The biggest threat to your reputation is not the media -- it’s your own employees.

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When companies panic about reputation, they instinctively point fingers outward. “It’s the media!” “It’s that nasty journalist!” “It’s social media trolls!”

Wrong target.

The media doesn’t have to invent your dirty laundry. Nine times out of ten, it’s your own people airing it out for the world to see.

Disgruntled employees. Anonymous leaks. Screenshots of “internal-only” emails dropped on X. Glassdoor reviews that read like exposés. Culture rot that seeps into customer service calls.

This is the stuff that tanks a reputation faster than any investigative report. Why? Because it feels authentic. It’s coming from the inside, not an “outsider with an agenda.” And the public eats that up.

“If your employees don’t trust you, no external PR wizardry can save you.”

Here’s the brutal truth: you can polish press statements all day long, but if your culture is toxic, employees will torch your credibility in seconds.

The irony? Brands spend millions on media monitoring and crisis playbooks, but almost nothing on aligning internal communication with external messaging. It’s like installing CCTV cameras outside your house while your kitchen is already on fire.

The fix is simple, but not easy:

  • Stop treating internal comms as an afterthought.

  • Train leadership to communicate like humans, not memo machines.

  • Align values with reality (if your culture sucks, fix it -- don’t just rebrand it).

  • Create safe, real channels for feedback so employees don’t feel their only option is to go nuclear.

Quick FAQ

Q: Why are employees a bigger reputational risk than the media?
Because insider voices carry more authenticity and credibility. Leaks, reviews, and screenshots often feel truer than polished PR.

Q: What’s the fastest way to prevent internal leaks?
Build trust. Give employees safe ways to speak up internally before they go public.

Q: How should leaders align internal comms with external reputation?
By communicating consistently, transparently, and in a way that feels human -- not corporate robotic.

“We train leadership to align internal comms with external reputation strategy before sparks fly.”

Want to bulletproof your reputation from the inside out?
Reach out to us at changenow@orchan.asia or call +603-7972 6377.

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