© Copyright 2001, Wilson Group Communictions, Inc.

We operate in communities sometimes for years taking our neighbors for granted, often never realizing the "people next door" can become our greatest ally, or our most vocal opposition.

They have concerns about what we do and how we do it and how it impacts their health and safety. When ignored or kept uninformed, our neighbors can force seemingly minor issues into major headaches. They can block expansions, force government investigations and if pushed far enough, even close down your plant.

On the other side, they can become our greatest supporters.

The way our neighbors view us fortunately can be altered if we simply take the time to keep them informed and keep reminding ourselves that we're all part of the communities we work and live in. It's all part of good community relations.

In today's environment, most of us realize the importance of community relations. The problem is that we're not always sure how to accomplish it.

Too often, we make community relations (CR) programs more difficult than necessary. Sometimes, they become stalled under their own sheer weight. What might look good at corporate headquarters may not work in the actual communities where that company operates facilities. You have to keep reminding yourself that good programs have to be implemented at the local level by local people. It's difficult, if not impossible, to conduct them by long distance.

The key to putting together a good program is not making it all encompassing, but making it work.

For starters, place yourself in your neighbor's shoes for a moment. If you lived near one of your facilities, what would you think of yourself as a neighbor? Does the facility produce odors? Is it noisy? Would a neighbor be concerned about the odors and emissions? Do they pose a health risk? Does the community really know what you do there?

The best way to find out what your neighbors think of you is to listen to them. If you have neighbors who have expressed concerns about your plant, meet with them. Let them know what you do. If there are problems, let them know you're addressing them. It doesn't hurt to ask for their advice or opinion on issues either. You may or may not act on it, but at least they'll know you're listening. Make sure you have a system which responds to neighbors' complaints immediately and then calls for a personal followup.

You may want to consider inviting neighbors inside your facility or conducting an all-day open house, but if you do, take some precautions.

You have to realize that many people never have been inside an industrial facility. Their perceived images of what a processing plant should look like may not match what they see. The odors and sounds you take for granted could be frightening to newcomers. You should at least prepare people for what they will see, hear and smell and you may want to consider limiting the areas they visit. Your facility should be as spotless as possible, inside and out. Make sure you have guides and never allow anyone in an area that could be potentially dangerous.

If you have any doubts about an open house, you might want to consider on-site briefings with slide shows and video presentations as an alternative.

Before designing any CR program, remember that no program - no matter how well designed - will work if it is not supported by those who must ultimately implement it. Since the heart of most CR plans involves employees, that means your employees must buy into whatever you eventually plan on doing. Make them part of the planning process. Find out what they feel is important and what they would be willing to do in the community. If they help develop the plan, they are much more likely to see that it is successfully implemented. Employee involvement can also pay an extra dividend in raising employee morale.

So how do you get started? First, do your own "community audit." Talk with community leaders such as local elected officials, newspaper editors and others who are active in the area. Find out what other companies are doing. Find out what the community needs (and wants) and then try to match it to something you and your organization can provide.

In one instance, a plant's entire program centered around boosting tourism in the community. It involved hosting "coffee breaks" at highway rest parks, putting up signs welcoming visitors to the community and employees volunteering to periodically clean up a two-mile stretch of roadway that led into the city.

In another community, chemists volunteered to teach young students the basic elements of chemistry at a school two blocks from their plant.

In both instances, the programs not only resulted in community goodwill, but in positive publicity as well. Publicity may not be your ultimate goal, but it is important. Just as a tree falling in the forest goes unheard if no one is there to listen, the best community relations plan in the world will miss its mark if no one knows about it.

Some considerations:

• Donations to local charities are to be commended, but they rarely make front-page stories in the local newspaper.
• Think graphically and be inventive. Can your community relations activity be captured in a photograph or a 30-second segment on the evening news?
• If you do come up with something newsworthy, don't wait until the last minute to alert the media. Give them at least a day or two of warning and don't be discouraged if no one shows up. Be patient. Community relations is not a one-time story, but a continuing effort.

And balance your quest for publicity with common sense. Don't be too self-serving. If you want to advertise your organization, buy an ad in the local newspaper. If you want to be popular in the community, tie yourself in with popular community projects. That could mean helping spruce up a local park, volunteering to help teach an adult literacy program, working with local youths or doing something for the local library. Be imaginative.

When you do latch onto a project that can generate positive publicity, try to weave important facts and background information into the story. Let people know what you do, how long you've been doing it and how many people depend on your organization for employment. If you have an important anniversary coming up, make it part of a special CR project. Let the community know you're proud to be a part of it.

If you have a small workforce or a workforce that simply doesn't give community relations a high enough priority, you can still develop workable plans. Putting up signs or billboards to welcome people to your community has a lasting impression that takes no employee involvement. Other programs may take only one or two people volunteering their time just a few times a year.

And programs don't have to be expensive. In most communities, your leadership and ideas are much more important than your money.

The difficult part of community relations is getting started. You have to have a plan and your plan has to be workable. Do your homework first, get everyone involved and start slowly. Community relations is not just a one-time event, but a long-term commitment that can pay off with substantial dividends.