HR's Growing Role in Crisis Management
HR's evolving role in crisis management – insights and strategies to meet new threats
Time: 11:00 - 11:30 | FREE
When: Thursday, 3rd October '24
Five years after the pandemic, and with a rocky start for the new Government, we take a look at the role HR continues to play in crisis management. As threats to organisations evolve, HR is looking to upskill and step up to a significant role in protecting human capital.
Working to prepare, train and protect employees is key is the current febrile atmosphere, and smart organisations are preparing communications, guidelines and support for their staff.
“The UK was ill-prepared for dealing with a catastrophic emergency, let alone the pandemic” - Baroness Hallet 2024
HR’s toolkit needs ways to understand and mitigate a crisis, as well as retain the skills to deliver:
- Formulate and communicate a measured and effective corporate response to activism and civil unrest
- Continuing essential functions
- Employee resilience and wellbeing
- Crisis communication coordination and reputation management
- Pivotal strategy and delivery of organisational recovery
Join Mark Harris and Martin Cleworth to look at the key threats to HR and the skills needed to meet and mitigate today’s risks and threats.
We are accepting questions before and during the broadcast. Please send your questions to elizabeth.smith@bfi.co.uk.
Hear from
Schedule
Introduction and welcome
Elizabeth Smith
Director of Research , Business Forums International Ltd. (BFI)
Elizabeth is director of research and a founding co-director at Business Forums International. She is responsible for all programme content and writing, and researches current areas of interest for senior HR professionals in large organisations. BFI is the UK’s leading HR risk specialist conference and training provider, delivering key and timely information to over 3,000 delegates a year both through public and in-house training courses. Before founding BFI in 1996, Elizabeth specialised in researching corporate financial programmes in Asia and the Middle East, based in Dubai. She also worked in advertising and publishing in the Middle East and London. Elizabeth was educated in the West Indies, Saudi Arabia and Belgium before reading Modern Languages at Durham University. She is currently developing an online training course for line managers to raise awareness of menopause symptoms and ways that employers can work to make their workplaces more inclusive.
Another crisis! What is on the horizon for HR?
Martin Cleworth
Communications & Crisis Management Consultant , Biscon Planning Ltd
Martin Cleworth is a credible and engaging training consultant that specialises in negotiating, influence and crisis decision making. Working in this field for the last 12 months with a variety of organisations he have received extremely positive feedback on his credibility, delivery style and ability to add value to leaders and their organisations.
Hear from Martin Cleworth, a former chief superintendent, with extensive experience of major incidents and high-threat situations. Looking at the recent unrest in the UK and Europe and highlight the ways HR play an important role in threat management.
Crisis communication coordination and reputation management
Mark Harris
Independent Crisis Management & Communications Expert
Over the last 24 years, Mark has worked at the forefront of crisis management and communications internationally and held senior positions with leading consultancies such Control Risks, and Burson-Marsteller. Mark has worked on over 150 incidents of kidnapping, extortion, and hostage taking around the world, and 19 cases of vessel hijack. He has also advised numerous companies as they have prepared to restructure, close facilities, or transfer operations to other countries. Mark regularly presents at conferences and is often invited to comment on news stories on a regular basis by news channels such as the BBC, ITN, Channel 4, CNN, NBC, and Al Jazeera.
After an Army career, Mark has managed crises globally, gaining extensive experience in high-threat situations. He will talk about the importance of crisis communications, drawing on a broad global knowledge. We'll look at the ways in which communications can make or break a crisis and some of the common mistakes companies can make.