How to lead employees through a PR crisis

A PR crisis can be very stressful for your employees. Some may be prone to buckle under the pressure, to abandon ship, or even to attack your company because they’ve lost faith in your cause.

That’s why it’s so important that you’re a strong leader during these tough times. You can’t ignore your team. Without their support, you’ll never come out the other end of this disaster. You need everyone on board to help your company through a crisis. The more hands on deck, the better. Everyone plays a role on some level, even if they aren’t on your crisis response team.

When leading your team during a PR crisis, you must:

• Be honest with your employees. It should go without saying, but when things get bad, it’s sometimes natural to withdraw or to conceal the worst. You absolutely cannot lie to your team. If you aren’t transparent and candid with your employees, they will find out and they will hold it against you. You may not be able to share every single detail of what’s going on, but you do need to give your employees information quickly and with honesty.