It’s June 2020 and this year so far has brought a number of challenges to businesses worldwide. In the United States in particular, many companies forced to shape-shift around the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic were just starting to re-open when a wave of national protests began. Businesses and employees alike have, in recent months, faced previously unimaginable economic struggles. IMG’s international business security experts discuss how communication with your team can provide an important key to understanding your employees.
As the national protests have raised issues surrounding various forms of systemic racism, many employers are in the process of evaluating how they can participate in constructive solutions. Much focus has shifted in recent weeks from “how do we keep our employees safe from Coronavirus” to “how does our work culture ensure all employees feel safe, included, respected and valued?”
This recent article from Entrepreneur offers some guidance for addressing race in the workplace in an effective, constructive manner: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/348209.
Our next post will offer you a more in-depth look at best practices from an expert in corporate communications and media relations. This month’s focus on communications is intended to help you and your organization reflect upon the very human impact of these national and international events and start placing that impact into the context of your operational and strategic planning. We can’t look at crisis management and business continuity, logistics and supply chain planning or physical security without considering the potential impact of these kinds of events on the workplace…or the people who keep the workplace running.
We urge you to consider new ways to open the lines of communication in your workplaces, wherever they are. Your workforce likely includes employees who are struggling at home with various problems…medical, financial, time constraints…they may be parents, or caregivers for older adults, and the pandemic may have longer-reaching impact than what is visible or obvious to employers. The recent protests, while they have opened up many discussions amongst employers about what they can do differently to support employees of color, have also raised racial tensions in some places.
Your employees may feel unsafe at work or afraid to raise concerns. How you communicate and what you do can be critical to the long-term health of your organization. Some sound multi-disciplinary planning on your part can help keep employees safe both physically and emotionally in the workplace, and we highly recommend you include such planning as you review your crisis management and business continuity strategy. As a business that supports a diverse group of industries worldwide, we recognize each and every one of your businesses as unique. It can be challenging to find the right balance for your own company’s needs, and we urge you to start by communicating with your people to help determine what will make your workplace safe for all.
IMG International Business Security Experts
IMG GlobalSecur has decades of experience in the security industry. Our team of international business security experts stand ready to help you navigate the changing times with our global risk assessments, workplace violence consulting services, supply chain and logistics security assistance, crisis management advice and more. Contact us today!
