Crisis management is a term that is being commonly used amongst members of the business community. Crisis management is a very useful tool that can help companies handle a crisis situation easily. However, in order to handle a crisis, proper steps need to be followed.

In essence, to handle a crisis situation properly, a company needs to develop a systematic and coordinated reaction to any and all issues that might happen within the confines of the business such as the office building.

In order to handle a crisis situation, a clear cut plan must be followed which outlines the responsibilities of all the parties involved and how they are to act if the crisis situation should occur.

To make this point clear, below are three steps that should be followed by all businesses in order to ensure that a crisis is handled effectively.

Step One – Establish Crisis Management Teams

In order to deal with a crisis, there needs to be people who are equipped to handle the situation should it occur. As such, it is necessary to establish a crisis management planning team.  This team will be responsible for developing crisis plans, anticipating any threats to the company and reviewing any policies that are contradictory to the company’s crisis management protocol.

This team is required to regularly check (semi-annually) the plans and responses to any crisis situation in order to ensure that everything is up-to-date and valid. The team is also required to run various drills and exercises with the rest of the employees in order to ensure that they are fully aware of what they need to do in a given crisis situation.

Step Two – Establish a Crisis Management Operations Team

The team in step one is responsible for all the “paperwork” part of the crisis management plan, however, there needs to be a group of people that actually handle the situation in a crisis. As such, a business should establish a crisis management operations team.

This team will be responsible for establishing a communication grid in the event of a crisis situation. They will also be responsible for providing medical assistance to people (if necessary), assessing any other potential threat during a crisis, providing assistance to emergency teams and help in search and rescue operations.

Step Three – Establish a Crisis Management Public Relations Team

In a crisis situation, the public needs to be informed about what is going on. They cannot be kept in the dark for too long without people questioning and trying to assess the situation themselves. As such, it is necessary to formulate a crisis management public relations team.

This team will be responsible for communicating the company’s situation and the crisis situation to the public. They will also be responsible for dealing with the legal implications of the crisis and for those people involved in the crisis situation.

Crisis management is not an easy task, especially in a large company. By having specific teams with clear cut goals and responsibilities, a company can effectively handle any crisis situation that comes their way.