A preview of the template
A holding statement is what a company says in the first hour of a crisis, before the facts are complete. It shows the company knows what happened, is acting, and will say more at a set time. It admits no liability that is not established and denies nothing that has not been checked.
- Clear these statements with Legal in advance, so that on the day only the details change.
- Issue the statement within 60 minutes of confirming the incident: silence gets filled by others.
- Name the time of the next update in the statement itself, and keep to it even if nothing has changed.
- Put people first: the safety of employees and customers before any talk of business.
- If the company is listed, check the Capital Market Authority's disclosure rules before publishing anything: a Tadawul announcement may have to come first.
- Publish the same text on every channel: website, official accounts, replies to journalists and the internal message.
1. Cyber attack or data breach
When to use it
When unauthorised access to company systems or customer data is detected, or reports of it are circulating.
Holding statement (first hour)
At [time], [Company name] detected unusual activity on some of its systems. We immediately activated our response procedures, isolated the affected systems, and are working with cybersecurity specialists to establish what happened and its scope. We have informed the relevant authorities and will contact customers directly if we find their data was affected. We will update at [next update].
Internal message to employees
We are dealing with a technical incident and the teams responsible are on it. Do not open suspicious links or attachments, do not comment on the incident outside the company, and refer any media enquiry to Communications.
Avoid
- Saying no data was affected before the investigation ends
- Technical detail that helps the attacker
- Blaming a named party
2. Accident at a site or facility
When to use it
When an accident at a company facility or site causes injuries, damage or a shutdown.
Holding statement (first hour)
At [time], an incident occurred at [Company name]'s [place]. Emergency teams are on site, the relevant authorities are informed and working with us, and our priority is the safety of our people and the surrounding community. We are in direct contact with the families of those affected and will not release names out of respect for them. We will update at [next update].
Internal message to employees
There has been an incident at [place] and emergency teams are handling it. Your safety comes first: follow the safety officers' instructions and do not share photos or videos from the site.
Avoid
- Guessing the cause
- Unconfirmed numbers
- Playing the incident down or up
Also in the template
- Product recall or quality issue
- Rumour or misinformation
- Service outage
- Offensive statement or conduct by an executive or employee
- Regulatory finding or penalty
- Restructuring or layoffs
- Customer complaint going viral
- News leaked before announcement (deal, results, decision)