How early is proactive - telling staff first19 Feb
With the amount of companies downsizing, closures and other downturns that are happening these days in, it’s a good time to think about the definition of proactive communications. In some organizations, telling staff ranges from sending them a copy of the announcement that went out to the press (yes, this actually happens!) to pulling them into a room an hour before.
Let this be a reminder to executives who want to ‘control’ and ‘contain’ the message by withholding and delaying information to staff - it doesn’t work. Check out the video from Sky News of the angry mob of workers who received one hour’s notice that 850 of them would be losing their jobs immediately. This story made world headlines.
The bottom line is that whatever you plan to announce - good news or bad - you employee communication simply has to come first. And it has to be delivered in such as way that is meaningful to them. For example - what you tell your shareholders or donors, or board about efficiency and cost savings would NOT be the same information you explain to your staff - who most likely translate efficiency and cost savings into working more for less, or losing jobs.

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