How to avoid a PR crisis when offshoring: Start with respect, not spin

There’s one question that surfaces almost every time a company considers offshoring part of its marketing org: 

“What if this backfires from a brand perception standpoint?” 

Let’s be honest. The perception risk is real. But it’s not the offshoring that triggers a crisis, it’s how the transformation is handled. I’ve led three marketing transformations, two of which included significant offshoring. I’ve also been in the trenches navigating reductions in force, internal communication breakdowns, survivor guilt, and media scrutiny.

And here’s what I’ve learned: 

PR crises rarely begin with headlines. They begin with how people feel. 

If you want to avoid a reputational issue, internally or externally, it starts with a thoughtful, human-centered communication strategy.

Let’s walk through what that looks like:

1. Communicate like a leader, not a PR rep

You don’t prevent backlash with carefully crafted spin. You prevent it with honesty, consistency, and coordination. When you know your org transformation involves restructuring, and that some of it includes offshoring, you need to think holistically about how you communicate. That means:

• Aligning early with your C-suite peers, especially your CHRO. 
• Planning communications not just for external audiences, but for: 
  • Impacted employees 
  • Their immediate peers (the “survivors”) 
  • The broader organization 
  • Investors, customers, and media (in that order of priority)

The goal isn’t just to manage perception. The goal is to lead through change with integrity.

2. Treat impacted employees with radical respect

Every crisis I’ve seen erupt in the press over layoffs has started the same way: with a feeling of disrespect.

Whether it’s employees finding out via mass Zoom call, having their logins cut off before they’re informed, or hearing the news secondhand, these aren’t tactical missteps. They’re human failures. 

Your number one job once you’ve made a hard business decision is to ensure that every impacted person is treated with:

• Dignity 
• Transparency 
• Support

Let them hear it directly. Give them what information you can, as soon as you can. Offer help. Explain the “why.” They may still be angry. But they’ll remember how they were treated, and so will everyone else.

3. Don’t forget the survivors

There’s a second group that needs care: the people who stay. They’re often overlooked, but they’re just as emotionally affected.

They’re wondering: 

• “Am I next?” 
• “Why them, not me?” 
• “Is our company in trouble?”

You must be proactive. Acknowledge what they’re feeling. If this was a one-time event, tell them that clearly. If it will happen in phases due to legal requirements or country-specific regulations, be upfront.

In one transformation I led, we had to do it in stages due to regional constraints. So, I told the team exactly that. I also committed to ongoing transparency. I didn’t overpromise, but I didn’t dodge the truth either.

It made all the difference.

4. Reassure the broader enterprise

The ripple effect goes beyond immediate teams. Employees across the business will feel the shift and wonder what it means. 

Don’t let the internal rumor mill fill in the blanks. Communicate with the full organization in a timely, thoughtful way. Reinforce:

• What’s changing and why 
• What this means for the future of the company 
• Why they matter to that future

When you get this right, people don’t just tolerate change, they rally around it.

A note to PR and corporate comms leaders

If you lead PR or corporate communications, this part is for you. 

I’ve seen too many comms leaders push back on transformation, not because they disagreed with the strategy, but because they didn’t want to deal with the fallout. 

But that’s not the job. 

Your role isn’t to block the business from making hard decisions. Your role is to protect the company’s reputation through those decisions.

That means:

• Being a strategic advisor, not a gatekeeper 
• Helping the organization communicate with honesty and care 
• Supporting leadership through reputational risk, not avoiding it altogether

Your loyalty is to Team 1: the long-term success of the business. That’s your north star, not internal comfort or media quiet. If you’re trusted to own comms, you’re trusted to help navigate the turbulence. Don’t try to steer around it, get in the boat and lead. 

5. If you handle internal comms right, external crises rarely materialize

Here’s the truth: layoffs are going to make headlines. AI-powered outsourcing will raise eyebrows. 

But if your internal story is one of fairness, respect, and transparency, your people will back you. And that becomes your shield. Your employees become your voice of truth. 

When reporters go looking for the “layoffs as villains” narrative, it won’t land if Glassdoor reviews are saying, “It was hard, but handled well.”

6. Prioritize the right audiences, in the right order

At some point, you will have to decide who matters most. That doesn’t mean being callous, it means being clear-eyed. 

If you’re a public company and your margins have eroded, your competitive position has weakened, and your stock is falling, you’re already in a perception crisis. Layoffs might draw criticism, but failure to act decisively could be worse.

This is where a prioritization framework helps. Ask:

• What’s worse long-term: layoffs, or a shrinking, underperforming business? 
• What happens if you don’t regain financial health? 
• What audiences need reassurance first? 

If you treat your people well, execute with integrity, and lead with clarity, your reputation will hold.

In closing: Offshoring isn’t the problem, poor leadership Is.

The decision to offshore work is not inherently disrespectful or risky. But the way you make and communicate that decision is everything.

If you’ve made the choice to transform your operating model, do it thoughtfully. Lead it well.

Respect your people.

Tell the truth.

Prioritize long-term trust over short-term noise.

Because when the dust settles, the real reputation marker won’t be what the headlines said. It will be what your employees, and your customers, say about how you led through it.

Thinking about offshoring but want to get the approach, and the communication, right?

2X supports marketing leaders navigating these shifts with strategic partnership and sensitivity.

Author

Lisa Cole

Lisa Cole serves as the Chief Marketing Officer & Head of AI Center of Excellence at 2X, where she helps marketing leaders deliver greater impact with fewer resources. Former CMO for Huron, FARO Technologies, and Cellebrite, and author of Brand Gravity and The Revenue RAMP, Lisa has a proven track record of transforming marketing organizations into high-performing, scalable growth engines. She specializes in leveraging AI, strategic outsourcing and growth marketing strategies to scale marketing, driving operational excellence, and accelerating revenue growth.