Employee communications and the

coronavirus: What you need to know.

March 12, 2020:

In the space of a week, the coronavirus outbreak has become an all-consuming

global crisis, with unprecedented societal and business upheaval as the pandemic
fuels turmoil across the world.
For businesses, the twin exigencies are the welfare of their employees and how to
work and survive through the crisis.
This has brought remote working front and center, like never before, both for the
safety of employees and business continuity.  
Global tech giants Twitter, Google and Microsoft are either demanding or advising
their employees to work remotely. This is being replicated by millions of large and
small companies around the globe. CNN Business News described the full or partial
lockdown in China and parts of Asia as the world’s biggest work-from-home
experiment.
Having the right technology, systems and process in place has rapidly moved from
being business-critical to being essential for business survival.

With the forced rush to remote working, Mark Henderson, Director of

Communications at Wellcome, said businesses whose employees can work remotely
should first test home-working technology and review and prepare policies.
“It pays to test home-working technology now before it’s needed,” he said, citing
lessons Welcome learned during a trial. “Our trial picked up laptops without the right
video conferencing software and dodgy microphones that we can fix this week but
couldn’t if everyone was stuck at home.” 
But whether people are working in their offices or remotely, what’s most critical is
how and what employees communicate to their employees about their various
policies, requirements, and expectations around the crisis.
A robust and frequently updated Employee Communications Plan is essential. But
this has to be in tandem with these actions:

 Set up a Covid-19 cross-functional team, or war room

 Assess organizational and function vulnerabilities
 Build strategic and tactical plans to mitigate against vulnerabilities
 Identify unpreventable risk so measures can be put in place to minimize
impact
 Recalibrate HR plan plans for emergency employee support and amended
remote working policies if necessary

https://www.poppulo.com/blog/employee-communications-and-the-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/
  In tandem with HR develop and implement a clear communication plan
sharply focused on creating a distinct source of truth for employees in the
crisis. It’s critical that this is empathetic in tone and allows two-way discussion
so worries and difficulties can be raised and addressed.

The global professional services company Aon is an example of best in class in the

preparation of communication strategies to deal with the crisis. It stresses how
critical it is for the organization to establish clear lines of communications with their
employees, as well as clients and third-party entities.

We reproduce a checklist from its preparation strategy here as it could be helpful for
other companies who might be struggling with their communications right now. 

  Create an internal communication plan – a process for reaching

employees through combinations of emails, intranet postings, flyers/ posters,
leader talking points, FAQs or a website situation room. The plan should
identify simple, key messages, a reliable process and the vehicles for
providing continual updates and collecting feedback from employees. 
 Create an external communication plan – a process for reaching external
stakeholders, customers, media, shareholders, suppliers, local community,
health care providers, analysts, retirees, union representatives, etc.

It also dealt in some detail with What To Say to Employees. The advice here was
:
 State the facts: Connect employees to timely, accurate information from
CDC, WHO and your State and County Health Departments. Provide clear
instructions about what to do if employees suspect they have been exposed
to Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) 
 Demystify the fear and outline the steps the organization is taking on behalf
of its employees: Communicate the facts from authoritative resources on how
Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is spread and how to avoid infection. Clearly
articulate and communicate preventive actions the organization is taking to
avert or contain transmission of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) at work
(focus on technology and techniques for employee safety, hygiene, biohazard
disposal)
 Promote safety steps that employees can take at work: Use posters,
memos, emails, intranet postings, supervisor talking points, FAQs, etc. to
promote preventive actions employees can take (hygiene and avoidance) –
see WHO and CDC recommendations. • Describe the impact on the
organization: Describe the potential impact of an outbreak on your operations,
services, travel, supply chain, business, revenues, etc., so employees can
plan accordingly.

https://www.poppulo.com/blog/employee-communications-and-the-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/
  Summarize company policies/positions: Describe health plan coverage
(preventive and treatment), attendance, paid time off, payroll continuation,
travel, and group meetings. • Articulate work-from-home policies: One of the
most effective strategies for limiting the spread of contagion among
employees is to reduce human-to-human contact. If your organization
supports telecommuting practices, clearly articulate procedures and
expectations that employees should follow.
 Promote safe travel policies: Consider the organization’s stance on
employee travel and restrictions. Promote alternatives to travel, such as web
conferencing and phone meetings. If employees must travel, offer clear
guidance on safety protocols, augmenting with guidance from CDC and WHO.

AON also has a helpful checklist on Business Continuity Management during the
Covid-19 crisis. It focuses on:

 Evaluating the business impact

 Supply Chain and Logistics
 Technology
 Policies & Procedures
 Education & Awareness
 Surveillance & Communication.

Check it out here.

https://www.poppulo.com/blog/employee-communications-and-the-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/