NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Any mention or association with the word Ebola can put schools, hospitals and businesses in a difficult situation.
“You could lose money by waiting too late to respond,” says global crisis communication expert Gerard Braud. “If it’s an actual employee who is affected. A customer who comes in contact with your employees or just sheer rumors and hysteria.”
Braud says Ebola scare, whether real or fake, can negatively affect a company`s reputation and revenue.
He urges companies to have in place an Ebola crisis management team who keeps employee`s, public and media informed, “Who are ready to communicate fast and effectively at a moment`s notice.”
Braud says evidence of improper crisis preparedness is clear, “A week ago nobody in Dallas was worried about this but today a hospital has to communicate, the governor has to communicate, CDC, Frontier Airlines, a bridal shop in Ohio. Schools in Ohio and Texas are shutting down.”
But what if valuable time and money is spent planning for an Ebola crisis and nothing happens?
“Everything that you do to prepare for this crisis can be used for any other crisis,” says Braud. “Whether it`s a work place shooting, embezzlement, sexual harassment charges.”
Consolidating plans and resources with other companies are ways to keep costs down, “The return on investment is that if a single rumor hits your company and you don`t quash that rumor, you could lose hundreds of thousands, sometimes even millions of dollars by failing to communicate properly.”
Braud adds that preparation doesn`t have to be an expensive investment. As long as there`s effective communication before during and after a crisis.