong says it has never been more important to ensure every employee understands the disaster plan, and knows what's expected of them.

"People don't realize what that 30 per cent means. It's huge, and it won't affect an organization evenly." Instead, entire divisions could fall ill-and so could the leadership.

Worse, the first person to succumb could be the one in charge of the disaster plan.

But just giving everyone a copy of the plan isn't going to work, he insists. Planning has to be done with everyone, at every level, in a meaningful way so that it's relevant and it sticks.

"Nothing beats good, old-fashioned face-to-face explanation and discussion, wherever possible." Where that's not possible, he recommends giving people bite-sized pieces, and asking for feedback. "Invite employees and stakeholders to help craft the solutions to the pandemic problem. You'll get their attention, you'll get their buy in, and you'll get good ideas."

If that doesn't seem possible, either because the leadership won't take preparedness seriously or because it doesn't value input from the rank and file, then Armstrong believes the challenge of a pandemic will prove insurmountable. "A business that hasn't planned for this is not likely to hold up well; an organization with a rigid hierarchy or bureaucracy is even worse off."

What Armstrong means is this: with one-third of the workforce away, no individual autonomy means no business continuity, period. "People need to know that they have the authority to get the job done. A strict chain of command will break down if any link is missing. And in a pandemic, links will be missing."

Leslie Vryenhoek is a freelance writer and the principal communicator for Crucial Communications, a Newfoundland-based business. A former Canadian Red Cross public affairs officer, she has experience managing communications during high profile disasters, and training staff and volunteers to communicate effectively during crises.