Tackling the First Email : Employee Communications During a Government Shutdown

Originally published on LinkedIn

Yesterday I blogged about Effective Employee Communication Tactics for the Potential Government Shutdown, outlining RIVA’s strategy for addressing rising employee concerns and a few tips on things we’re trying to avoid. With the clock still ticking down and no resolution in sight, many GovCon companies are starting to break the ice and send their first communication to employees regarding the situation.

The first communication is CRITICAL to setting the tone with employees on what they can expect and hopefully provides some comfort that their employer is taking the situation seriously and is doing what they can to minimize the impact from a financial but also an employee moral perspective. At this point there isn’t much concrete information to provide about what may or may not happen on October 1s, and because of this, many companies struggle to find the right message that doesn’t overpromise or under communicate.

Yesterday RIVA sent our first all employee email regarding the shutdown. I thought it might be helpful to break down our first all employee message for any other contractors who are struggling to find the right words or tone during this uncertain time. 

Address the Situation Head On

It’s important to remember that even if you have experienced a government shutdown before, it’s very likely many of your employees have not. To ensure everyone is on the same page and understand the potential severity, clearly define the timeline and meaning of the potential government shutdown and why this situation has occurred.

Subject: Potential Upcoming Government Shutdown 

Team RIVA - 

Today we are writing to address the ongoing conversations and concerns surrounding the potential government shutdown. As of today, September 26, Congress has yet to reach agreement on a budget for the 2024 fiscal year which begins October 1st. Should an agreement not be reached by this Saturday, the government risks shutting down until a resolution has been passed. 

Outline Your Plan

While we don’t have a lot of concrete information at this point, it’s important to demonstrate to employees the company is taking the situation seriously. In our case, we’ve stood up a small cross-departmental tiger team responsible for handling all operational and communication related tasks. This team is comprised of experienced individuals who are following a playbook that will guide our actions depending on how the situation unfolds. 

First, we want to assure each one of you we are taking this situation very seriously, we are putting in as many precautions as possible between now and 10/1 including standing up a cross-departmental task force that is actively implementing our government shutdown playbook. 

Lean on Experience

Unfortunately, this situation is not new, and many companies have been here before. In 2018-2019, we navigated the longest government shutdown in history, 35 days. It is important to remind employees this is a temporary situation and although it may be temporarily that doesn’t diminish the stress or hardships that may follow. 

RIVA has successfully navigated this situation before, most recently in 2018-2019 during the longest government shutdown in history. While this situation is familiar and temporary, it does not diminish the potential implications such an event might have on our operations and, most importantly, our employees. 

Every Employee Experience Will Be Unique

Unless you are a very large contractor or have a small portfolio with a singular agency, it is likely all employees will experience the shutdown differently. Some projects might get stop work orders, fully funded projects might continue working, overhead staff may need to cut back depending on company liquidity, the scenarios are endless. What happens next will be highly variable and it’s important to note a one size fits all solution does not apply during shutdowns. Be transparent with employees about this fact as many of these decisions are out of your control but affirm leadership will make the best decisions possible given each unique situation. 

We are proactively in touch with government officials to evaluate the potential impact to projects and staff. It's important to highlight that, as of now, no decisions have been made concerning the shutdown. Each project team and all overhead staff may be impacted differently depending on the unique circumstances of each client, operating budget, and contract terms. 

Commit to Transparency

One of the only things you can commit to employees during this time is transparency. Even if it’s bad news or no news, continuing to actively communicate on a variety of channels will provide some level of comfort to your employee base and build trust as the situation evolves. Employees will remember how you made them feel during this time and it will have lasting impacts for your company and employee morale, it’s important to get this part right.

We understand that times like these can be a source of uncertainty and stress. Our commitment to you remains unaltered. We pledge to communicate openly and transparently as the situation evolves, ensuring you are informed and supported every step of the way. 

Name a Point of Contact and Executive Leader

If the situation does not improve and the government shuts down on 10/1 employees will need to understand where to reach out with questions or to gain access to any resources that may be deployed if the situation is extended. In our case we felt our People & Culture team was best suited as the first line of defense for employee questions and our COO was the logical choice from an executive leadership perspective to send the message. This may look different at your organization, but no matter who is selected, it’s important to provide a singular resource to help control messaging and ensure consistency.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to the People and Culture team if you have any questions, concerns, or need further clarification on any issue. Your well-being and peace of mind is our top priority. Let’s continue to support one another and navigate these waters together. 

Thank you for your dedication, resilience, and trust in RIVA. 

The MarCom team will be working very closely with the shutdown taskforce, managers, supervisors, and leadership over the next few days and throughout the duration of the shutdown should the situation occur to ensure our messages are clear and consistent.

If you’ve made it this far, I hope this post is helpful in providing a template to sending the first communication. There are a ton of different ways you can approach employee communications; my last piece of advice is it’s important to stay true to your company culture and always listen back to what employees are saying to help guide any future communications.