On the War in Israel and Gaza: Don't Rush To Say Something

The authority on mixternal comms

Guernica (1937) by Picasso

Update - 10/10/23: As days go by and more information comes out of Israel and Gaza, it’s clear unspeakable atrocities are being committed by Hamas against the Israelis. My suggestion is to modify the language in the sample comms below to acknowledge the “sheer evil”—as stated by President Biden—taking place in the region and to forcefully condemn such barbaric acts.

In this note:

• A quick word on the unfolding crisis in the Middle East

• Steps you should immediately take with internal and external comms

• Sample internal emails and social media posts to get you started

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Perhaps right now you are debating within your team and organization on whether something needs to be said about the war between Israel and Gaza. For companies who have employees or business in the region, it’s a no-brainer; hopefully something is already out the door.

⚠️ For everyone else: don’t rush to say something.

Most readers—I’m guessing—have neither business nor employees in Israel or Palestine, making deciding whether to say something trickier.

• For those located in the Middle East or Europe, proximity to the events makes the decision easier.

• But what if you’re further away?

In one of Mister Editorial’s most popular articles, I outline a framework for determining:

• a) which topic du jour requires a response (or none at all) and

• b) who should sign the comms

I suggest reviewing that article and framework to prepare for the days and weeks ahead and to ensure you’re better prepared to react to global calamities in the future

When Should We Say Something About Social Issues? A Way Forward.

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We are where we are.

War has broken out. More than 1,200 people have died and scores have been injured. Infrastructure is being demolished. People are taking sides. Global media outlets will be fixated on the conflict for the foreseeable future. Pressure will build within your organization to say or do something.

Again, DON’T RUSH TO SAY SOMETHING. It’s better to take your time and get it right, rather than to be quick and miss something or potentially offend someone and then have to go through messy or embarrassing corrections and apologies.

First Things First

• Immediately pause all social media postings for this week.

• Check your tone. If you have messages scheduled to go out today and tomorrow—rethink them. Double-check the wording so that it doesn’t sound tone-deaf to what’s happening in the world. Rewrite the top if you have to. Reschedule the message for next week if you can.

• Ditto to the above if there is a meeting. Have the speakers acknowledge the situation in Israel/Gaza and have them point to company resources that are circulating to help employees manage the stress. Be kind.

• If you have employees in Israel and Palestine, consider a short note to all employees from a senior leader that lets the company know that steps are being taken to ensure employees are accounted for. No need to go into details—a paragraph can do. Employees want to know that their company cares about their colleagues and is taking action. Post the message in an all-company chatroom or send via email.

• Remind employees about company resources that can help with stress, such as counseling and employee resource groups. Remind them that their wellbeing is important to the company.

• Make space for employees to connect with each other, whether that’s in person (a dedicated conference room) or in chatrooms and video conference rooms. Be sure to have some sort of monitoring in place to ensure the conversation is respectful.

• Keep employees updated. As new information comes in or your company makes moves one way or another—with employees, customers, resources, charities, etc.—share with employees. Not knowing what’s going on causes anxiety and stress.

For larger companies much of the above can’t happen without close coordination with your peers in HR, Security, Exec Comms, and other stakeholders. Lead where your team should (with communication) and let them do their thing.

For the consultants on this list, your internal comms contacts might be overwhelmed today, or might not be thinking about doing any of the above. Consider a proactive move in helping them get through the next couple of days.

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What follows are sample comms I created to get you started on communicating with employees. Use this material as rough drafts. Adjust the tone, language, references, etc. as needed. (The “social media posts” could be adapted for short messages on internal channels.)

The examples are for:

• Organizations with no employees or business in Israel or Palestine

• Organizations with employees or business in the region