STAT OF THE DAY

To be confident and productive, American workers say they need regular communication during this crisis. Almost half (41%) of workers want daily updates with their manager (alone, without the other members of the team) and 53% want regular team meetings. – Toluna and Harris Interactive Report

COVID-19 UPDATE

• At the time of reporting, The New York Times showed 1,012,683 confirmed cases in the U.S. and 53,034 deaths from COVID-19. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker showed 1,037,883 cases and 59,256 deaths. Global cases are more than 3.1 million.
• The top official for COVID-19 testing says there is no way the U.S. can complete 5 million tests a day, contradicting President Trump’s remarks on the subject. Adm. Brett Giroir instead says the U.S. will be testing 8 million per month as of May.
• The U.S. GDP shrank by 4.8% in the first quarter of 2020, the sharpest decline since the Great Recession. Economists say the data show that the financial crisis was already bad after two weeks of lockdown orders in the U.S. and predict worse numbers for Q2.

Parenthood offers insights for crisis communications best practices. Being able to respond creatively in a tight spot is a skill that many parents pick up—and the lessons of parenthood can be easily applied to many crisis situations. Here are some rules to follow, whether you are bandaging boo-boos or easing employee anxiety.

Inclusive language shouldn’t take a back seat in your crisis messages. You might feel like you have bigger fish to fry, but D&I is an essential consideration no matter what struggles your organizations faces. Here are some tips to help you walk the talk.

Google says employees won’t return to the office for at least two months. In an email to workers, CEO Sundar Pichai says that return to work will be “staggered and incremental.” The company also expects to incorporate more WFH for future operations.

Bloomberg wrote:

Even when employees do return to their offices, life after Covid will be different, Pichai said in the memo, a copy of which was seen by Bloomberg. “This experience is giving us an opportunity to reimagine how we work,” he wrote. “As we look to the future, we’ll integrate what we’ve learned from this period of working from home.”

For video in a crisis, follow the KISS formula. Keep it simple, but also keep it safe with your video messages in times of uncertainty. Here are some examples of ways to protect yourself while still delivering great video.

Create a clear framework for communications during this crisis. Set rules for how messages will be transmitted and get into the details on things like how long someone must wait for a Slack response before sending a reminder. Here are some tips for creating effective ground rules.

Privacy issues can snag your attempts to monitor employee health. If you are measuring employee temperatures or doing onsite testing as part of return-to-work efforts, make sure you share how you are protecting employee privacy. An easy way to cut down on red tape is to not record daily test information.

Retailers release a three-phase plan for reopening. The “blueprint” details protocols to protect consumers and employees and designates agencies who will be relied on for transitions between phases. The plan is flexible, allowing for individual states to drive their own timeline for a safe return. Make sure your plan identifies what will trigger the next phase in your recovery strategy.

Create community both online and off to build brand awareness. Oscar Mayer shares how it created a campaign to encourage people to come together around safe, socially-distanced cookouts and how to create a library of user-generated content on social media. Here’s what it learned from its campaign.

British Airways addresses long-term hardship in message to employees. In chief executive Alex Cruz’s message, he acknowledged the service of airline workers and explained how emergency measures would not be enough to forestall layoffs.

The letter reads, in part:

We do not know when countries will reopen their borders or when the lockdowns will lift, and so we have to reimagine and reshape our airline and create a new future for our people, our customers and the destinations we serve.

We have informed the government and the trade unions of our proposals to consult over a number of changes, including possible reductions in headcount.

 Some employees are taking safety measures into their own hands. Walmart employees are creating their own tracking system to follow cases of COVID-19 after what they say is insufficient action from their employer. Make sure your safety measures are communicated quickly and forcefully and work in include employees in the process to make sure they feel represented and valued.

Virtual Conference Alert

Join us for PR Daily’s Media Relations and Measurement Virtual Conference May 14–15.

Learn from experts who are transforming their pitches and media relations efforts as well as their measurement strategies to meet the challenges presented by the current public health crisis.

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Have a great story to share about crisis communication or your own take on current best practices? Contact Editor Ted Kitterman at TedK@ragan.com.

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