From terror to tragedy, could your business cope with a crisis?

Steve Challice and Miles Manning are retired New Scotland Yard Detectives with decades of experience in dealing with those affected by death and serious injury abroad. Miles was in Sousse in 2015 when 38 people, including 30 TUI holidaymakers, were killed in a terror attack and witnessed first hand the impact on the resort reps and other staff. His London wingman, Steve, had recounted similar experiences in Sharm El Sheikh 10 years previously. In 2017 they founded ChalMan Training, offering a new approach to crisis training with the focus on how to interact with those in crisis whilst at the same time meeting all the legal and moral needs around Duty of Care. Uniquely, they also provide students with the tools to recognise and manage stress within themselves at times of crisis. They believe travel businesses needs better training and coordination when dealing with a crisis. We asked them to share some of their expert advice.

So, what is a crisis?
In short, there is no definitive legal definition of a crisis. In policing terms, protection of life and property are key in decision making, but within the travel industry other factors come in to play, such as commercial risk and, of course, anything that may harm your company’s reputation. A crisis for a travel business might be a major terror incident, like Sousse and Sharm, or a natural disaster like the 2004 tsunami, but it could also be when a holidaymaker dies in a quad bike accident or has a heart attack in their hotel room. Rule of thumb; if you think it’s a crisis, it’s a crisis until its resolved, ended or someone else more senior comes along and says otherwise.

It’s not been a problem in the past, so why worry?
A whole host of reasons, but here are the top three. Firstly, social media means any shortcomings in support for a family can be exposed to the world in seconds. The mainstream media is looking for stories of this nature and within hours the genie is out of the box and it’s impossible to put him back. Secondly, our legal profession is second to none. Make no mistake, they will forensically analyse any case and if they feel you failed to meet your Duty of Care, it will lead to increased legal costs, hours away from core roles and, in some cases, dealing with the fallout of having it proved that you failed your client. And don’t forget the coroners who are increasingly looking closely at deaths abroad and will be asking you the questions. Fail the Coroner and life will become increasingly difficult for you, such is their power. Finally, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) works tirelessly to promote and protect British citizens abroad. Today, doing a whole lot more with fewer staff and resources, you have a moral duty to supplement the support they give you. They can’t be everywhere, all the time, and if you’re there, you have to deal with it. Remember that even if it’s a huge crisis such as a natural disaster or terror attack, it will take many hours before the HMG machine arrives. Until then, its down to you.

What can I do?
Firstly, constantly review and evaluate your processes ensuring you are not just going through the motions, but actually testing whether your processes can stand up to rigorous scrutiny. Ensure you provide well-planned and realistic staff training. Looking to make savings here may cost you significantly more should you not get it right. There is a family in the North West who have nothing positive to say about the FCO after they were told their loved one died quickly in a terror attack abroad. The reality was tragic, with the poor man taking many hours to die in horrific circumstances. This well intentioned remark led to the FCO handing over the interaction with families to police, a relationship between agencies that is simply unbeatable. The staff member concerned, riddled by guilt and despite all efforts, left the FCO. She wasn’t trained properly, there were no protocols to guide her and she reasonably thought she was doing the right thing. The FCO, as professional and experienced as it is, failed and was subjected to criticism that was hard to defend. It learnt the hard way and now ensures staff are properly trained. In your world, imagine how difficult this type of incident would be to deal with when the family and the staff member sue you.

One final bit of advice:
Make it your steadfast mantra that ‘People Matter’ and not only your clients, but your staff must matter enormously as well. Equip them with the tools to deal with all scenarios, good and bad, and empower them to be a shining reflection of how you want your company viewed. In Sousse in 2015, we watched helplessly as some resort staff fell apart in front of our eyes. Of course, we blame no one but the evil that inflicted that attack but if staff had been prepared properly for an eventuality that hopefully may never happen, then the anguish they experienced would have been significantly reduced.

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