What’s causing you to lose sleep? And when you actually do fall asleep, what keeps it from being restful?
For business owners, the list can feel like it’s endless.
Let’s discuss a few of the issues I see as a Crisis PR manager and what you can do to protect your reputation.
When looking at these issues, ask yourself: Do any of these sound familiar? Do you know what you would do? Do you have a crisis communications plan in place or maybe needs updating? How would you reassure your customers and the public which both influence your next generation of customers?
Your confidential business information is leaked
This issue can range from your romantic texts, the company’s potential merger or acquisition being announced early, or your confidential client roster all being exposed. You need to understand that your clients need to trust you, and that loss of faith by clients and customers could be crippling to your brand’s future.
Figure out where the leak came from and plug it. An accidental leak once can be forgiven, but a repeated leak points to a bigger problem.
Fighting this Crisis PR storm can be highly disruptive to your employees and financially draining if you don’t have the deep pockets or command of the market like Amazon or DLA Piper.
Internal company disputes go from bad to worse
Understanding your employee’s concerns and the workplace environment is imperative for a healthy business. The odds of this situation turning into a legal issue are especially significant in states like California.
These issues can range from allegations of a hostile work environment to unpaid overtime or even pay stubs that fail to list all requisite information. Make sure that your employees are a priority because ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Even if you win this case, forget the legal fees – how much revenue have you sacrificed by focusing your attention and resources on fighting it?
If you lose, the penalties could be well in the 6 or 7 figures, especially if it qualifies as a class action.
That’s not even the worst part. While internal disputes can damage your financial stability, what’s even more detrimental is that they can create a serious blemish on your reputation with your employees, which can destroy morale and the progression of your business.
Litigation
The most convincing lies are always laced with small elements of truth that can make even the most imaginary and fantastical stories sound kinda believable.
When confronting a lawsuit, your BIGGEST goal from an optics perspective is to protect your good name. In most cases, the less publicity, the better.
You can’t let the allegations go unchallenged. You must carefully choose your battles and words as you tell your side of the story.
The challenge is finding and maintaining the delicate balance of admitting certain parts of a story that are true (even if some bits aren’t the most flattering) while simultaneously pointing out all of the falsehoods.
All of these public relations issues share an overarching goal:
Communicate quickly and effectively.
You must know what to say (and not say), and you must ensure the tone is just right. Remember that if you or your business is prominent enough, what you say and do in the public eye is being watched.
For more amazing tips on protecting your reputation and overcoming crises, check out A Business Owner’s Guide to Crisis PR: Protecting You & Your Business’ Reputation.
Need help facing a crisis?
If you want to sleep better, you should consider hiring fixers to manage the message for you. For a 15-minute consultation, give us a call at (310) 396-8696.
Gillott Communications
is a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that specializes in high-stakes Crisis & Reputation Management with more than 50 years of expertise in strategic communications, corporate public relations, and working with the media.
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