When businesses get to the other side of the current public health crisis and its economic consequences, their reputations will be judged on how they responded to the coronavirus situation and what they did to be supportive of both their employees and their communities.

APCO Worldwide, an independent global public affairs and strategic communications consultancy, has some advice for businesses affected by coronavirus shutdowns.  They note that beyond the worldwide statistical picture, there some key factors are becoming clear.

Business and government communication has to follow other initiatives.  People are not interested in bold statements and vague storytelling, they want to see concrete action taking place.  Reputational gains have been made by companies that have shown bold initiative responding to need in their communities.  Examples include supermarkets offering free delivery to seniors, factory production lines being switched over to make personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers, and donations of meals and food by restaurants and food manufacturers to health care organizations working on the front lines.

There are also risks of communications efforts backfiring or misinforming the public.  While it’s important for businesses to continue messaging and combining that with public health advice, it can lead to the spread of misinformation.  The Mayor of Milan released an inspirational video showcasing the resilience of the citizens titled, “Milan Doesn’t Stop,” at a time when health authorities were promoting social distancing and closure of nonessential businesses and organizations.  Criticism subsequently built up that the authorities should have acted sooner and not encouraged restrictions to be lifted prematurely.

Internal communications are just as important.  Employers need to have plans in place and clearly and transparently communicate these to employees.  When this doesn’t happen, employees will turn to other sources for information, such as social media.  Employers can reduce anxiety and increase their employees confidence with clear and regular communication.  Tactics can include:

• Having a crisis plan in place and clearly communicating the plan
• Testing technology for remote working
• Having a plan for paid sick leave
• Communications & HR teams need to stay on top of the developing news and keep employees informed of pertinent updates
• All businesses are learning on the fly during this time but are also figuring out how to improve social and business systems

We are really seeing the business world coming together and responding in a significant way that’s having as positive an impact as possible on their stakeholders.

– John Gomez, EDC