Dealing with the unexpected: What to do when things go wrong
However well you run your company, sometimes mistakes do happen – just ask
Toyota. When something goes wrong at work, it’s imperative to deal with the
problem as quickly as possible, minimise the impact and hopefully stop it from
happening again
Plan for the worst
“One of the things that catches people out is a distinct lack of planning,” says Susanna Simpson, managing director of Limelight PR. Have contingency plans in place. Identify potential problem areas, decide who is the crisis contact at the organisation, and even sign off quotes for the media in advance
“One of the things that catches people out is a distinct lack of planning,” says Susanna Simpson, managing director of Limelight PR. Have contingency plans in place. Identify potential problem areas, decide who is the crisis contact at the organisation, and even sign off quotes for the media in advance
Identify the issue
“The first thing you should do in any crisis situation is to clearly show you recognise there is a problem,” says Simpson. “This allows you to take the steps to begin solving it. People are generally pretty forgiving, provided there’s a ‘hold your hands up, we made a mistake’ philosophy early on.”
“The first thing you should do in any crisis situation is to clearly show you recognise there is a problem,” says Simpson. “This allows you to take the steps to begin solving it. People are generally pretty forgiving, provided there’s a ‘hold your hands up, we made a mistake’ philosophy early on.”
I
think the age-old maxim of ‘tell the truth, tell it all, tell it fast’ is
essential in 99 out of 100 crises
Susanna Simpson, managing director, Limelight PR
Act
quickly
“In the digital age you have less time than ever to respond to a crisis – 24 hours has reduced to 24 seconds,” says Simpson. This doesn’t mean act without thinking. Refer to your contingency plan, agree your next move, and act decisively
“In the digital age you have less time than ever to respond to a crisis – 24 hours has reduced to 24 seconds,” says Simpson. This doesn’t mean act without thinking. Refer to your contingency plan, agree your next move, and act decisively
Inform your stakeholders
In a crisis, it’s easy to focus inwards and forget about all parties involved in your business.
In a crisis, it’s easy to focus inwards and forget about all parties involved in your business.
“You won’t necessarily always be punished for making a mistake. What is worse
is misinformation and rumours which are unfounded or untrue. This is nearly
always much more damaging than the actual problem itself,” says Simpson.
Make sure employees are kept informed about what’s going on, and ask that
the information stays internal until you’re ready to talk to the press. If you
have distributors or other external providers, contact them and keep them in
the loop
Make a statement
Trying to bury your head in the sand won’t work – you need to limit the PR damage, and fast. “I think the age-old maxim of ‘tell the truth, tell it all, tell it fast’ is essential in 99 out of 100 crises,” says Simpson. As ever, honesty seems to work best. Keep statements short, to the point, and try to focus on how you’ll be putting things right
Trying to bury your head in the sand won’t work – you need to limit the PR damage, and fast. “I think the age-old maxim of ‘tell the truth, tell it all, tell it fast’ is essential in 99 out of 100 crises,” says Simpson. As ever, honesty seems to work best. Keep statements short, to the point, and try to focus on how you’ll be putting things right
Assess the damage
After halting the initial problem, assess the damage to the company, brand and reputation. You may have lost stock or suffered negative exposure in the press. How bad is it? Gauge the scale of the problem, from minor complication to major incident
After halting the initial problem, assess the damage to the company, brand and reputation. You may have lost stock or suffered negative exposure in the press. How bad is it? Gauge the scale of the problem, from minor complication to major incident
Learn from the experience
Everyone makes mistakes – it’s how people learn. Ensure any crisis is a learning opportunity from senior management downwards, ask for feedback on how the problem was handled, and suggestions on how to avoid any future issues
Everyone makes mistakes – it’s how people learn. Ensure any crisis is a learning opportunity from senior management downwards, ask for feedback on how the problem was handled, and suggestions on how to avoid any future issues
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