Things have come to a head. Your teams are unhappy. The unions are involved. Talks are underway. The rumour mill will, inevitably, be cranking up into overdrive. It can be tempting to let the lawyers take over all communications during an industrial dispute. But here’s why you shouldn’t – as well as a breakdown of what to do instead…
1. Don’t think handing communications over to lawyers is the safest bet
When an industrial dispute is happening, you of course have to get legal counsel involved. The last thing you want to do is bring even more trouble down on your head. But lawyers communicate defensively. It’s their job to do so. And the very last thing you want to seem during an industrial dispute is defensive. So bite the bullet. By all means, let the lawyers see and comment on what you want to communicate. But don’t let them write it.
2. Keep it simple
One of the reasons the rumour mill goes into overtime during an industrial dispute is because things get complicated. And when people are upset, they’re even less able to deal with complicated. So your carefully-crafted letter that’s full of legalese will be ignored… and the random posts on Facebook and the water cooler talk will be listened to and internalised. So keep your comms simple. Use short words and short sentences. Write as though you’re talking to your mum (or at least as if you were talking to your mum in a serious situation).
3. Keep it factual
Rumour mills can become veritable tornadoes of spin and half-truths. And they absolutely thrive in a vacuum of official information. So make sure you communicate regular, simple, factual updates. Even something as simple as this: “Management and representatives of Unite met today. We discussed several issues, including X,Y,Z, for three hours. No conclusions were reached, and we’ve agreed to meet again tomorrow…” helps to calm things down and keep people informed.
4. Share a timeline
Industrial disputes – and the negotiations around them – can drag on over weeks and months. A really useful comms tool in all of this is a timeline. It can be something as simple as a table that you pin up in the staff canteen, that lists out days and times of meetings – what was asked for, which points were discussed, and which conclusions were reached. Remember to record if no conclusions were reached (see point three).
5. Choose your channels carefully
Communication in an industrial dispute should be proactive – so make sure you’re putting information directly under the noses of the people you want to engage with it. If half your teams never read email, but spend time near the staff noticeboard… then don’t just email. If you have sales reps or engineers who are out and about, think about using texts to send updates. Remember, if your teams can’t see your communications, they’ll hop onto the nearest union WhatsApp group to get their information instead.
6. Don’t hide
Being a leader means being visible… even when things get difficult. No-one likes to be involved in arguments (unless they’re complete maniacs). But don’t hide. It may not seem like it, but your team needs you. So step up, be calm, stick to the facts – and get professional comms help if you need it.