It’s tempting to turn to legal counsel for all communications when your teams announce industrial action. Yet overly formal and legalistic communications sometimes don’t help to increase understanding of the situation – or bring about a sense of calm. Communicating clearly during industrial dispute is essential if you want to reassure.
One of our regular clients is a transport company. When drivers and other teams announced a series of strikes, the rumour mill kicked into overdrive and feelings were running high.
So we helped the organisation to create an internal communications strategy for the duration of the action, which focused on circulating accurate, easy-to-understand information about:
- The logistics of the planned strikes
- Workers’ rights and obligations
- Timelines of all meetings and decisions
- A clear breakdown of the pay offer
As a result, fewer people participated in the strikes than the company anticipated.