Sadye Baker reflects on managing communications in a crisis.
From Storm Dennis to COVID-19, these are unprecedented times. So much so, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve used the word ‘unprecedented’.
Housing associations and the tenants and communities we serve are facing new challenges every day and, whilst it’s a great way of keeping us all on our toes, it can be utterly exhausting.
I will never forget one piece of advice I was given by my boss in my first ever communications role – ‘don’t reinvent the wheel!’. As someone who is currently managing both internal and external communications for one of Wales’ largest housing associations, I’ve found that now it’s more important than ever to take that advice on board and trust the experts.
According to a report from Ipsos Mori entitled Trust: The Truth? there are at least two drivers of trustworthiness that come up again and again: competence and reliability. During ongoing crises, I have modelled internal communications from Trivallis on these two areas. Here are some examples of what me and my colleagues have been doing…
Our intranet, which is provided by Unily and managed internally, is called Hive. Hive gives us a platform to host regular internal communications and we have created a dedicated information page for the latest news and views on COVID-19. We have tabs on dealing with customers, remote working, health and wellbeing, staff safety, and NHS and Government advice. The content that populates these pages is developed and owned by ‘experts’ across the business that have the competency and knowledge to comment on each area. The main aim of this method is to ensure that all staff have access to one reliable source of the truth and that the voices they are hearing from are trusted and respected colleagues.
Our CEO, Ian, is developing daily blogs, which are hosted on Hive and sent out via email. These blogs cover updates from senior management meetings and offer transparency for staff on key decisions that are being made. The feedback on these blogs has been extremely positive, stating that staff like the reliability of a daily update in these uncertain times. One example where Ian himself talked about trust went down really well: ‘I trust you to do the right thing and to provide the limited service we can to the best of your ability. I trust you to work together, even though some of us are far apart. I trust you to look out for your colleagues and check in on them from time to time. Trust is so important and if we all trust each other to do our best then I’m sure we will achieve great things.’
I think every organisation globally has been forced to innovate some way during the Covid-19 outbreak. Whether it be changes to the services they provide or the ways in which we communicate with one another. Microsoft Teams became a big part of the way we work at Trivallis a good few months ago now, but usage has rocketed since our offices closed in early March. My team has a daily video catch-up each morning which, for me, is both reliable and comforting as we have no other choice than to work together from miles apart. It also gives me the opportunity to chat to experts across the organisation to be able to get their input on any communications I’m developing, whether that’s internal or external.
Every communications professional will know that the basis of what we do is storytelling. Being able to find stories in everyday life and talking through them with people is why I love my job. Hive gives my colleagues at Trivallis the option to become storytellers through its blogging function. The common theme right now seems to be around health and wellbeing, with stories being shared about daily coping methods such as yoga, and PE with Joe Wicks. We have also had stories shared by parents who are coming to terms with home schooling whilst juggling busy workloads.
What’s most encouraging for me throughout all the crises we have faced is how I can always rely on my colleagues to be there for one another. Virtual cuppa catch-ups have become the new norm and stories of general good eggs offering support and advice to those who have reached out are filtering through, giving hope to everyone that in times of crises it’s the support around you that matters most.
Trust your experts to deliver important messages and keep it factual, reliable and simple if you want your colleagues to trust your communications. Oh, and be sure to keep washing those hands!
Sadye Baker is senior communications officer at Trivallis and @saydebaker on Twitter and Instagram