Microsoft Word - 791_Atika Budhi Utami
Available online at: https://journals.researchsynergypress.com/index.php/ijmesh
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities
(IJMESH)
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
Volume 5 Number 2 (2022): 165-180
Corresponding author
Atika Budhi Utami, atika.budhiutami@gmail.com
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31098/ijmesh.v5i2.791 Research Synergy Foundation
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing
the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami1, Widya Hamdayani2, Faris Budiman Annas3
1,2,3Department of Communication Science, Faculty of Philosophy and Civilization, Universitas
Paramadina, Indonesia
Abstract
The covid-19 pandemic has affected the world, including Indonesia, specifically the certainty of the
company's economic sustainability. This requires each organization to execute strategic
communication with its employees. Henkel Indonesia carried out a communication strategy during
a crisis to provide certainty and eliminate uncertainty to its employees. This study aimed to discover
how it implemented strategic communication crises. It also strengthens the concept of a Situational
Crisis Communication Theory, which elaborates into a tactical, planned, measurable, and able-to-
evaluate crisis communication strategy. This research explored the crisis response strategies that the
company applied in dealing with the pandemic. The methodology used in this research is qualitative.
Qualitative research consists of a set of interpretive and material practices that make the world
visible. The method used in this research is a case study. The unit of analysis in this study is a group
of the Human Resources Department. The results of this study revealed that the company activated
the Crisis Management Team by executing extensive security, hygiene, and social distancing
measures to protect employees from spreading the virus in the work area. It used diminishing
strategies in the Situational Crisis Communication Theory and implemented excuse and justification
communication techniques. The crisis communication strategy conducted by the company has a
positive impact on its employees. The limitation of this study is that it focused solely on the crisis
communication strategy from the company-employee perspective. This research did not reach
external stakeholders.
Keywords: Crisis Communication; Employee; Pandemic; Situational Crisis
This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC license.
INTRODUCTION
The impact of Covid-19 is damaging not only from a health perspective but also from an
economic one. Almost all sectors of the economy have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
crisis, from the government sector to the private sector. Many phenomena of uncertainty to date
experienced by the world community, including Indonesia. Uncertainty occurs in many things. For
example, a worker who works in a red area will have worries that lead to uncertainty about the
spread of this disease outbreak. Even greater is the certainty of the company's economic
sustainability. So, this requires every organization to communicate strategically to its employees to
avoid panic.
Communication during a crisis is critical. Miscommunication in times of crisis can lead to
uncontrollable chaos. Therefore, strategic communication is needed at this time. Communication is
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
166 │
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
considered the basis for organizing humans and providing rational thinking in understanding
humans. According to Harold Laswell (Effendy, 2001), communication is the process of delivering
messages by communicators to communicants through media that cause certain effects, while
strategy comes from English, "strategy," which means the science of war tactics or reason. The word
strategy then develops into other fields that give rise to a broader meaning: a careful plan of an
activity to achieve a target or goal.
Each company has its way of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. Henkel Indonesia,
for example, has carried out a communication strategy during a crisis that aims to provide certainty
and eliminate sense of uncertainties to its employees. Providing this sense of certainty can be
measured by the company's relatively stable performance during the current pandemic. These
various strategic communication efforts are enacted throughout Henkel in each country, one of
which is Henkel in Indonesia.
Henkel Indonesia administered a communication strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic
crisis which was approached by using the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) to
explain the public's reaction to a crisis and see the situational communication strategy imposed by
Henkel Indonesia during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. SCCT consists of three core elements: (1)
crisis situations, (2) crisis response strategies, and (3) systems for adjusting crisis situations and
crisis response strategies. That is, a company must recognize a crisis first and then determine
actions in responding to the crisis through communication using appropriate handling strategies
(Coombs, 2010). Situational Crisis Communication (SCCT) is commonly used to explain public
reactions to crises and reputations in a company, organization, or agency. For example, the
condition or condition of Henkel Indonesia in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, then the way
the Henkel Indonesia company takes steps to minimize the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Also, how
Henkel looks at the response and expectations of employees by adjusting the situation and
strategies carried out by the Henkel Indonesia company for its employees. Dealing with the Covid-
19 pandemic. Research about a crisis communication strategy in facing a pandemic is rare, so we
focused on how Henkel Indonesia implemented the strategy as an effective model to cope with such
unexpected situations. Through the background of the problem, we will limit the scope discussed
in this study with several research questions as follows.
1. What is the situation of the crisis communication strategy carried out by Henkel Indonesia
for employees facing the Covid-19 pandemic?
2. What are the responses and actions to the crisis communication strategy carried out by
Henkel Indonesia for employees facing the Covid-19 pandemic?
3. How is the business fit of the crisis communication strategy undertaken by Henkel
Indonesia in terms of employee expectations in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic?
The objectives of this study are 1) to identify the situation of the crisis communication
strategy. 2) to describe the responses and actions to the crisis communication strategy. 3) to
analyze the business fit of the crisis communication strategy from the perspectives of employees of
Henkel Indonesia.
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
│ 167
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Corporate Communication
According to Paul A. Argenti (2010:32) Corporate Communication (Corporate
Communication) are several ways an organization or company can communicate with various
groups of people. The purpose of several groups of people, namely, superiors and subordinates in
a company, companies and communities, and companies with stakeholders (stakeholders).
Everything that is communicated requires specific strategies that have been designed by the
company's special management team or Corporate Communications organization.
Corporate Communication was also formulated by Grunig&Hunt (1984) as written in Wasesa and
Macnamara (2010: 268) that Corporate Communication is a team that communicates in two
directions. The aim is to persuade the audience to change attitudes and decisions to purchase goods
or services, as well as to form relationships with the target audience within an organization or
community and stakeholders (stakeholders or employees).
2.2 Role and Function of Corporate Communication
According to Seitel (2001) in Damayanti (2004:17) corporate communication is a
management function that is specifically tasked with building and maintaining two-way
communication lines, understanding, acceptance, and cooperation between organizations and their
publics covering all handling problems and issues, assisting management and be more responsive
to public opinion. It also outlines and emphasizes the responsibility of management in serving the
public interest of an organization.
2.3 Definition of a Crisis
Crisis as “the perception of unforeseen events that threaten the expectations of important
stakeholders and can seriously impact organizational performance and produce negative
outcomes” (Coombs, 2010). Crisis of any kind can befall an organization or company unexpectedly,
quickly, or slowly, regardless of the size of the organization. In this condition, the organization's
public needs an explanation of what is going on. The increasing need for information makes
communication a very important aspect for an organization. The organization's inaction in
communicating the policies taken can result in a decline in public support and the image of the
organization.
2.4 Types of A Crisis
Cutlip in Akhyar and Pratiwi (2019) suggests the following types of crises.
1. Immediate crisis
This type of crisis is the type most feared by companies because the crisis that occurs appears
suddenly and without any signals indicating that a crisis will arise. Companies also do not have time
to do research planning. This type of crisis comes due to natural disasters that occur (force
majeure), such as earthquakes, fires, bomb attacks, or pandemics.
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
168 │
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
2. An emerging crisis
This type of crisis still requires a public relations officer to first examine the crisis before the
problem explodes and can cause damage to the company or organization. Examples of this type of
crisis are the occurrence of sexual harassment in the workplace, abuse in office, or other
misconduct.
3. The crisis survives (sustained crisis)
This type of crisis is a crisis that has long passed but still appears in the period of months or
years even though the problem has been handled by the company. For example, rumors about
companies that spread widely by word of mouth, then disseminated by mass media. Such situation
cannot be controlled by public relations practitioners.
2.5 Steps of A Crisis
Steven Fink in Putra (2012) divides the steps of a crisis as follows:
1. Prodromal stage
In the prodromal stage, as with any disease, the crisis has early symptoms as a sign of an
impending crisis. The organization's management must be able to detect early signals of a crisis
that could escalate, so that preventive action can be taken. Organizations that are sensitive to their
environment, their publics, and ongoing changes will be in a better position to be prepared when a
crisis strikes.
2. Acute stage (acute)
The second stage is the acute crisis stage. Failure to anticipate the symptoms that appear or
the early signals at the prodromal stage can lead to catastrophic damage to the organization. The
duration of the acute crisis depends on the ability of the management to overcome the crisis that
occurs. It should be realized that a continued crisis will have a very large impact on organizational
performance, reputation, products, and services offered, as well as the views of shareholders
(investors). Some organizations failed to handle the crisis and impacted on the closure of the
organization or company.
3. Clean-up stage (healing)
The chronic crisis is the third stage. At this stage, the organization is still feeling the impact
of the crisis and sometimes this impact can last longer than the crisis itself. Often it also referred to
as the healing period, analysis of the crisis that occurred and improvement.
4. post-crisis stage (after the crisis)
The last stage is the crisis resolution stage or after the crisis. This is the final stage where the
crisis is no longer a threat to the survival of the organization. The same should be the goal of an
organization's crisis management.
2.6 Situational Communication Crisis Theory
Situational Communication Crisis Theory (SCCT) was first put forward by W. Timothy
Coombs in 1995 in his article entitled "Choosing the Right Words: The development of guidelines
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
│ 169
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
for the selection of the "appropriate" crisis response strategies". Basically, crisis communication
focuses on crisis situations or crisis responses, such as what organizations should say and do in
times of crisis (Coombs, 2010:20).
Recent developments in crisis communication theory have led to the emergence of
Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) to conduct crisis communication research
specifically. SCCT will make attributions about crisis responsibilities, and then those attributions
will influence how stakeholders interact with organizations in crisis situations” (Coombs, 2010:
39). This SCCT theory can be used to explain the public's reaction to a crisis and communication
strategies during a crisis (crisis response).
Coombs argues that "SCCT consists of three core elements: (1) the crisis situation, (2) crisis
response strategies, and (3) a system for matching the crisis situations and crisis response
strategies" (Khyn, 2008:23). It means that a company must recognize a crisis first and then
determine actions in responding to the crisis through communication using appropriate handling
strategies (Coombs, 2006). Situational Crisis Communication (SCCT) is commonly used to explain
public reactions to crisis situations and reputations that occur in a company, organization, or
agency.
SCCT argues that communication affects people's perception of a crisis. This means that the
words used, and the actions taken by crisis management can influence how people perceive the
organization or the crisis (Coombs, 2010). The focus of SCCT itself is how companies can anticipate
crises and prevent reputational damage. (Coombs and Holladay 2002: 169) crisis response
situations can be divided into three types:
1. Victim Cluster is a group of crisis situations that cause victims. This includes natural
disasters that damage the organization such as earthquakes, pandemics, false information,
and attacks on employees who are suddenly attacked on site, and external agents causing
damage to the organization such as workplace violence and product destruction.
2. Accident cluster (a group of crisis situations due to accidents), i.e., stakeholders who claim
an organization operates in an inappropriate manner, technology or equipment failure
causes industrial accidents and technology or equipment failure causes product recalls
such as challenges, technical fault accidents, and breakdowns. product failure due to
technical error.
3. Preventable cluster (a group of preventable crisis situations) i.e., human error that causes
industrial accidents, human error causes products to be recalled, stakeholders are deceived
without legal injury, or regulations are violated by stakeholder management, injuries such
as accidents due to human error, product damage due to human error, organizational error
with no one injured, mismanagement organizational error with injury.
According to Coombs (2007: 170-171) SCCT divides crisis response strategies into three
main strategies: deny (deny), diminish (reduce), and rebuild (build back) as well as one additional
strategy, namely reinforcing (strengthening):
1. Deny strategies are carried out by organizations that think that they are not facing a crisis,
but there are rumors that the organization is facing a crisis or serious problem. In this
strategy, the message can be in the form of attack the accuser by attacking people or groups
who claim something is wrong; denial, where the organization denies that something is
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
170 │
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
wrong; scapegoat by blaming a person or group outside the organization for the crisis that
occurred.
2. Diminish strategies. The organization recognizes a crisis and tries to weaken the
relationship between the organization and the current crisis. In diminish strategy, an
organization can do two ways: excuse and justification. Of the excuse, the organization tries
to reduce the responsibility of the organization by ensuring that the organization does not
intend to do negative things. Of the justification, the organization can claim that the damage
is not serious and argue that the crisis has been misinterpreted. However, the degree of
resistance to a cause of crisis will largely depend on the type of crisis faced by an
organization.
3. Rebuild strategies. It is trying to change the public perception of the organization by
apologizing and accepting the fact that there really is a crisis. Three things that can be done
are compensation, in the form of giving a few compensations to victims of the crisis and
apology in which the organization asking for forgiveness or forgiveness from the public.
4. Reinforcing or bolstering strategies (additional strategies). In this strategy, an organization
seeks public support by using the following methods: reminder, by reminding the public of
the positive things the organization has done; ingratiation, by saying good things or
praising stakeholders and or reminding them of past good deeds by the organization; and
victimize, by reminding stakeholders that the organization is also a victim of the crisis
(Coombs, 2007).
Furthermore, the situation and response strategies during the crisis will be matched by
(matching process) to define the efforts made and get results that are in line with expectations. The
measurable result in assessing the effectiveness of an appropriate crisis response is to use a system
that equates the perceptions of employees or stakeholders with the expectations of the
organization itself.
2.7. Covid-19 Pandemic
A pneumonia outbreak was originally found in Wuhan, China in late December 2019 when
many people in the market there suffered breathing problems, fever, cold, and fatigue (Wu
et.al.:2020, 217). In the following month most of the cities in China reported similar cases and then
the rest of whole world was nearly stopped moving due to the surprising increase of the
transmissions. This later was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the world was
in a state of pandemic.
According to the WHO, Coronavirus disease or Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by
SARS-CoV- 2 virus. The virus is contagious from an infected person to another normal one through
mouth or nose liquid particles or droplets. Most of the sufferers of the virus are experiencing mild
and moderate illness and do not require hospital treatment. However, those who have comorbid
diseases like coronary heart, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, serious respiratory disease, or other
chronic disease are likely to have serious illness and require medical treatment because it can cause
death. Anyone at any age can be infected by this virus.
There are several ways to prevent the disease based on WHO: 1) be informed about the
disease. 2) stay at least 1 meter apart from another person. 3) wear a mask. 4) wash hands regularly.
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
│ 171
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
5) get vaccinated. To those who get infected, it is advised that they do quarantine. WHO also
suggests that people follow local guidelines to stay updated about the disease.
Indonesia government through the Ministry of Health along with WHO Indonesia and
municipal administrations have joint forces to minimize the number of infected victims and the
virus from spreading. Muhyiddin and Nugroho (2021: 3) stated that Indonesia is one of the many
countries in the world which is struggling from the Covid-19 and has implemented various policies
without sacrificing the economy. The policy that was first announced was called Pembatasan Sosial
Berskala Besar (PSBB). This required all activities be stopped from operating because of the
implementation of work, study, and worship from home. Most of the businesses were relatively
limited in its operations. The government then has changed the term into Pemberlakuan
Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyarakat (PPKM) since 2021 which was basically similar in practice
because most activities still require physical and social distancing. However, since most of
Indonesians have been vaccinated, the government has eased the regulations. Although now the
situation has slightly shifted into new normal, Indonesians are suggested to keep using their masks.
To date, WHO has not declared the world free from the virus.
RESEARCH METHOD
The methodology used in this research is qualitative methodology. Qualitative research is a
situated activity that places the observer in the world. Qualitative research consists of a set of
interpretive and material practices that make the world visible. These practices change the world,
they turn the world into a series of representations, including field notes, interview conversations,
photographs, recordings, and memos to oneself. At this level, qualitative research involves an
interpretive and naturalistic approach to the world. This means that qualitative researchers study
things in their natural setting, trying to understand or interpret phenomena in terms of the
meanings that people bring to them (Denzyme and Lincoln, 2018). Qualitative research is a
research procedure that produces data and does not use calculations (Moleong, 2017).
The method used in this research is a case study. Case study methodology is an examination
of matters relating to case-based investigations. It can be concluded that this case study research
method was carried out to answer the research question "how" the crisis communication strategy
executed by Henkel Indonesia for employees in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Hamidi (2005: 75-76), the unit of data analysis is the unit to be studied in the
form of individuals, groups, organizations, objects, or a background of events such as individual or
group activities as research subjects. Data analysis is used by setting the respondent's criteria, the
researcher will automatically obtain what is the subject of his research. In this study, the research
subject was the Henkel Indonesia company as the initial source to dig deeper information, along
with the people involved in it as the object of the research to be analyzed. The unit of analysis in
this study is a group of people in PT. Henkel Indonesia company in particular the Human Resources
Department division as key informants and informants. Due to the pandemic, the interview session
was conducted through a video conference one at a time with each informant. The interview was
recorded and then transcribed. The transcript is then studied and analyzed.
Data analysis is the most important step in a study. The data that has been obtained will be
analyzed at this stage so that conclusions can be drawn. According to Miles and Huberman in
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
172 │
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
(Sugiyono, 2005: 91) "… qualitative data analysis activities are carried out interactively and take
place continuously until complete, so that the data is saturated". Data analysis activities are data
reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Findings
Below is the table of Crisis Management Team of Henkel Indonesia whose two members
became our informants for this research.
Source: Data Managed by Researchers (2021)
Figure 1. Crisis Management Team Henkel Indonesia
The situational crisis communication strategy carried out by the Henkel Indonesia company
in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic crisis will be discussed using the Situational Crisis
Communication Theory (SCCT) point of view in (Coombs; 2007) and derived in several dimensions,
as follows.
Situation is a temporary condition or situation that occurs in the Henkel Indonesia company
in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. So, here are some statements from each of the informants
explaining the situation or condition of the Henkel Indonesia company in dealing with the Covid-
19 pandemic.
1. Henkel as a Company sees the Covid-19 Pandemic
Venih Darmawan
“During this pandemic, all business lines will be affected as well as Henkel. However, currently
Henkel is trying to keep running its business to support our customers while keeping the health
and safety of employees as the top priority. Our strategy is more about how to survive and get
through these difficult times together.”
Venih Darmawan
Head of Crisis Management
Team
(Henkel Indonesia)
Budiarto Suryadi
Crisis Management
Team
Mashuri
Crisis Management
Team
Lia Fany Utamie
Corporate
Communication
(Henkel
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
│ 173
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
The Covid-19 pandemic situation has indeed had a very serious impact on companies and
organizations and all lines of business, as well as Henkel Indonesia. However, the company is still
trying to run its business by making every effort to support customers while keeping the health and
safety of employees as its main priority. Because after all the company can keep moving because of
the support from employees.
2. Impact on the Company
Venih Darmawan
“In general, there must be an impact because the demand for orders has decreased for certain
business lines.”
Lia Fany Utamie
“If it has an impact on Henkel, it must be there because it is impossible not to exist. Maybe what
can be seen is that from requests from customers what will be ordered, there must be a decline
for certain business lines. So, if you ask if it has an impact or not, it will have an impact.”
Henkel Indonesia experienced a decline in certain business lines. However, it continues to do
well, through it together, and continues to run its business smoothly.
3. Impact on Employees
Venih Darmawan
“Employees must learn to follow the health procedures implemented by the company. It was
difficult at first but with time now it has become a habit for them. Employees also must follow
the new work arrangements set by the company.”
Lia Fany Utamie
"Surely for employees it would be difficult and not difficult, right? Why do I say that because
there must be adjustments that must be followed by employees such as for example working
from home and they must follow the health procedures that have been set by the company where
the company also refers to the health procedure regulations from the government and the
World Health Organization (WHO). It must have been very difficult at first, yes, you used to go
to the office often and internet access was easy, but the longer you come here, maybe the
adjustments have been very good. Even though they work from home, employees are reachable,
they can be contacted.”
Henkel Indonesia applies Working From Home (WFH) basis for its employees, meaning that
workers continue to work from home, but do not come to work or office as usual but still have to
follow the health protocols implemented by the company. It may be difficult at first, but over time
it has become a habit for employees. In addition, Henkel Indonesia is still operating well and
running smoothly with the same number of personnel, even though many companies have reduced
and laid off their employees. The response strategy is a way for the Henkel Indonesia company to
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
174 │
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
respond to its employees so that it causes a change in action. Here are some statements from each
informant based on several question points:
1. Actions taken by Henkel Indonesia
Venih Darmawan
“In the beginning of the pandemic, management activated the Crisis Management Team (CMT)
to ensure business operations and the safety and health of our employees. Every two weeks CMT
provides information to employees about the company situation and the Indonesian situation
in general. Each work unit has a Covid officer unit whose function is to provide information
about work procedures and health in the company.”
Lia Fany Utamie
“At Henkel, we have a crisis management team, so at the beginning of the pandemic the
management really activated the crisis management team to ensure how the business
operations were, employees were to keep running and ensure everything was safe, everything
went well, and we also have something called Covid 19 updates which aims to provide updated
information about Covid to employees, so employees remain aware of this unchanging situation
and keep cautious. So, we continue to hold what is called Covid 19 update and we also always
provide information about the pandemic so that employees can maintain their health both at
the office or in the company or in the factory area.”
The initial step taken by Henkel was to activate the Crisis Management Team (CMT) and
make new changes around the work environment for example, creating a strategy so that later if all
employees had to return to work from the office, the company would continue to provide protection
to its employees in the context of prevention and control. Handling Covid-19 is like preparing
“return to office” to start the “new normal”.
Henkel Indonesia’s Crisis Management Team consists of several members in each location.
Each work unit has a Covid officer whose function is to provide information about work procedures
and health in the company. However, of all members, Ms. Venih Darmawan is the head in charge of
all sites in providing information and actions to be taken by the Henkel Indonesia company, such
as preparing for a return to office.
2. How Henkel Indonesia Maintains Communication with Employees
Venih Darmawan
“The company creates a communication flow for each work unit as a point of contact to ensure
the flow of information to all employees is affordable. Every two weeks we carry out Covid-19
updates to inform the company’s situation and condition as well as information about the
development of Covid-19 in general.”
Lia Fany Utamie
“So it’s the same as before, the question is, every two weeks we have a Covid-19 update to inform
the company’s situation and condition and inform the development of Covid-19 updates in
general from the value of the increase or decrease continuously regarding vaccines or whatever
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
│ 175
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
and we make a path of communication for each existing work unit where there is a point of
contact so it will make it easier for employees if there are or there are problems related to Covid-
19”.
In dealing with the crisis situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, Henkel Indonesia tried to have
a positive impact on employees in the form of some attention to communication and health, such
as doing regular updates on Covid-19 as below.
Covid-19 updates are carried out every two weeks and are attended by all Henkel Indonesia
employees to provide relevant information regarding the situation and condition of the company
as well as to inform the development of Covid-19 updates in general from the increase or decrease
in value and about vaccines etc. Then, in terms of health, the company provided masks and corona
kits regularly to all employees, so that employees could feel the efforts made by the company to
continue to protect employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company also prepares a Shield
Up Kit or protective equipment to provide safe protection to its employees in carrying out daily
activities both inside and outside the work environment.
3. Matching Process
This matching process is seen from the situation and response strategy carried out by Henkel
Indonesia for its employees in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here are some statements from
each informant based on several question points.
a. The image felt by employees
Venih Darmawan
“So far, the inputs from employees have been positive. They feel the company cares about their
safety and health.”
Lia Fany Utamie
"Employees are happy with the support they get because they feel they are not left with the
attention they get from the company; the employees are very happy and positive. The comments
are very good. With the attention, it means that employees feel that the company is still
supporting and caring for employees in this difficult time".
The image felt by employees when viewed from the actions and efforts of crisis
communication carried out by Henkel Indonesia is very supportive. Employees feel that the
company really cares about their health and safety at work. Especially during this Covid-19
pandemic, the company still remembers to hold important events and celebrations of national
holidays with employees such as Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, breaking fast events, Independence Day
on 17 August, women's day, father’s day, and Henkel's anniversary every year. The message
conveyed by Henkel Indonesia can be received by employees.
Venih Darmawan
"So far, yes, because employees continue to do their jobs well and get their rights to achieve the
company's goals, which is to ensure that supplies for our customers are met".
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
176 │
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
Lia Fany Utamie
"To keep thinking positive because then it will create influence that will also be created positive.
During this pandemic, the friction is definitely faster and that way employees can carry out their
jobs well and for the achievement of company goals, so everything has a win-win solution."
Henkel Indonesia's efforts in realizing this positive impact have received appreciation and
supportive responses from employees. Not only that, but employees also responded positively to
things, such as by always complying with the health protocols that have been established by both
the Government and Henkel Indonesia, carrying out their work properly by regularly wearing
masks, washing hands, and consuming the vitamins provided.
b. Relationship between expectations of employees and Henkel
Venih Darmawan
"Yes. With the efforts that have been made by Henkel, Henkel continues to operate as usual while
prioritizing the health and safety of employees is maintained”.
Lia Fany Utamie
"When it comes to expectations, I speak as employees, yes, we feel we have. because Henkel is
still running, operating well as usual. The health and safety of employees is still a top priority
for Henkel and always gives positive thinking to employees so that we can continue to get
through this together”.
Based on the positive impact provided by Henkel Indonesia and the positive response from
employees as described above, it appears that the relationship between employee expectations and
Henkel has been well fulfilled.
4.2 Discussion
Data obtained from the informants were analyzed by reducing unnecessary points,
presenting them with thoughts and analyses, then making the conclusion of it.
Communication is the most important part of the organization. To solve problems, an
institution must establish strong two-way communication to their stakeholders. One of the
indicators to successful management function is effective communication crisis (Kadarova, et al
2015:1121). Kadarova also stated that senior managers must be able to 1) be committed to
communicating and be participative in public relations; 2) be attached with communication
consultant; 3) integrate corporate strategic communication and public relations; 4) maintain two-
way communication with internal and external public; 5) synchronize the theory and practice; 6)
explain the goals and objectives of the corporate.
Henkel Indonesia has met the criteria of effective communication crisis above. In the case of
Henkel Indonesia, the institution has executed a communication strategy during a crisis that aims
to provide certainty and eliminate a sense of uncertainty to its employees during the Covid-19
pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic is included in the category of an immediate crisis because the
event appeared suddenly and without any signals, indicating that a crisis will arise. This type of
crisis is the type most feared by companies, companies do not have time to do planning or research.
This type of crisis comes due to a natural disaster that occurs (force majeure). The Covid-19
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
│ 177
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
pandemic is included in the characteristics of an unexpected crisis as it can happen at any time. The
stages which were adopted from the situational crisis communication as follow:
At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the first step taken by the Henkel Indonesia
company was to activate the CMT (Crisis Management Team) to ensure business operations
continued and ensure the safety and health of employees became the main priority. CMT and
Corporate Communication work together to carry out a crisis communication strategy to make
changes such as making new regulations in the work environment and maintaining communication
between employees. CMT implements the crisis communication strategy from Henkel Global into
Henkel Indonesia, while Corporate Communication as the executor in providing all kinds of needs
needed by the company to protect employees and prevent the spread of Covid-19 in every location
where employees do their work. In companies such as Henkel Indonesia which are engaged in B2B
(business to business), Human Relation and corporate communication are part of a division and
have interrelated relationships. Human relations and Corporate Communication have a
relationship from both functions, namely as public relations and human resources (HR). The
function of public relations is more focused on the positive image of the company and its brand
image and conveying messages to the public, while the HR function is more focused on the welfare
and protection of employees.
The situational crisis communication strategy carried out by Henkel Indonesia was derived
using the SCCT theory (situational crisis communication theory) or crisis situational
communication theory which was seen from three elements: (1) crisis situations; (2) crisis
response strategies; and (3) systems for matching crisis situations and crisis response strategies.
That is, a company must recognize a crisis first and then determine actions in responding to a crisis
through communication by using appropriate coping strategies to explain the public's reaction to a
crisis and communication strategies during a crisis.
Situation is a temporary condition or situation that occurs in the Henkel Indonesia company
in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. For instance, the impact of Henkel as a company, the impact
on employees, the relationship between Henkel as a company and its employees when entering a
crisis, as well as employee expectations at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The situation of
the crisis communication strategy carried out by Henkel Indonesia to its employees in the face of
the Covid-19 pandemic is to keep making every effort to support customers while still prioritizing
the health and safety of employees, which is its main priority. By implementing this communication
relief, the company can move because of the support from employees.
The impact felt by Henkel Indonesia as a company due to the Covid-19 pandemic may
experience a decline in certain business lines. However, Henkel Indonesia continues to do well,
through it all together, and continues to run its business smoothly. In addition, the initial impact on
employees may be difficult because there are many new regulations made by the Henkel Indonesia
company by following the regulations enforced by the government. The new rule was the
enactment of working from home (WFH). WFH is enforced by the government to minimize the
spread of the Covid-19 virus that people are asked to work, study, and worship from home.
However, eventually it has become a habit for employees since they are now used to do their work
from home, using their own work equipment.
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
178 │
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
Henkel also provides IT equipment such as monitors, printers, and scanners, if needed to
support the arrangement of employees working from home. Another change is related to workers
who must be able to multitask and respond quickly. Because as we know, with the implementation
of WFH, employees are not only busy with their office work, but also with their homework. As a
result, many employees take a long time to respond to emails and pick up the phone. However, the
company still understands that adjusting to a new situation takes time. So far, the adaptation of
working from home policy has been effective and efficient because the employees can still complete
their work well and are reachable to be contacted.
With the Covid-19 pandemic crisis and the beginning of the implementation of WFH, the
expectations of employees in general must be the same. They want to continue to get full support
from the company, by getting a fixed salary, and no reduction. The employees thought that their
relationship with the company would be different because of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis,
especially since many companies closed their businesses and terminated their employment. As a
result, many employees were laid off. For Henkel, on the contrary, the company is still very
concerned even though it was going through the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. This could be seen from
the employees' expectations that have been fulfilled, they could continue to work as usual, with the
same number of personnel, and still received their rights every month.
The response strategy is a way for the Henkel Indonesia company to respond to its
employees. The crisis communication strategy carried out by Henkel Indonesia to employees in the
face of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to changes in actions such as how Henkel Indonesia's crisis
communication is, the way Henkel Indonesia maintains communication between employees and
the organization, and the image that Henkel Indonesia wants to be seen by employees during this
Covid-19 pandemic.
Henkel Indonesia's crisis response strategy includes diminishing strategies. The company
acknowledges the existence of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis and tries to weaken the relationship
between the organization and the current crisis with excuses and justifications. On the excuse, the
organization tries to reduce the responsibility of the organization by ensuring that the organization
does not intend to do negative things such as not being open about information on employees who
are affected by Covid-19 symptoms, so as not to cause negative things to these employees and
protect them from worrisome. There were a lot of misinformation about Covid-19 in a form of hoax
and false information. The employees as well as the public in general in this case retrieved
information about Covid from social media (Saleh, 2021:481). Their belief of information from
social media can cause panic and generate distrust to company and government. Public access
social media as the source of information, however, most of the information is false. Therefore, in
providing them with true and updated information about Covid-19, the crisis team created "Covid-
19 update" every fortnight. This is one of the best practices of two-way communication stated by
Kadarova (2015) that effective communication is key to successful crisis communication.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Henkel's CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Karsten Knobel
said that protecting oneself, family and community is the most important thing to do. Henkel is also
committed to keeping the company's supply and operations from stalling. This supply of goods will
maintain the continuity of the company's operations to Henkel's customers who are engaged in
various strategic industries, even Henkel on its official website contributes to producing 50,000
liters of disinfectant as a form of donation for handling Covid-19.
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
│ 179
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
Henkel as a company sees this in outline by trying to keep running the business to support
customers while still prioritizing the health and safety of employees which is its main priority,
Henkel Indonesia is committed to overcoming the unprecedented challenges of Covid-19, so that
the strategy pattern Henkel Indonesia's crisis communication to employees in the face of Covid-19
is how Henkel Indonesia can survive in a situation like this because the Covid-19 pandemic is a
challenge not only for employees and companies but for all. Therefore, Henkel Indonesia launched
a solidarity program called “Together Against Corona” which means “we are united in our fight
against the Covid-19 pandemic, trying to protect our employees and their jobs, serving our
customers, and supporting the communities in which we operate”. This includes financial
donations, product donations, disinfectant production, and continuous improvement and safety
measures for employees. The strategy is more about how to survive together through these difficult
times, one of which is Henkel donating 12,000 euros or more than 200 million rupiah to support
staff at the Surabaya hospital who are homeless during the Covid-19 pandemic situation.
CONCLUSION
The Covid-19 pandemic situation at Henkel Indonesia is included in the victim cluster crisis
according to the SCCT theory due to the negative impact on the individual (employee) and
organization. In the Covid-19 pandemic situation, Henkel Indonesia uses diminishing strategies in
the SCCT theory. Furthermore, Henkel Indonesia uses excuse and justification communication
techniques. The suitability of the situation and the response of Henkel Indonesia and its employees
has been met. In terms of employee feedback to the company, the company's handling of the crisis
is well-supported; thus, the company's performance is relatively stable.
LIMITATION & FURTHER RESEARCH
The study was limited to employees as internal stakeholders. Also, the research used case
studies. These may have created a single point of view. Therefore, we suggest that further research
be more in-depth in terms of including external stakeholders such as consumers and distributors
as unit analysis. We also advise using another research method, such as phenomenology or survey
method.
REFERENCES
Argenti, P. A. (2010). Corporate Communications, 5th ed. Penerjemah Putri Aila Idris. Komunikasi
Korporat, edisi 5. Jakarta: Salemba Humanika.
Akhyar, D., & Pratiwi, A. (2019). Social Media and Crisis Communication. Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi,
35-52.
Coombs, W. T., & Holladay, S. J. (2010). The Handbook of Crisis Communication. United Kingdom:
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Coombs, T. (2007). Protecting Organization Reputations During a Crisis: The Development and
Application of Situational Crisis Communication Theory. Corporate Reputation Review,
10(3), 163-177. Corporate Reputation Review, 163-177.
Damayanti, S. W. (2004). Strategi Komunikasi dalam Krisis (Studi Kasus Insiden Meledaknya Sumur
MIGAS Milik TOTAL E&P Indonesia. Jakarta: Universitas Indonesia.
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 5 (2), 165-
180
Corporate Crisis Communication Strategy of HENKEL Indonesia in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic
Atika Budhi Utami, Widya Hamdayani, Faris Budiman Annas
180 │
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
Denzim, N. K., Lincoln, Y. S. (2018). Handbook of Qualitative Research.
Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.
Effendy, O. U. (2001). Ilmu Komunikasi: Teori dan Praktek. . Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya.
Hamidi. (2005). Metode Penelitian Kualitatif: Aplikasi Praktis Pembuatan Proposal Dan Laporan
Penelitian. Malang: UMM PRESS.
Kyhn, H. S. (2008). Situational Crisis Communication Theory : Its Use In a Complex Crisis With
Scandinavian Airlines Grounding of Dash 80Q400 Airplanes.. Denmark: Aarhus School of
Business.
Kadarova, Jaroslava., Mihalcova, Bohuslava., Gabriel Kadar, Marek Vida. “Strategy Map for the Crisis
Communication”. Procedia Economics and Finance. 23 (2015). 1119-1124.
Moleong, L. J. (2017). Metode Penelitian Kualitatif, cetakan ke-36. Bandung: PT. Remaja Rosdakarya.
Muhyiddin., Nugroho, Hanan. “A Year of Covid-19: A Long Road to Recovery and Accelaration of
Indonesia’s Development”. The Indonesian Journal on Development Planning. V (2021). 1-19.
Putra, O. W. (2012). Manajemen Krisis PT. Lion Mentari Airlines dalam Menangani Berita-Berita
Negatif di Media Massa (Kasus Maskapai sering Delayed dan Pilot Sabu). Depok: Universitas
Indonesia.
Sugiyono. (2005). Memahami Penelitian Kualitatif. CV. Alfabeta: Bandung.
Saleh, Fahmi., Gustiny, Ditta Sri., Supradaka. “Communication Crisis in the New Media Era During
the Pandemic-19 in Indonesia”. International Journal of Advance Research. 09 (2021). 478-
483.
Wasesa, S. A., & Macnamara, J. (2010). Strategi Public Relations. Jakarta:
Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Wu, Yi-Chi., Chen, Ching-Sung., Chan Yu-Jiun. “The Outbreak of Covid-19: An Overview”. Journal of
the Chinese Medical Association. 83 (2020). 217-220.
“Corona Virus Disease (Covid-19)”. www.who.int. Accessed on 19 July 2022.