Many businesses and organizations believe record unemployment gives them the upper hand over their workers. This is a short-lived mirage. Employers who want to be best positioned for a strong recovery in 2021 need to act now to embrace three strategic messaging goals in their internal communications: Empathy, honesty and clarity.
Employees and their families will remember exactly how they have been treated this year, especially those deemed “essential” employees. They will remember how they struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic while saddled with a range of chronic, structural inequities, including stagnant wages, skyrocketing executive compensation, disjointed public health policies, workplace inequalities, and steeper food, healthcare and rent costs.
“That’s going to leave a mark,” as they say. Employers who ignore the fear, frustration and resentment breeding in these circumstances are risking consequences that will have serious, strategic impacts on their organizations, ranging from poor retention and recruitment to increased workplace activism and regulatory intervention by local, state and/or federal governments.
These three attributes should form the prism through which your employee communications pass in the months ahead:
Empathy – Every aspect of workers’ lives has been disrupted. Nearly everyone in the U.S. has been personally touched by the coronavirus; most have lost friends and family members. They have suffered shortages of basic supplies. Their children’s futures have been put at risk. Employers need to find ways to listen to their employees in these circumstances. Internal communications should be empathetic, acknowledging the hardships employees face, offering solutions and thanking them for their dedication.
Honesty – Trust in the principles and institutions that form the touchstones of a productive, functioning society are at all-time lows. Given what they have been through this year, people now are no longer sure who or what to believe. Truth and facts have become subjective. Employers can gain trust in a landscape of historic cynicism simply by being honest about the state of their business and what workers can do to help the organization survive, thrive and succeed.
Clarity – The pandemic, civil unrest and presidential politics have contributed to immeasurable mental stress and fatigue among workforces in every industry. At a time when nothing seems simple, clear communications hold tremendous value. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s daily coronavirus briefings proved the point this spring. His favorability skyrocketed as people came to appreciate a clear, straight-shooting style that stood in contrast to the contradictions and confusion heard elsewhere.
Actions to support employees are more important than words, but it will take communications expertise for employers to convert actions into appreciation and engagement.
Points of Reference
A new report from the Brookings Institute finds that while top retailers’ profits have “soared” during the coronavirus pandemic, pay for frontline workers has barely budged. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/27/large-retailers-are-making-record-profits-but-not-paying-workers-more.html
The COVID-19 crisis caused a sharp reduction in Americans’ confidence in institutions—whether or not they were directly impacted by the pandemic. https://promarket.org/2020/11/01/covid-19-american-confidence-institutions-healthcare-finance/
Americans say they’re worse off because of COVID-19, according to a recent study by Cigna Corp. Americans report an across-the-board decline in their well-being — physical, social, family, financial and work — due to the coronavirus. https://www.cigna.com/about-us/newsroom/innovation/global-impact-study
Students and young workers are suffering from the pandemic’s economic fallout more harshly than other groups, amplifying previous trends like low wages, stagnant job markets and rising student debt, according to a global survey by the Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/0dec0291-2f72-4ce9-bd9f-ae2356bd869e
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