Buy Mart (Employee Relations)

You are the PR director for a chain of four local “big box” discount stores called BuyMart. Recently, employees have been taking more sick days than usual, often resulting in staffing shortages, and the stores have been receiving complaints from customers about rude treatment by the store employees they encounter. In fact, some customers have been so upset that they have told store managers they will shop at a competitor’s store instead. There has also been increasing negative “chatter” on social media about BuyMart. The managers of the various departments in the four stores met with the chain’s president to discuss the problems. They said they are fed up with employee’s behavior and advise the president to terminate the employees immediately. The president is reluctant to take such drastic steps without looking for the cause of the problem, and says he is hopeful to turn things around, and he wants to wait until the annual performance review process in three months. The CEO has tasked you with the job of developing and implementing an employee relations/communications program. What are your immediate recommendations, as well as recommendations for a long-term strategy to improve employee communications. What needs to be done?