With the recent and dramatic historic lows coming from Wall Street, the foreclosures of countless home loans across the nation, and the dwindling of 401(k) accounts, stress levels for many of us are running high. If they haven’t  already done so, it’s critical that businesses acknowledge the volatile situation and begin to implement a strategic communications plan for their employees.

In the past few months, we have all seen drastic shifts in both our economy and the way we do business on a daily basis.

When change occurs, it’s natural for employees to feel unease and doubt. It is imperative that employers communicate with employees to address a multitude of questions and concerns. Among other benefits, ongoing communication helps establish and maintain a sense of connection and community among employees — a “we’re in it together” mentality.

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The sooner the better

Communicate in a timely manner. As soon as possible, the internal communications team should meet with business leaders to determine what messaging needs to go out, to whom and over what time period. The sooner the messaging begins the better. Each day that goes by the door is opened for increased unease among employees. It’s important to remember that messages in these situations don’t always have to be negative. There may be positive news to convey as well.

Just the facts

State the facts without promising a solution. Messages from leadership should outline what is taking place, how outside actions may affect the business and the employees, and what the business is doing overall to counteract the events. This isn’t the time to get creative with messaging — just put forward the facts.

Tackle front-line issues

In times of economic stress, employees will contact the Human Resources department to discuss concerns. Human Resources should be on the front line for hearing the employee “hot topics” and learning which topics need to be addressed in messaging. In an economic crisis, employee fears can center on losing a house, job, or healthcare and other benefits. To ensure that all employee concerns are addressed, human resources representatives should be involved with message planning from the start.

Of course, not all businesses have dedicated human resources departments.  In these cases, the managers who are responsible for hiring and benefits decisions should take the lead in addressing these topics.

Resources-a-plenty

Tap into existing resources. Many businesses provide employees with a variety of resources to assist in stressful times. If on-site services aren’t available, you should promote outside assistance. Assistance can include stress management, creating work–life balance, how to plan for retirement, and treating co-workers with respect in times of stress. Placing employees in control of their physical and mental health will empower them to make choices that can alleviate their concerns.

Be consistent and diverse with your communication methods. Whether you use a mass e-mail or traditional mail, digital signage, or a flyer or a poster, messages should be updated as necessary.

In times of economic or societal stress, businesses can help ease employee concerns by communicating the facts in a timely and effective manner. Communication creates an umbrella of information that goes far to achieve the end goal — well-informed and well-educated employees.  In turn, these employees are then in a position to reassure clients, partners and customers, thus creating a positive environment that has the potential to promote confidence to those outside the immediate organization.

Contact Lauri Huff, a communications specialist with Raytheon Missile Systems at Lauri_Huff@raytheon.com. Huff, APR, is part of a six-person team that communicates with more than 12,500 employees. PR Corner appears the second week of each month and is written by members of the Public Relations Society of America Southern Arizona Chapter.