Crisis communication management sits at the heart of the P&O Ferries debacle.
It’s a case study in how to handle a difficult situation very poorly.
A sacking en-masse via Zoom has led to calls for industry-wide changes to pay.
As well as demands from UK Government ministers for the P&O leadership to quit.
It’s a mess.
Let’s unpack the communication (or lack thereof) and see what we can salvage.
In mid-March, 800 staff members from P&O Ferries were sacked on the spot.
The news was delivered to them in a pre-recorded video message.
Many of them were still on board P&O vessels at the time, and some refused to leave.
Days later, their Chief Executive Peter Hebblethwaite appeared before MPs and agreed that his firm broke the law.
(And then brazenly admitted he’d do it again.)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson backed calls for his resignation.
And an angry Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, announced plans to change how seafarers are paid.
That plan, however, has since been dismissed as ‘unworkable’ by British Ports (more on that later).
It’s tricky to pin down absolutely everything that’s gone wrong in this debacle.
So here are three key takeaways for the next time you’re in a crisis.
Looming job losses were known within the firm’s leadership for months.
But the first that many P&O staff officially knew about it was when they saw the Zoom call.
Which, within minutes, was known to the media and the rest of the world.
It goes without saying that the way this bad news was delivered was exceptionally poor.
A pre-recorded video message sent en-masse to avoid the chance for any questions.
And as you’ll see, they’re also told without warning that today is their last day of employment.
Tough choices are made daily in business.
How they’re communicated to those affected, as well as in what order and what timeframe, are just as crucial as the decision itself.
And when this part is mishandled, it now becomes the story.
As we’ve seen with P&O Ferries coverage.
Begrudgingly, this is the only thing P&O Ferries leadership has done partially right in this whole saga.
Peter Hebblethwaite, the firm’s CEO, spoke to both the UK and Scottish Governments.
What he got very wrong, though, was his vague, indirect answers which failed to deal with what was asked.
In separate committee hearings, Mr Hebblethwaite fielded questions from MPs and MSPs for several hours.
And rightly so, for the man leading a firm that sacked 800 workers illegally.
How do you sleep at night? When will you resign? Are you a shameless criminal?
His responses were largely unsatisfactory.
And other outlets have speculated that the CEO is being used as ‘a human sponge’ to soak up the outrage.
The problem with dodging questions is that people lose trust in you and your business.
You only have to consider today’s prominent politicians to see how accurate this is.
And the reputational damage this is doing to P&O Ferries may be unsalvageable.
It’s why, in crisis, you must put yourself forward and deal with each question directly.
Here’s where the UK Government comes in.
I appreciate that they, and in particular Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, want to make amends.
They’re keen to strike while the iron’s hot and people are angry.
On March 30, the Transport Secretary announced a nine-step plan to ensure better conditions for seafarers.
This included, among other measures, ports checking the minimum wage was in place on all UK ferries.
Within hours, the British Ports Association responded, calling the plans ‘unworkable’.
In a statement, Richard Braithwaite said:
“The ports industry is genuinely sympathetic towards the situation of the impacted seafarers.
“However we would suggest that ports are not the competent authorities to enforce rules on employee salaries or working conditions in the shipping industry.”
This is a prime example of running before you can walk.
The UK Government was so desperate to find a solution that they announced it seemingly before speaking to those affected.
In times of crisis, cool heads must prevail.
Speak to everyone impacted before announcing decisions.
Even if this takes longer than you’d like.
It’s clear from reading and researching this story that the issue of job cuts was known for months.
The leadership team had enough time to outline a crisis communication management plan.
For reasons unknown, they decided to choose a more chaotic, illegal route.
There’s always a better way.
We’ve helped businesses on four continents prepare for crises like this.
Announcing job losses, service cuts, or on-site accidents.
We run these crisis management training courses at your offices or our Glasgow studios.
Email us today to find out how we can help you plan for the worst-case scenario.
Colin Stone is Communications Lead at Pink Elephant.
You can read more about him here.
Photos in Crisis communication management blog by Infomastern / UK Prime Minister on Foter and Pink Elephant.
Featured image in Crisis communication management blog by wimbledonian on Foter.
Crisis communication management blog edited by Andrew McFarlan.
1st April 2022 Featured in: Blog, Business writing training blogs, Commentary, Communication skills training blogs, Crisis management training blogs, Media training blogs By: Pink Elephant
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