Establish a core crisis management team and define roles & responsibilities.

Develop a crisis communication plan

Panic and misinformation are extremely dangerous (SHRM), and the first steps taken by an organization should help promote a sense of calm.

• The initial communication should come from the head of the organization or the pandemic response team.
• Establish how further updates will be communicated. Identify who on the crisis management team is responsible for writing and distributing updates.
• Let employees know where they can go for additional information or to ask questions.
• A “living document” is a good communication tool, particularly one that can be easily updated. The document serves as a single point of reference for employees (HBR).
• Minimize the number of communication channels as much as possible to avoid doing double work and to avoid information overload.