Juli Briskman, the woman whose picture went viral after she raised her middle finger at President Trump’s motorcade was fired from her work place. She was biking to work when Donald Trump’s motorcade was leaving a golf course in Virginia. As they passed by, Briskman instinctively flipped at the motorcade. At that moment, a White House photographer snapped that picture. Before long, the photo went viral and unwisely, Briskman decided to use it as her Facebook profile photo. She revealed her identity. After this, Briskman decided to go and tell the Human Resource manager about her the picture expecting to be praised for her action but this was not the case. She was fired the next day.

After being fired, mixed reaction has been witnessed from the public as some people have come out to support her while other have rebuked her actions towards the president. Currently, the public’s mood is in support of Briskman and regards her as a hero. A fund was set up and has raised over $100,000.

Background of the Organization
Akima LLC, is a construction company that get most of it contracts from the government. After the internet incident with Briskman, the Human Representative of the company fired her claiming it was a violation of its social media policy. Akima LLC stated that is was against the rules to have obscene things in employee’s social media accounts.

Business Objectives
Both Briskman (employee) and Akima LLC (employer) play a major role in driving the economy of the country. If a company does not respect the rights of its employees, the reputation that is had built for over the years will be tarnished. Similarly, Briskman’s actions during the whole ordeal and after were also uncalled for. She disrespected the presidency and went further to identify herself. Her actions were bound to attract different reactions from the public.

Target Audience
Juli Briskman and Akima LLC are the parties involved.
Creative Strategy and Tactics
To handle the crisis effectively, a panel should be set up by the concerned parties to discuss on the freedom of speech, the control of employer on employee with regards “employment at will” and civil liberties.

Key Messages
The public relations crisis is about a conflict between the desire of a company to maintain its image and the freedom of speech. To handle the crisis at hand effectively, both Briskman and Akima LLC need to discuss the issue at hand and look for an amicable solution. Similar to any other business risk, a possible public relations crisis must be approached with proper planning. If this does not take place, the issue or crisis may escalate and get out of hand.

Timeline
Since the issue is of public concern, it should be treated as an urgent matter and handled as soon as possible.

Plan for Evaluation
More often than not, people may act or behave in manner that can lead to a reputation-destroying crisis that eventually leads to stern action by an employer on the employee. If this happens, it is imperative that the situation is handled in an amicable manner through proper planning and communication. Legally, Akima LLC was within their mandate to fire Briskman for her action, as it created a negative picture on the image of a company that has been operational for many years. If the Human Resource did not take any action, the stakeholder and investors would have raised major concerns about employee behavior. Nonetheless, it was unethical for the company to fire her. They would have looked for another alternative such suspension or fining the employee.

This would have helped to solve the crisis before it become a public issue and got out of hand. Unfortunately, the arguments put forth after the incident have focused on the pro-Trump vs anti-Trump and have created a divide on national conversation. If this strategy is applied, the situation can be solved as their will be a clear distinction between work and politics.