Struggling with Staffing Issues: Reevaluating the Sussexes' Communication Strategy
Harry and Meghan face staff departures
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, are grappling with their third major staff shakeup since their departure from the royal household. Recent resignations from four key team members have added to the 22 employees who have left their employ since their U.K. departure in 2020.
This latest round of departures coincides with the appointment of Meredith Maines as the couple's Chief Communications Officer. Maines, with experience from Google, Hulu, and "American Idol," is tasked with refining the Sussexes' communication strategy. Not long ago, Meghan also recruited Sarah Fosmo, previously Bill Gates' assistant, as her first Chief of Staff.
A Revolving Door at The Sussexes' Team?
The Sussexes' team has seen its fair share of personnel changes, the latest including deputy press secretary Kyle Boulia and British press officer Charlie Gipson, both recent hires from March 2024. The high turnover rate has some commentators referring to a "revolving door" effect.
Embracing a New Approach to Communications
In an effort to streamline their operations and expand their philanthropic interests, the Sussexes are adopting a more traditional agency-based communication model. This move aims to take advantage of the diverse expertise provided by specialized agencies across multiple time zones. Experts suggest that the new approach should provide better international access and faster response times.
Challenges Remain
Managing a global communications team—with its attendant logistical and cultural challenges—has proven difficult for some team members. Scrutiny from the media and public also adds to the pressure, creating a demanding work environment.
Individual mismatches between job expectations and reality, as well as the complexities of executing projects across continents, have reportedly contributed to staff stress and ultimately led to burnout.
Implications and Solutions
The high turnover rate can pose challenges in maintaining project continuity, undermine staff morale, and make it difficult for the Sussexes to build long-term organizational memory. Moreover, it presents an opportunity for inconsistent messaging or slow responses to media inquiries, potentially damaging the couple's public image.
In light of these challenges, the Sussexes are strategizing to improve the adaptability of their team, reduce reliance on any single individual, and ensure long-term stability and effective global engagement. Encouraging specialization among team members and employment of a larger, more geographically dispersed team could mitigate the effect of future departures.
On the Road to Success
The success or failure of Harry and Meghan's new communications strategy will depend on their ability to recruit and retain the right staff, striking a balance between expertise, flexibility, and cultural fit. If they are successful in creating a stable and responsive communicative environment, it could lay the foundation for their future philanthropic and business endeavors.
| Factor | Details/Implications ||-----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|| Challenges | Restructuring, operational challenges, cultural fit, high-profile scrutiny || Strategies | Deploying specialized roles, adopting agency-based approach, emphasizing long-term stability || Potential Outcomes | Enhanced team flexibility, improved international access, better response times, increased staff retention, consistent messaging, and positive public image |
- I'm not going to be able to do this if the high turnover rate continues, making it difficult to build long-term organizational memory and maintain project continuity in the entertainment industry that is heavily influenced by pop-culture and celebrities like the Sussexes.
- To address these challenges, it's essential for the Sussexes to adopt a new approach to communications, focusing on deploying specialized roles, adopting an agency-based model, and emphasizing long-term stability to ensure consistent messaging, positive public image, and increased staff retention in their philanthropic and business endeavors.
