An exploratory investigation on internal crisis communication across private and public sector employees in Indonesia

Over the past 5 years, Indonesia has faced numerous sudden crises due to its geographical location along the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. These events highlight the frequent occurrence of sudden crises in Indonesia and underscore the need for robust disaster preparedness and response systems. Effective crisis management requires a strategy that immediately informs organizations and the health sector of necessary actions. This study aims to investigate the effects of safety culture (SC), supportive environment (SE), management commitment (MC), and social media usage on internal crisis communication (ICC) during crises in Indonesia. It also compares the multiple regression models between employees in the private and public sectors. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with 567 full-time employees from various organizations who have been directly affected by crises. The findings reveal that, for public sector employees, all antecedents negatively impact ICC except for SC and MC. In contrast, for private sector employees, all antecedents positively impact ICC except for MC and the perceived usefulness of social media. This study highlights the importance of MC, an SE, SC, and the perceived usefulness of social media in determining employees' ICC during crises. The significance of an SE and SC on employees' perceptions of ICC is similarly emphasized.