Page 19 - Food & Drink Magazine April 2020

business, government and the public need to move. Firm and clear decisions will limit obfuscation.
The world has changed, and we will need to acknowledge that change and that it could last for many months. While there is no benefit in being overly pessimistic, being overly optimistic will diminish trust particularly if those optimistic scenarios are proven over time to be grossly inaccurate.
Directing employees to work from home risks mental health, misinformation and socialisation problems; and directors now face criminal liability if their conduct harms the physical and mental health of employees. Directions in terms of place of work need to be carefully considered to manage liability.
The ability of employees to work from home may be limited by logistical considerations; a place to work in the house or the presence of partners and children. Are there strategies or contractors the organisation can adopt or employ to assist these employees? Remember:
● 12percentofworkers’
compensation incidents are mental health but account for 37 per cent of costs. Mental
health support is emerging as the major issue during coronavirus – many employees feel anxious, misinformed and isolated.
● Employees are having to rapidly adjust to changing work environments, which can create stress, friction and loneliness.
● Unprecedented situations faced by families, including closures of schools, day care centres, workplaces, residential care facilities, are creating practical and psychological issues employers must manage. Face-to-face investor
relations channels will mostly be shut down particularly road shows and investor conferences. Ensure you have a plan to maintain investor and shareholder communication and confidence at a time when there is likely to be heightened interest from the investor community in how your organisation is managing
the crises.
WHAT ARE YOUR CONTINUOUS DISCLOSURE OBLIGATIONS?
Scenario planning is a useful tool for dealing with uncertainty about the future.
Communicating with stakeholders on the basis of best to worst case scenarios will demonstrate that your organisation has a sound approach and is working within a well-considered range of possible outcomes.
Look at and talk through implications for your supply chain and value chain. As with many crises, there may be a new normal at the other end. It is important to understand the experience of others, how customers are reacting and will react over the following months.
This is a time to review your business model. Determine what your company’s vulnerabilities are, model the effects and possible solutions. Investors will be looking so your organisation will need answers.
Review IT systems, organisationalstructureand people. Will your systems be appropriate to manage through the crises and implement your response? What is the impact on key staff working from home, being sick? Can your systems respond to different ways of working?
Review HR practices and policies for the crisis and post-crisis periods:
● Whataretheygoingtobe
now and in the longer term? ● What are the implications of
the crisis in terms of
employee retention?
● Will your employees become
advocates or critics of your organisation during and after the crisis?
● What is the structure of your current workforce?
● What will happen to that workforce if the crisis lasts six months? 12 months?
● How will you position the organisation to have capabilities required post-crisis?
● Do you have the right capabilities for the current evolving business environment?
And finally, keep an appropriate papertrail. ✷
✷ ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
John Connolly is a
seasoned PR
professional with more
than 40 years of
consulting to and
working for some of the
world’s largest companies on difficult issues. His company, John Connolly & Partners has advised businesses in the US, UK, Asia and Australia on major crises in the food, resources and financial services industries.
www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | April 2020 | Food&Drink business | 19