The Covid Conundrum
Covid is not
going away. Obviously.
As the
pandemic drags on and impacts our thinking, planning and actions, there’s a
sense of resignation and, yes, even complacency setting in in some quarters.
Part of that
is the Second World War thinking of “keep calm and carry on.” Which is
commendable. But it can also lead to complacency and a lack of understanding of
the modern mindset which is driven in part by various social media platforms.
What that
means is that the public is both more aware and more vocal than ever about what
it perceives as carelessness or wrongdoing by organizations in the public eye.
A case in
point is the caution raised in the US recently about the implications of the
Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy. As part of that, all previous agreements are
null and void, which means that if there is a law suit because of abuse
allegations against the Scouts and the church or organization hosting their
meetings, the Scouts’ insurance policy will no longer be in effect. And THAT
means the church or organization will not be protected by the Scouts policies
and agreements. It’s a potential minefield for churches in the US that had
arrangements with the Boy Scouts.
Canadian
churches and non-profit organizations are not exempt from such potential
minefields.
As people
get more litigious over Covid, such organizations both in Canada and the US are
in a similar firing line.
Suppose you
hold a wedding or a funeral at your church and one (or more) of the
participants tests positive for Covid 19 or, worse, die as a result. The fact
that you followed public health guidelines on attendance and distancing may not
be enough to protect you. Suppose an event is held on your premises and there’s
an outbreak?
Already,
there are a number of nursing homes in Ontario fighting lawsuits—one for over
$25 million! A wedding north of Toronto is reported to have been a
super-spreader event with over 40 people testing positive after the event.
Yes, you
have the legal and insurance matters under control, hopefully.
But think
back to what I said about the public and social media.
How will the
public view your involvement? Will they be sympathetic to your predicament or
will they see you as perhaps somehow complicit, or at best uncaring or
complacent?
The answers
depend upon how you respond to both the complainants AND to the general public.
You will be contacted by the media and asked to comment on the allegations, the
lawsuit, the impact it has had on your current operations, what actions have
you taken to protect the public, and so on.
Crisis
events can blindside you. Before you can even absorb the initial hit, the media
are wanting comment and social media platforms from Instagram to Facebook to
Twitter and others are expressing opinion and influencing public response.
Believe it
or not, you can prepare for such an assault. But you must take steps now, while
everything is calm before the storm.
I am
available to help you. Check out my website www.notifwhencrisis.ca
From crisis
planning to crisis management we have a track record of helping organizations
through this dilemma. The senior management at McMaster University said, after
one of our seminars, “you not only helped us, you empowered us!”
You can also
check out the online course that I prepared and taught. It’s available through
Plan to Protect.
https://www.plantoprotect.com/en/training/register/crisis-management-and-response-reg-landing-page/
Call me
(705-533-0361) or email me (gatewaypr.barrie@gmail.com) and let’s talk about your needs and
how to prepare yourself.
