Workplace crises take many different forms – everything from an on-site injury to a cybersecurity breach, from contract issues to strained employee relations. They can disrupt operations and productivity, and damage your reputation and profits.

What they all have in common is a tendency to escalate if not contained swiftly and efficiently. Here at Milners Law, our crisis management lawyers have an approach to containing crises that's simple, effective and thorough. It consists of three stages:

1. Spot it

The biggest temptation when a crisis happens or begins to unfold is to wait for it all to blow over. But this is a surefire way to let it snowball – and the fallout will be all the harder to deal with.

Instead, seeking the counsel of experienced crisis management lawyers helps nip things in the bud. Experts can assess and identify the nature of the crisis and deal with it sooner rather than later.

This process is likely to involve risk assessment and a thorough once-over of your company's crisis procedures. If staff are less than adequately prepared to tackle the problem, we're able to deliver crisis response training.

Don't leave things to fester – spot it, seek help and move straight on to step two.

2. Contain it

As we say, crises tend to snowball – and before you know it, they're too big to deal with effectively.

That's why containment needs to take place right off the bat.

This has two interrelated benefits. One is that it shows strength of leadership and reassures your staff. The other is that it communicates to your partners, suppliers and other third parties that you're still in control and in business.

The containment stage consists of tailored legal expertise and support with PR. By putting crisis management in the hands of professionals, you're reducing the chance of PR gaffes and internal conflicts.

See it, sort it – the sooner the better.

Now that the crisis has been contained, you want to make sure that it won't be repeated. This is another area where crisis management lawyers can be invaluable.

3. Stop it

What can you learn from the crisis? Are the risks that caused it still present? If so, what strategies can be implemented to eliminate them?

You want to emerge from the crisis stronger than before – and that's something that our support can help you to achieve.

By following these steps under our expert guidance, you can contain the problem and learn from it. So don't let things get out of control – contact us for robust, effective, tailored advice.

Types of workplace crises

As we mentioned at the top, there are many kinds of workplace crises. They include:

1. Health and safety crises

This could be a workplace injury or fatality or the appearance of an industrial disease.

2. Boardroom and shareholder disputes

Perhaps you're faced with a conflict of interest in the boardroom. Perhaps you've been tripped up by new regulations. Or perhaps there have been crossed wires among your shareholders. All of these require sensitive handling to keep up morale and avoid disruption to operations.

3. Major contract issues

If allowed to snowball, contract issues can result in litigation, which is costly and bad for your reputation. Effective crisis management ensures things don't get that far.

4. Product liability crises

Product recalls and negligence claims can inflict damage on your reputation. In these cases, expert public relations are a must to ensure your brand isn't damaged and you can continue business as usual.

5. Major employee matters

Strikes, lockouts and other types of shutdown need to be resolved – and your partners need to be reassured that you're in charge.

6. Supply chain disruption

Since the pandemic, supply chain disruptions have become more and more common.

Shareholders want to know that business will carry on as usual as far as is humanly possible. And if you're dealing with the fallout from disruptions, you don't want to be dealing with them too. That's where expert legal advice can make all the difference.

7. Cybercrime

All it takes is for a member of your team to click on a phishing email and your systems could be compromised. A swift and efficient response is crucial to restore confidence and patch up any cybersecurity breach.

8. Bribery and corruption

Hopefully, these issues will never affect you – but if they do, we're here to help you respond quickly and thoroughly.

9. Dawn raids and fraud investigations

A dawn raid is when the police or other investigatory body visits your workplace. It can be a distressing and unpleasant experience and requires robust management.

Fraud investigations can be similarly turbulent – but with the right assistance, they don't have to be curtains for your company.

10. Fire damage and disruption

While traumatic, the damage and disruption caused by fire don't have to spell the end of your business.

What all these have in common is a tendency to get out of hand if they're not dealt with swiftly. Our "spot it, contain it, stop it" strategy is designed to nip things in the bud so you can move on stronger than before.

If your business is in crisis, you want it to be contained and stopped as soon as possible. The single best thing you can do is turn to expert crisis management solicitors for help. They will help you to identify and minimise risks, protect your reputation and put procedures in place to make sure the crisis isn't repeated.

At Milners, we're a small, tight-knit team of specialists – and we aim to bring solutions, fast, so that you can focus on keeping your business running. You can't be expected to know the ins and outs of crisis response and PR – but it's our bread and butter.

And at Milners, you're always dealing with experienced, no-nonsense solicitors – never call centre staff reading from a script.

So if a crisis is unfolding, contact us for a free no-obligation quote. We're here to help.