Oreck Corporation has suffered a blow to its public image due to its decision to relocate its Long Beach, Missisipi plant to Tenessee. The most aggrieved parties are the workers who had placed their hope in the company and in their provision of job security. The current bad blood is bound to affect the brands popularity and eventually hamper its market appeal.The company is faced with some decisions they can make to ensure that their image is restored in the eyes of the public. The corporation can borrow some tips from the ROPE model of public relations which works through research, objectives, programming and evaluating.
The research done on the dilemma shows that Oreck is moving because of a shortage in the number of skilled workers available to their employment. This was the case after a percentage of the skilled labor had to relocate when they lost their homes in the hurricane storm. They also cited being unable to recover enough to meet the high insurance costs. This circumstances are replicated in businesses all around Missisipi. It is expected because all organisations were affected by the hurricane. However, Oreck has some control over some of the situations. One of the major challenges la ck of skilled labour that was partially caused by lack of housing for the employees. Oreck should have partnered with real estate developers to put up low cost units shortly after the hurricane. These units should have been a priority for the company to help settle their migrating workers. The partnership agreement should have been based on memorandum of an understanding between Oreck and its workers.
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The staff housing project would have benefitted the workers by providing them with basic housing facilities. On the other hand, the company would have charged a minimum rate as rent. This rent money would have helped the company to mitigate against the costs of high insurance premiums. At the same time, the presence of the workers who did not migrate would have been essential in maintaining the operations of the company at full capacity. The company would have been able to sustain its operations and the plant would not have needed to relocate. The housing project would also have been an increase to the company's investment portfolio as well as a boost to their public image. The objective in this case would have been to retain skilled workers and maintain company output.
This was not the path that Oreck chose, and as a result, the plant must relocate. There are still other options available to the management of the corporation. They have the potential to help employees in their transition through resettling them into other industries. Since other organisations are suffering from a similar shortage of skilled workers, Oreck could directly approach such firms and make agreements with them. This can be done by directly contacting recruitment heads of companies and presenting them with a portfolio of the skilled labourers. For example, moulders from Oreck could be presented to firms with similar needs. The objective of this move is to create goodwill among the workers who have been left jobless. Oreck could go a step further to help their employees get employment by partially funding their education. This can be done by organising short courses that help the workers to get the specific skills needed by the new employer. They can then present this skills to employers who are taking drastic measures to keep their businesses open. Those importing workers and offering pay hikes would be happy to incorporate these laid off workers into their employment
The company also has the option to offer jobs to their old staff. They can do this by structuring a plan that helps the workers and their families relocate to Tenessee. This is crucial for long serving members of staff who are conversant with the company's operations. They could be offered better terms or promoted to a higher position. For example, the people who operate machinery could be recruited as supervisors who train the new members of staff on the other side. The key officers such as procurement managers, human resource management as well as sales managers can be retained in their positions. Those who are unwilling to relocate can be assisted to get employment in other local firms.
The company should be open to the option of selling or leasing its manufacturing plant to another manufacturer. This would create an opportunity for all the workers to retain their jobs. This would also help the local government to retain the revenue earned from the plant. Oreck should therefore, consider all offers to dispose of their infrastructural assets carefully. First priority should be given to those buyers with an intention to re -open the plant as soon as possible. Oreck should further use its relationship with the government to negotiate a suitable position for any potential new player. This will ensure that workers have a chance to transition smoothly.
The Oreck Corporation should also meet with the outgoing staff and collect their input on the solutions they could apply. This will be a cordial way to present their suggestions to the staff while getting more ideas on how they can help. A section of this correspondence should include a company history of the issues that have led to this situation. This will give closure to the employees. Finally, a followup platform should be set up to ensure that the corporation follows each employees progress until they are settled in gainful employment. This steps will ensure that Oreck has utilised the ROPE model of public relations to the full.
Reference
Finch, C. (2017). Understanding the ROPE Formula in Public Relations. Bizfluent. Retrieved from https://bizfluent.com/how-7694169-understanding-rope-formula-public-relations.html
