For those of us that either work or volunteer for charities, or who financially support such organisations, we want to know that all of our time and money is put to use to help the charity achieve its aim and to make a difference. But what happens when bad publicity comes along?
Several well-known businesses are currently dealing with and seeking to fight back from this very issue. The BBC are reeling from the awful headlines and stories that continue to come out about some of their previous favourite “celebrities”. I’m talking, of course, about people like Jimmy Saville, Stuart Hall and others. ITV are in the same position with the questions and allegations made about two of the stars of their popular program “Coronation Street”.
In the world of sport there has been bad publicity for the sport of cycling with the confession and allegations made by former hero Lance Armstrong. There have been stories around for years about bribery in organisations like the Olympic Movement and football’s governing body FIFA, which is currently seeing some resignations. The on-field behaviour of a big “star” like Luis Suarez is causing a lot of unwanted negative publicity for Liverpool Football Club.
Bad publicity often relates to people – or what they have done (or are alleged to have done). So what can you do to try to avoid your organisation attracting such negative publicity?
For a start, you need to try to get the right people. Make sure that your recruitment processes are robust and secure. Whether you are employing someone or taking on a new volunteer, make sure that the application & interview recruitment process is effective. Get your references and your DBS check. Find out whatever you can about the candidate – what do their profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc say about them? Make sure that you cannot find anything that could come back to haunt you. Oh – and make sure they are suitable for the role that you are considering them for.
As the individual settles in to the organisation, watch them. Watch them closely, watch them from afar. Watch how they work, watch how they interact with others. Listen to what they say, the views they express. Continue to look at their tweets, Facebook etc. If you have any reason to be concerned, deal with it. Have the conversation. Check things out. It’s better to check something and find that it is wrong and there is nothing to worry about, than regret it later when things come out that you should have dealt with – like the BBC are now having to deal with.
Finally, make sure that they can do their job properly. They need to be able to fulfil the role that you have appointed them to effectively and efficiently. If they don’t, again you need to do something about it – before it affects other workers or before they do something stupid that affects the organisation. Move them to another role – or move them out.
The advice that Jim Collins gives in his book ‘Good to Great’ is about how the organisation can excel – but it also applies to the situation of avoiding bad publicity:
“Get the right people on the bus,
Get the wrong people off the bus,
Get the right people in the right seats”
If you appoint the right staff by ensuring that your recruitment processes are robust, and get rid of the wrong staff by watching, noting and dealing with things that make you uncomfortable, then this will help you a lot.
Remember, only a small minority of people will cause you problems – and you need to root them out. Focus on your people, and you will have the pleasure in celebrating with most of them the really good appointments that you have made.
For help in some of these areas, please contact us to talk through your issue. Very often, talking it through with someone outside of the organisation will give you a different view.