Goodwill is Vital for Bad News

Challenge

To deliver the correct message in an appropriate manner for the announcement of the closure of a plant employing 350 people, which had been operating in a small community for thirty years.

Strategy

To ensure that employees were the focus of the communication and that the company message was presented accurately and fully understood.

Action

A comprehensive and targeted plan was devised that provided expertise and support to senior management in the areas of media training and handling, speech delivery, community relations, internal communications, issues and change management, adherence to stock exchange regulations and public affairs.

Results

Key to achieving a smooth and uncritical closure was the fact that the company behaved with concern for it employees and customers, as it had consistently throughout its history. This concern was reflected in the communications programme and the detailed approach to alerting all stakeholders in an appropriate fashion. As a result there were no premature media stories. The company message was presented fully and accurately and was therefore fully understood. Not one story critical of the company was published and the close-down over the following eight months was completed without any interruption to customer service.