Strikes are often defined by communication during a conflict, all in the name of compromise. But sometimes, the toughest conversations don't start until after the strike is over.
More than 457,000 workers have participated in over 315 strikes in the U.S. this year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Johnnie Kallas, a Ph.D. candidate and the project director of Cornell University's Labor Action Tracker. But now that resolutions have been struck with several different labor unions across several sectors, organizations are left wondering how to communicate with their workforce in the wake of a frustrating back and forth.
"Often the negotiations or conversations during strikes build a certain tension, and it's not easy to let it go," says Merel van der Lei, CEO of Wyzetalk, a digital employee engagement and communication platform. "It breaks down trust and it can sometimes be very difficult to get started again and feel productive, good and safe at work."
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During a strike, the majority of communication doesn't take place directly between employees and their employers. Instead, the labor union representing the employees acts as an intermediary between the two in an effort to keep the striking workers safe and ensure that the relaying of information remains professional. It's a necessary strategy, but it can create significant distance in the aftermath — and it's up to employers to bridge that gap.
"If as an employer, you are not well connected with your employees from the get-go, or you rely solely on the union and are not proactive in communicating with your employees during a strike, then it's very difficult to get back into a good rhythm post strike," van der Lei says.
Employers will likely face additional challenges if they didn't build a communications plan during the strike. For example, for organizations dealing with frontline workers who have more unpredictable, desk-less schedules, finding a method of communication — text, email, phone —that suits everybody's needs can be difficult to do. Depending on the workforce, primary language is another added layer employers should be taking into account: Ensuring that the messaging is both simple and empathetic can be made harder if there isn't already a basis of communication in place. But above all else, van der Lei says, is timeliness.
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"Don't wait too long before you start talking again," she says. "When you do, make sure that it resonates with frontline worker experiences and shows empathy. It's very important to be consistent and to share updates and address any questions or concerns that they're having, and explain the impact of decisions post-strike to frontline workers. They need to know what's both in it for them and what's not."
Van der Lei suggests employers be as visible and approachable as they can be both during and after strikes. For those dealing with front line workers, this means being on the work floors, in the factories or shops in front of employees who are still working. For industries like the arts — such as the actors and writers guilds — this means ensuring that members know how and where to contact the right people and resources regarding labor concerns. And if employers can't be somewhere in person, they should be leveraging technology tools and workforce management programs to establish lines of communication.
"Every situation has both positive and negative consequences," van der Lei says. "With strikes, the sentiment often revolves around the negative aspects of what has happened. That's why it is very important to acknowledge those experiences and use that as a stepping ground to say, 'We want to do better from now on' and make people feel included and more in control of their future."
