Crises often strike without warning, leaving companies in disarray. It’s like being on a smoothly sailing ship when out of nowhere, a storm hits. Suddenly, you’re not just navigating but surviving. This is the essence of a crisis. And while we can’t always predict the storm, we can prepare for it and, more importantly, learn how to weather its aftermath. Now, you might be asking yourself, “How does one navigate through choppy waters and come out unscathed on the other side?” The answer lies not just in resilience but also in effective crisis management.

Here at Vista, we believe that every crisis, as daunting as it may seem, can be turned into an opportunity for growth. We’ve all heard the old saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” But have you ever stopped to consider why that is? It’s because adversity forces us to tap into our reservoirs of strength, resilience, and innovation. Think about a tree that’s survived a storm. It’s not just still standing; it’s stronger, its roots driven deeper from wrestling with the wind. Similarly, a crisis can strengthen our organizational roots, making us more robust, adaptable, and resilient.

As discussed in our previous blog on disaster preparedness, it is crucial to have a plan in place to minimize the impact of unforeseen events. (If you haven’t read that yet, I highly recommend it before continuing this blog). The aftermath of a crisis poses equally challenging obstacles. It requires strategic and swift actions to rebuild and move forward while ensuring your team and clients remain supported and in the know. In this blog, we’ll discuss critical post-crisis steps and walk you through how to take them on effectively and efficiently.

Assess and Evaluate

Start with a detailed assessment of the crisis/disaster as you begin the recovery process. This may sound obvious, but remember the goal of your assessment is to understand the extent of not only the physical damage but also the emotional damage that has occurred. In your assessment, you want to take into account immediate concerns while not overlooking the long-term effects of every action and decision moving forward. Fill your blind spots. If it is not something you have strong knowledge of, reach out to those who do. There are two critical steps in this part of the process:

1. Begin with a financial analysis. The firm may experience financial burdens due to the crisis. This is an area you cannot afford to panic in, literally. You need to strategize, and the best way to come up with your next right step is to analyze where you are and what the true impact is. Examine losses of immediate costs and potential long-term needs. You may contact a financial expert or rely on your in-house finance team to help create a recovery budget that considers all aspects of your firm’s financial health.
2. Engage with your team. Collaborating with your team will help you gain well-rounded insights on the impact of the crisis and ensure you lay a strong, united foundation in moving forward in the firm’s recovery.

Communication, Transparency, and Team Support

Whether it be a natural disaster, cyber-attack, or tragedy that takes place within the firm, it is important to communicate and remain transparent with your team. In the aftermath of a crisis, rumors and misinformation can spread rapidly, causing further damage to your firm’s morale and reputation. Open and honest communication after a crisis can make a difference in how your company rebuilds and moves forward. Try to maintain regular communication channels to keep your team members informed about timelines and the overall state of the firm. This is where your crisis communication plan comes into play. It is important to communicate not only the successes and progress but also the challenges that lay ahead. This helps set expectations and can bring a sense of comfort to your team. Remember, transparency builds trust and can help mitigate any negative perceptions.

Encourage two-way communication with them in hopes they share their feedback, concerns, and suggestions with you. It is important to acknowledge that not all people will be comfortable doing this publicly, so look into ways for them to do so anonymously. Once you have this feedback, be sure to act on it and show your team they have been heard. The well-being of your team is essential to the firm’s recovery. Depending on the crisis at hand, instituting some support systems may be beneficial to your team and worth exploring. Here are some examples:

• Counseling: Provide your team with mental health support and consider bringing in outside resources/organizations who specialize in employee well-being.
• Wellness Programs/Workshops: You may consider going beyond traditional wellness programs and offering training sessions on stress management, coping techniques, and building resilience. These exercises will not only help your team through the current crisis but also give them skills to implement in their daily lives in and out of the office.
• Flexible Work Arrangements: Depending on the crisis, your team may need time away from the office, or maybe they are unable to even come into the office. It will be important that you communicate clear policies regarding flexible arrangements. This may include remote work, flexible hours, or staggered workweeks. It is important your team feels supported in balancing their professional and personal responsibilities while navigating a disaster.

Infrastructure and Technology

Restoring the firm’s infrastructure and technology is essential for ensuring business operations can continue. This is a priority to minimize downtime and alleviate further financial losses. As such, you will want to allocate all necessary resources to address any disruptions.

Collaborate with your IT company or third-party experts to enhance your firm’s cybersecurity measures, also covered in our previous blog. An audit should be conducted to identify any vulnerabilities that were missed, and then steps should be taken to implement measures to safeguard against future threats. Your firm should also have a backup system in place for critical data, but if you do not, now is a good time to establish one. With any new system, it is important to monitor and adapt as necessary continuously.

It’s also important to note that in our digital age, technology can be a powerful tool in managing crisis aftermath. With data analytics, you can gauge the depth of the damage done, keep an eye on the recovery trajectory, and forecast any bumps in the road ahead. The right tech solutions not only streamline processes but also heighten efficiency, paving the way for innovative recovery strategies. From securing critical data with cloud storage to synchronizing efforts with project management tools, technology is your trusted ally. Technology can help you turn crisis into opportunity.

Resuming Business Operations

Resuming business operations is always top of mind after an unforeseen event and may need to be done gradually while you consider any limitations and challenges posed by the crisis. Remain flexible in your plans and adjust workflows as needed to accommodate your team. With technology now restored, you can start with critical functions and then gradually expand into other areas of the firm’s operations. The ultimate goal is not to overwhelm your team while working to maintain the connection with your clients and continue moving their cases forward.

• Client Contact: Start by having your team reach out to your clients to check-in. If this is an isolated, firm event, you will want to make sure you shield your clients as much as possible while remaining honest about the challenges your team is facing. If this event is something that reaches far beyond your firm, and they have been affected too, it will be imperative that your case managers and/or paralegals connect with them and update their files with what is currently going on in their lives.
• Intake Support: We know intake is the life and blood of your firm. Without that team, you have no cases. The firm may not be in a position to open the floodgates and begin retaining the same number of cases as before, as your case management team is already going to feel the pressures of managing their current caseloads. However, there should be a plan in place and communicated to intake and case management on how the firm will continue getting new business. Maybe you briefly tighten your case criteria so you are only retaining top-tier cases. You may also look into hiring an answering service or, if you already have one, routing calls to them for assistance with screening. These measures can help alleviate some pressure on your intake team, and they also could be used as a resource to allow your intake team to temporarily help in current client contact, depending on the number of cases your firm has.

Learning and Improving

Business is back up, and you can finally take a breath before returning to your initial evaluation. The focus now is to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the preparedness of the firm as well as the execution of your recovery strategies. What went well? What could we have done better? Continue to collaborate with your team. Get their feedback and suggestions. Now is a time for innovation, and what better way than to have your entire team be a part of the solution moving forward? If you did not have a disaster preparedness plan in place prior to this event, now is the time to create and implement one. Review it with your team and regularly update it based on feedback and emerging trends.

Navigating the aftermath of a crisis requires a strategic approach. Every step plays a crucial role in rebuilding and moving forward. The work does not end once operations resume; rather, it evolves into a cycle of learning and improvement. As you reflect on the challenges faced and progress made, use them as a guide toward a more resilient and prepared future for your firm.