Each of your staff will have a role in crisis management, and that includes your senior executive. Often, a member of the leadership team is assigned the role of spokesperson with the public, but you must commit to having someone who is a good speaker in that role, and the best person for that role may simply not be the boss. You need someone who is articulate, can answer questions honestly and believably, and who likes to be in the public eye. After all, if the crisis underway is something that can also harm the reputation of your company, you will want the best person possible to stand for you. If you think of most governments, and many large companies, they will have someone who is a spokesperson assigned to answer questions from the media, provide press releases, and arrange information sessions with the media.

We acknowledge that everyone from the owner or CEO to frontline staff are very busy. It’s going to be an inconvenience for people to be trained in crisis management and to become effective at proactively managing and responding to incidents. However, the importance of being ready cannot be underemphasized. From the massively destructive events in recent years, as well as pandemic preparation, companies should understand at some level that they need to be ready. Your job is to convince them that the time to get ready is now. Ignoring the opportunities to plan and prepare means you are taking a very big risk.

Small Company (20 or fewer employees)

  • Owner/CEO
  • Spokesperson
  • Chief Financial Officer/Controller
  • Security Officer
  • Office Manager
  • Product Manager
  • One or two Employee Representatives

Medium Sized Company (20-50 employees)

  • Sales/Production Managers
  • IT Department Manager
  • Human Resources Consultant
  • Maintenance/Facilities Leader
  • Payroll Officer
  • Safety Consultant
  • Up to six Employee Representatives (drawn from different frontline areas)

Large Company (50+ employees)

  • Organizational Development Manager
  • Buildings and Facilities Manager
  • Training and Development Manager
  • Union Representation (at least one person)
  • Up to 10 Employee Representatives (drawn from different frontline areas)
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