Dawn McGuigan, Head of Brand and Communications at Gentoo talks through how health and safety teams can work with communications teams in a crisis.

I recently spoke at Northern Housing Consortium’s Health and Safety 2019 conference about how communications and health and safety teams can work together to protect the reputation of their organisation during a crisis.

Here’s a summary of the points discussed.

Managing a crisis in your organisation

The first step of crisis management is to identify your risks. Communications professionals consider incident-led and issue-led risks. Incident-led risks are the things that health and safety teams are most familiar with – fire, gas, risks to life and property. Issue-led risks are caused by the performance of the organisation, behaviour of its colleagues or by the social housing sector as a whole. Both incidents and issues can be generated by internal or external factors over which your organisation has varying degrees of control.

Once the risks have been identified, we prepare for them. Your communications team should have a crisis communications protocol that outlines how they would respond to the most likely risks. The protocol would specify things like who your spokesperson is, include sample media statements that can be easily adapted under pressure, and outline how key messages will be shared during a live crisis.

Your organisation will have an incident management group that includes the strategic, tactical and operational leads that will make decisions about how you’ll respond to and manage a crisis. Communications and health and safety sit at the tactical level, with both teams advising strategic leaders on the appropriate response to the crisis at hand.

The crisis communications process

There are hundreds of theories on how the crisis communications process works but I find that it can be distilled into four phases:

1. Warn and inform – when we have advanced warning of a crisis (such as extreme weather events or service outages) and focus on giving our tenants the information they need to prepare and stay safe.
2. Initial response – the ‘golden hour’ (or less now that social media breaks news immediately) from a crisis starting to confirming what is happening to the media and our stakeholders.
3. Ongoing incident – this is the period during which the incident is active and it can last for hours, days, weeks or even longer. The communications response will include a wide range of tactics to ensure our stakeholders are updated with progress and our tenants have the information they need to stay safe.
4. Recovery – this is often overlooked but it’s vital that the recovery phase of an incident is handled as strategically and as sensitively as the incident itself.

Throughout every stage of a crisis, the communications priorities are to give our tenants the information they need to stay safe and to protect the reputation of our organisation.

We do that with empathy; showing that we care about the colleagues and communities affected by a crisis. We do it in a transparent way; not shying away from tough decisions or messages (particularly if we are at fault) and being open and honest with our tenants. We do it in context; if we’re working with the emergency services, we follow their lead and ensure we provide consistent information to our tenants. And, we focus on the actions we are taking; reputation is about what we do not what we say so the best way to build and protect that reputation is to do the right thing at the right time.

Working with the media

The media want two things from a crisis event: facts and stories. They want to know the practical details of an incident – What happened? When? How? What is the impact? – but they also want to know about the people affected. It is those human interest stories that will keep the incident in the news long after it has been resolved on the ground.

Dealing with the media on site during a live incident can be challenging. Here are some things to remember:

• Refer to your communications team – there should be a member of the team at the scene or at least at the end of the phone so refer queries and issues to them.
• Repeat approved key messages – make sure you know how to get them and that you repeat them if asked.
• Be aware your comments and actions can be used in a story – journalists will write about the scene of the incident and that might include commenting on the behaviour of the response team or using overheard comments to shape their news coverage.

You should not:

• Speculate – we need to give confirmed and accurate information and not speculate about the causes or resolution of an incident. That can create panic and confusion.
• Share information that isn’t public – make sure your conversations about the incident response can’t be overheard by journalists or watching crowds.
• Be offensive or obstructive – journalists might get in your way or try to get to parts of the site that aren’t safe. Please try to be courteous in moving them along (or get your communications team to do this) as being defensive can make the relationship with the journalist more difficult in the long run.
• Give official comments – these come from your approved spokespeople only so that information is consistent and authoritative. Journalists will be using social media to find people involved in the incident so please don’t share your experiences online – they can be quoted by a journalist if your profile is public.

Where health and safety teams can add value

Health and safety teams can add real value to the crisis communications response.

During an incident, there will be a lot of attention on the scene from both the local community and the media. We must talk about the physical changes on the site as part of our updates and this where input from health and safety team is invaluable.

If large vehicles are arriving on site, debris is being cleared, tests are being carried out, any noises, smells or disruption is occurring, we need to know so we can tell people in advance. This avoids communities speculating about what is happening and maintains our control of the incident.

It’s also important to remember that when you’re on site and in uniform, you’re representing your brand and need to behave in a manner that befits its corporate values. You need to be mindful of not only how you behave but how that behaviour could be interpreted by the public.

Blocking someone’s driveway, parking on grassed areas, damaging plants or shrubs – these all pale in comparison to the seriousness of the incident at hand but do matter to our communities. If complaints are played out in the media or on social media, they can create an unnecessary distraction from the vital work being carried out on site to keep our tenants safe.

Communications and health and safety teams can make a huge difference to protecting your tenants and your organisation’s reputation during a crisis. If I can offer one piece of advice, it’s to get to know your communications team and understand your organisation’s crisis management protocols now. The scene of an incident is not the place to make introductions.

It’s been an exciting time for the NHC!

Earlier this month, our Deputy Chief Executive, Tracy Harrison was appointed to the role of Chief Executive, and we welcomed a new Executive Director (Policy & Public Affairs), Brian Robson who joined us from Homes England. The new executive team also includes Executive Director, Catherine Wilmot, who joined the NHC last year on a permanent basis following two previous periods covering maternity leave to direct the commercial and operational support areas of the organisation.

Tracy was Deputy Chief Executive for over 3 years and was heavily involved in the NHC’s Commission for Housing in the North and the development of workstreams that have emanated from it. Prior to that, Tracy was instrumental in growing the NHC’s commercial arm, Consortium Procurement, into a service utilised by members across the UK. 

Prior to joining the NHC in 2006, Tracy held a variety of senior marketing and business development posts in blue chip private sector organisations, including Fast Moving Consumer Goods giant, Robert McBride and Sage Software.

Tracy is Vice Chair of The Gateshead Housing Company and a Trustee of Age UK North Tyneside.

She said: “This really is an exciting and challenging time for the housing sector. There has never been a greater need for a strong Northern voice, and that’s absolutely the role that NHC plays in bringing Northern challenges to the fore within the national housing debate. I’m delighted to be leading such a passionate team of people who are focussed on influencing better housing policy for the North and providing outstanding support and services to our membership.”

Catherine is an FCA chartered accountant, having qualified with PwC and spent a substantial part of her career at Accenture managing the financials for their portfolio of government outsourcing and consultancy contracts. 

Her experience ranges from numerous financial director roles in the technology and consulting sector, to a website content management role and director of an online advertising company for children’s activities.

As well as juggling three children, she is studying towards a Masters degree in Organisational and Business Psychology.  And yes, as a true accountant she loves a good spreadsheet!

Catherine said: “My role at the NHC is to direct the commercial and operational support areas of the organisation including procurement, IT, finance, and HR. I passionately believe that the biggest asset we hold at NHC is our staff and each individual’s areas of capability and expertise that they bring.  Alongside ensuring we have the most effective tools, resources and commercial structures, we are able to drive the best value possible for our members across our influencing work, member support, and our services and member savings.”

Brian Robson joined the NHC from Homes England’s corporate Strategy, Performance and Delivery Unit. Prior to this he led the housing programme at the York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation for four years, most recently as Head of Policy and Research.

NHC members may remember Brian from his previous period with the NHC when he was a Policy Services Manager. He has also worked for the National Housing Federation, a large housing association and as a parliamentary researcher.

Brian holds a Masters’ degree in Regional Development and Spatial Planning from Newcastle University and a BA in Politics and Parliamentary Studies from the University of Leeds.  Outside work, his life revolves around family – he has a seven-year old son and he loves cycling, walking and running (all very slowly!) in the lanes around where he lives in Yorkshire.

Brian said: “My expertise is around blending policy, research and communications to achieve positive change – so my new role is an absolute dream job for me.  The vision is to make housing policy work for the North – and it’s been a busy first few weeks listening to members and beginning to develop our plans to deliver on our vision. There’s a strong team here, and I’m looking forward to working with them and our members on some very exiting projects – watch this space!”

Tom Miskell, NHC Chair, said: “Welcoming Brian as Executive Director has completed this exciting recruitment process for the NHC’s senior team. The team will now lead our ambitious plans to build on our influencing work and to improve housing policy for the North and support the membership now and in the future.”

Earlier this month we marked the retirement of our Chief Executive, Jo Boaden CBE, with a very special reception at the House of Lords.

The event was hosted by Lord Best and guests heard from NHC Chair, Tom Miskell OBE who championed Jo’s great work in building the NHC into the organisation that it is today.

Among the guests were: Kit Malthouse, Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Josh Goodman, MHCLG, Lord Shipley, Lord Best, Nick Walkley, Homes England, Simon Ridley, MHCLG, Isobel Stephen, CLG, Fiona MacGregor, Regulator of Social Housing, and many more!

Tracy Harrison (previously Deputy Chief Executive) took over as Chief Executive earlier this month. She said: “We’ve seen the NHC thrive under Jo’s leadership and although she will be hugely missed by all, I am looking forward to building on the fantastic work she started in making the NHC the influential and respected organisation it is today.”

The NHC also held a local event in Durham for staff and members to say goodbye.

 

 

 

 

 

By Chris Bartlett, Business Unit Director – Public Sector, SoftwareONE

Consumer expectations of how services should be delivered today are high. Increasingly, we have come to see online, convenient access to public services – whether paying council tax, reporting a pothole, or applying for a school space – as the norm. In April 2016, the EU Commission launched a digital-first action plan for eGovernment for 2016-2020 – however, given the maze-like complexity of the public sector, tech initiatives are accompanied with a higher failure rate. An international 2018 report found that only 9% of government respondents identified their digital initiatives as being in the later stages, leaving 91% still in the early stages of starting initiatives.

Experience shows us there are some common pitfalls public sector CIOs face – from managing software licenses to managing spiralling or unanticipated cloud costs – that halt progress on many IT projects. So, what strategies can the public sector adopt to ensure successful digital transformation?

1. Recognise the effect of licensing

 When we think about digital transformation, software licensing isn’t typically the first thought to jump to mind. However, licensing has a vital role to play, as most licensing terms for legacy software used by many public sector bodies were written at a time when almost all deployments were on-premises. As a result, moving to the cloud – a core requirement of almost all digital transformation projects – has a significant impact on licensing, as it isn’t a simple case of lift and shift. For instance, licensing terms for business-critical systems can prohibit the use of software in a third-party or cloud environment, or on a mobile device that leaves a fixed location.

As a result, and without even realising, public sector bodies may find themselves in breach of their licensing agreements. At worst, this can mean having to pay a substantial non-compliance fee, and at best it can mean repurchasing new licenses and racking up significant additional costs. Given the increasingly spread-out and mobile modern workforce, it’s important for CIOs to place licensing at the forefront of their digital transformation strategies. This begins with real-time visibility of their entire software estate across all locations and users before projects are initiated, in order to identify and map out which agreements need revising or renegotiating.

2. Create a cloud-first roadmap

 Many public sector bodies are not yet making the desired progress on adoption, despite encouragement from central governments to go cloud-first. A Gartner survey revealed that less than 5% of private cloud environments in government actually have the full characteristics of cloud, leaving both government employees and citizens underserved. And while a recent InCiSE report found Estonia to be the gold standard for digital services, many other EU countries are lagging far behind in digital progress – including the UK, Ireland, Switzerland and Poland.

This highlights that many parts of the public sector are still only scratching the surface when it comes to cloud, and that most IT infrastructure and activity is still on-premises. This means that much of the public sector is missing out on the benefits that cloud – a fundamental pillar of digital transformation – has to offer. The solution is to leave behind hesitation over cloud and create a cloud-first roadmap that ensures manageable adoption of services, while ensuring that effective monitoring tools are in place to mitigate concerns over unexpected costs.

3. Let innovation lead

 When it comes to digital transformation, European government and public bodies face many additional challenges that other industries do not suffer to the same degree. Digital transformation projects in the public sector are constrained by tight budgetary controls and a high degree of scrutiny, both political and regulatory. Adding to this, media reports on any perceived ‘failures’ of government projects only serve to amplify scrutiny and criticism further.

However, the fact is, CIOs and IT decision makers have little choice over whether to take on digital initiatives; the cost savings and efficiency gains available make digital transformation essential. So, to increase the chance of a project being successful, a shift in mindset is needed. While there is no argument that the public sector is a deeply complex environment, those within it must look to follow examples set by IT teams in the private sector. This means fostering a culture that puts innovation first and embraces the potential of new technologies and trends.

While technology continues to change the way we work, think and live, the public sector must find ways to respond to this by developing and delivering digital services to meet the needs of both employees and taxpayers.  In a 2018 survey, 86 percent of respondents said they viewed digital delivery of public services as equally or more important to them than traditional methods of public-service delivery. As such, the appetite for digitalisation among the general public also looks set to grow. As new technologies continue to be developed and digital transformation climbs up the collective agenda, there are exciting possibilities ahead for public sector bodies that can overcome these barriers.