Employees are sharing rumors during organizational change. How can you address misinformation effectively?

In the absence of proactive and timely communication, employees make up their own stories...and the rumors are 10× worse than the truth. In my Internal Communication audits, I always ask employees about how much information they get from the rumor mill and if they trust it. I prided myself for organizations that trusted leaders more than the rumor mill. This requires trusted tools, managers involved in communication, and proactive strategies where organizations invest in resources and tools. If you leave Internal communication to chance and prefer to react, don't be surprised if employees trust what they hear from the rumor mill.

Una ley básica de la comunicación interna es que cuanto menos información oficial circula, más se llenan los vacíos de sentido con rumores. En un contexto de cambio lo que más precisamos es sentido.¿por qué necesitamos un cambio?¿para lograr qué?¿cuál va a ser mi lugar en el nuevo escenario? ¿cómo vamos a caminar hacia él? Si esas respuestas no se brindan por parte de los líderes y de la voz oficial, los colaboradores irán a buscar esas respuestas a la radio-pasillo.

If you are the leader, over-communicate until they are sick of hearing from you! Find multiple different mediums to communicate the change to different people in your org who absorb information and news in different ways. Create multiple accessible points, places, people and platforms focused on giving clarity. Give open access to you and invest in group calls, hours of 1-1s.. ultimately it is less time and energy than trying to handle the negative impact on culture, the cost of recruitment and loss of productivity due to confusion and doubts, drama and fears which create those damaging rumours.

Rumors start when someone spreads unverified information, often because they believe the public lacks access to facts. People tend to believe rumors in uncertain situations. To counter this, address gaps by being transparent about what you know and don't know, avoid using incomplete data to shape narratives, and set boundaries for what to ask, believe, and say.

¿Cuántos no hemos vivido cambios organizacionales y no hemos estado al tanto? Me pasó hace un tiempo y comprobé lo fundamental de tener líderes que estén sensibilizados sobre la importancia de las comunicaciones, en especial cuando hay procesos de transformación organizacional, pues la incertidumbre es el caldo de cultivo para la desinformación y para que el clima laboral sea una tormenta segura. Los rumores y las especulaciones provocan confusión, desconfianza y afectan negativamente el proceso de cambio. Por ello, un diálogo cercano y transparente es vital. Hay que anticiparse a la desinformación; es un desafío, pero se puede lograr y avanzar con éxito con una comunicación proactiva, transparente y empática.

Where does a rumor start? Someone starts it with an objective - it is possible that they believe that the larger public will not have access to facts. They also know that with the right ingredients people will believe the rumor. People are anxious in volatile situations rife with uncertainties. Plug all these gaps and the rumor will reduce, if not end. Be upfront with what you know and what you don't. Don't try to mislead and use incomplete data to build a narrative of your own (hypothesis, assumptions, etc. - eg. saying "it is possible..." is sure to send people barking up the wrong tree). Set boundaries about what to ask, believe and say (eg. "hey, did you hear this...? Is it true?"). Have a credible official document like an FAQ).

Partnering with Human Resources leadership is key and ensures that employees will receive consistent messaging. One tactic is to have an HR spokesperson monitor internal channels (such as Viva Engage) and respond with the correct information where questions or may be posted. There’s nothing wrong with open dialogue as long as there are several sources of truth - including people managers - who can set the record straight.

Utilize software for real-time verification, empowering designated teams with access to credible sources. Regular training on identifying misinformation also fosters a culture of accuracy. Encourage open communication channels for reporting potential inaccuracies swiftly, ensuring swift corrections. This proactive approach builds trust and reinforces reliability in internal communications.

Change is inevitable for a business to survive and thrive, and the people that run the business will need to become catalysts for change - that’s the narrative every leader should champion regardless of the state of the business. If you keep that narrative top of mind, celebrate changes powered by your people, and provide resources for teams build skills for the future, you’ll be well-positioned when it’s time for change. Noteworthy: 1. Regardless of how much you drive the narrative, you will always have some who protest and feel blindsided. 2. Avoid formal emails. Change lands better when leaders take time to announce personally (even via Teams Live etc.). This demonstrates empathy, and it can keep you out of headlines.

I believe that regular, quick, efficient team meetings allow leaders to constantly update their teams on changes as well as listen to news coming from their end. the trick here is make them quick and efficient so everybody is willing to attend and contribute without disturbing their work flow.

Beyond newsletters and emails, consider interactive sessions like Q&A forums or town halls where employees can ask questions directly. Use visual aids and examples to simplify complex information, ensuring clarity and understanding. Encourage open dialogue to address concerns promptly, fostering a culture of trust and reducing speculation effectively.

Con los silencios también comunicamos, pero la interpretación de los mismos es tan diversa como la cantidad de receptores y por tanto, poco efectivos en un contexto de este tipo donde se requieren certezas y claridad. Una buena estrategia para asegurarse que todos reciben información pertinente es desplegar la campaña informativa en una multiplicidad de medios y soportes.

I will be biased here, coming from a training background, I do believe in training your teams let alone leaders to be able to accept and even embrace change. They in turn can bring change swiftly and smoothly to the teams they work with.

Lead by Example: As a leader, demonstrate effective teamwork and collaboration in your own interactions with the team. Lead by example and set a positive tone for teamwork and engagement.

Siempre es crucial gestionar el rumor, el líder de opinión es un hito para que esa gestión sea efectiva y beneficiosa para la organización.

Rumors emerge when there is a vacuum of actual information about what is going on in the company or organization, and, second, when employees do not have effective ways to communicate their thoughts, frustrations, or feedback openly. Giving them such an opportunity is essential for preventing rumors. It can be done through instituting major cultural changes allowing employees to provide honest feedback regularly notwithstanding their place in a formal hierarchy. Or it can be more formal and done through hotlines, designated email addresses, online forms, and the option to schedule meetings/calls with designated company councilors to vent whatever is on their minds. Internal communications must highlight these options constantly.

Estos mecanismos de retroalimentación, como los buzones, son también instrumentos adecuados para recibir dudas o cuestionamientos de forma anónima. El foco no debe ponerse nunca en saber quién dijo o piensa tal cosa, sino en conocer qué información es necesario proporcionar para generar un ambiente de trabajo seguro y confiable.

I encourage leaders to always address the elephant in the room especially if there is any misinformation going around. For example, in townhalls/all-hands meetings, don't wait until the Q&A segment (usually at the end) to "address the elephant". Do it at the start. Employees will be thinking it throughout the session so make the point up front and hopefully, if done well, you can move their thoughts to other important topics.

Address the rumors in one of your scheduled meetings. You can do this with a candid "I'd like to clear the air..." segment. Don't belittle or mock people for having fears or making up "facts" in the absence of being provided information. Assume positive intent. There are some bad players but often people are trying to make a story out of data points. It's up to you to set the narrative right.

En mi experiencia, la única manera de combatir los rumores de "telepasillo" es con información pura y transparente. Esto puede sonar a obviedad, sin embargo uno de los procesos más difíciles de garantizar en el seno de una organización es el correcto flujo de información. El rumor suele ser una de las maneras de comunicar más atadas a lo emocional, ante lo cual lo racional por sí mismo poco puede hacer ante un sesgo de confirmación, por ejemplo. Sin embargo, si con paciencia construimos una cultura desde la transparencia, tendremos posibilidades de neutralizar estos vicios comunicativos cada vez que se manifiesten.

I completely agree. Frequent communication at all levels is essential to ensure the dark side of imagination does not infect the organization and erode the value potential inherent in the employee base.

Normally when the rumor mill is churning, it means there is a vacuum of formal communications. Companies often wait until ‘the perfect time,’ working on leader town halls, slide decks and FAQs for weeks while employees know something is in the works. The net result is erosion of trust and ‘sit and wait’ mentality that can freeze an organization. Companies should be proactive and communicate often, even if the message is ‘we can’t share more than this now.’ On the employee side, those conversations are taking place and often with negative assumptions. This can quickly metastasize throughout a company, and also sour restructuring survivors on staying, when they are needed the most.

Understand who your early adopters of change are throughout your organization. Train and leverage them as change champions. Ensure they are partners in the change process from the get-go and are strategically placed and profiled as reliable employee representatives. They should be accessible enough for employees to voice their concerns through, and credible, trusted and informed enough to be able to address rumor's with fact before they spread.