Boileau Communications Management LLC

Tough times call for more communication, not less

Like everyone else in Michigan I’ve been paying close attention to the GM and Chrysler stories, and how they are playing out. One would have to imagine (or at least hope) that those companies are keeping their employees up to date on the events that are pushing them beyond any place they have ever been before.

It also raises the question of what companies downstream from the automakers are doing to communicate with their employees. Suppliers and dealers—who collectively employee millions of people—face their own uncertainties. The best among them will be talking with their people openly and honestly about what is happening. At many companies, however, the bunker mentality has taken over and the lines of communication are shut down. Employees who don’t know what’s going on are seeking out whatever information they can find to help them make sense of what they see and hear. That dynamic makes a bad situation worse.

Tough times are when organizations establish credibility with their stakeholders. When things turn around, and the emphasis at many companies returns to attracting and retaining the best talent, people will remember what it was like during the downturn. Was my company honest with me? Did they keep me informed or leave me in the dark? Even though it was difficult, were they honest?

The organizations that garner the right responses to those questions are the ones that will enjoy a distinct competitive advantage when the current troubles have passed.