A Strike; planned or unplanned is just another type of crisis and deserves a great deal of preplanning and thought.

Here are a few tips that might help your planning efforts:

What should come to mind first of all – Is how do we service the needs of all our various stakeholders? Each stakeholders has a different expectation of an organisation, and a strike is going to impact on that. Once you have brainstormed that impact you can plan responses for it.

Suppliers may send stock. There will be no one in receiving.

Tip – Tool & Strategy to follow – Inform them of the situation

The Media will be interested in the situation.

Tip – Keep them informed. Do not let them assume.

Customers.

Tip – Apologise. Be honest. “We have a problem. We apologise. We are doing our utmost to act in your best interest, please bear with us. As long as you keep people in the know, they will can and will be persuaded”.

Now from a BCP & Crisis Management perspective. How quickly can you formulate those messages? Get the releases, the ads, the posters and other communication tools out? Communicate directly with your various stakeholders to explain your position and strategy about the issue?

How can we use Social & Traditional Media to inform our stakeholders?

That is the beauty of a plan. You brainstormed, benchmarked and learnt from others. You have templates etc. in place. You are in control. You have the tools.

Now Act! Please remember it is not the plan that is always the most important. It is the thinking, the preplanning. The exposure. The awareness. It is about the thinking.

“ Thinking ahead!!!”