Exploring the Relationship Between Internal Crisis Communication and Organizational Crisis Preparedness: A Study on Bangladesh Garment Workers

This study takes place in Bangladesh, a developing country with one of the world’s largest garment worker populations. The reputation of Bangladesh garment industry had been plagued by a number of high-profile crises that resulted in mass casualties. It is of great importance to explore garment workers’ perception of organizational safety and crisis preparedness in a historically hazardous work environment. More specifically, this study aims to examine the influences of employee involvement in internal crisis communication on safety perception and organizational crisis preparedness. Through a door-to-door and face-to-face outreach, 203 full-time garment workers were recruited in the study. The results revealed that the perceived organizational preparedness was positively associated with internal crisis communication. In addition, the relationship between organizational preparedness and internal crisis communication was significantly mediated by workplace safety and perceived crisis control. We discussed our findings regarding how garment factories can empower the socioeconomically disadvantaged population by engaging them in symmetrical communication that could lead to safer and more ethical business practices.