COVID Communications with Employees
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We are entering a new phase in the coronavirus pandemic, one in which employees are returning to work. During this phase, effective COVID communications with employees is more important than ever.
In forward-looking organizations, leaders are learning to engage employees more effectively as they make plans for a return to work after COVID.
Phase I was marked by lockdowns and an overnight shift to remote work. In Phase II, organizations rapidly developed contingency plans to keep operating – from Plexiglass dividers to homeschooling – we moved activities outdoors, and mask-wearing became routine.
Phase III began with a devastating, seasonal spike in COVID-19 cases, even as imminent vaccine approval provides a light at the end of the tunnel. An end to this phase may arrive by late spring or early summer 2021.
It’s against this backdrop that forward-looking organizations are making plans for returning to work. Effective COVID communications with employees is key during this phase.
Project RESTART is a strategic communications group purpose-built to provide the blueprint for effective COVID communications with employees.
Project RESTART is led by issues management expert and CommCore CEO Andy Gilman, working with Andrew McCormick, former corporate communications and sustainability leader at Hershey and Pfizer, and Gary Stockman, previously the head of marketing and communications at DXC Technology and former CEO of Porter Novelli.
With Project RESTART, businesses and organizations can:
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- Improve performance
- Enhance employee safety, peace-of-mind, and morale during the return to work after COVID
- Mitigate risk
- Ensure regulatory compliance, reduce liability and effectively manage cross-functional complexity during the return to work phase
- Give back to the community
- Play a lead role in restoring public health during the return to work phase
- Improve performance
Project RESTART brings key strengths:
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- Proven experience managing high-stakes health crises and issues, from Tylenol tampering to the APT-10 global hack
- Science-based approach combining public health data and expertise with proprietary research to tailor messaging to specific populations
- Demonstrated success coordinating across functions, including Legal, HR, Facilities and Marketing/Sales
- Modular program design combining core strategies and tactics with consulting based on a custom-designed best practices diagnostic
- Deep communication skills: media relations, issues management, CSR strategy, speech writing, employee communications, executive training, and corporate strategy
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Effective COVID Communications with Employees: Project RESTART Team
Andy Gilman, President/CEO and founder of CommCore is an award-winning journalist and a lawyer. He has counseled clients for challenges that include “60 Minutes,” Congressional Hearings, FDA Advisory Committees, town halls, teleprompter speeches, new business pitches, crisis response, and product launches. Among highlights: Counsel to Johnson & Johnson in Tylenol 1, Government of Canada during SARS Outbreak; global training assignments for General Motors, PepsiCo, and several pharmaceutical companies.
Andy McCormick brings to the RESTART initiative more than 30 years experience in global business communications.
He served as chief media spokesperson and head of communications for Pfizer Inc. At the Hershey Company, Andy’s responsibilities included Corporate Social Responsibility, Communications and Sustainable Sourcing. At IBM, he was part of the marketing communications group. He began his career as a reporter at the Newport News Daily Press and the Wilmington News Journal.
Andy understands that smart communication is critical to achieving business goals. He has created and executed global programs related to pharmaceutical product launches, medical safety, and responsible citizenship (certified cocoa sourcing).
He has prepared CEOs for media interviews, managed major reputational issues, and created an award-winning public-private partnership that provided free mobile technology for isolated farming communities in West Africa.
A graduate of the Evergreen State College and a teacher in the US Peace Corps in Ghana, Andy’s books include a memoir, Observers Are Worried and a novel, Save the World Inc.
Gary Stockman most recently served as senior vice president and chief marketing & communications officer (CMCO) at DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC), the company formed in April 2017 by the merger of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) with the Enterprise Services business of Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
During six years at CSC and DXC, Stockman was the strategic communications lead for the company’s most significant transactions, crises and issues. These included more than a dozen acquisitions, two public company spinouts, a major SEC settlement, extensive litigation support, and a range of cyber events. He managed communications for the company’s 2019 CEO transition and was a member of DXC’s COVID-19 command center.
Prior to CSC/DXC, Stockman was global CEO at Porter Novelli, the global public relations firm. During 12 years at Porter Novelli, he provided strategic counsel and ran integrated marketing communication programs for a variety of technology and consumer clients, from startups to multinationals. Before that, he was a partner at Silicon Valley technology communications firm Copithorne & Bellows, where he co-led its merger with Porter Novelli.
Resources: Effective COVID Communications with Employees
Listen to CommCore CEO Andy Gilman’s interview with FIR Podcast Network’s EE Voice on how company leadership can view the challenge of COVID vaccine communications as an opportunity to strengthen company culture, improve morale and build trust as you return to work after COVID.
CEO Magazine: COVID Vaccine Lessons From the Tylenol Crisis
PR Daily: Why You Should Start Planning Now for Your Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout
For More Effective COVID Communications with Employees, Contact the Project RESTART Team
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We are available and can put you in touch with the right person to help with your specific employee COVID communications challenge. To discuss a diagnostic for your organization or for more information on Project RESTART, fill out our contact request form or call CommCore Consulting at +1 (202) 659-4177.