what employees want to hear about the coronavirus...employees are anxious enough already and want to...
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What Employees Want To Hear About The Coronavirus:GSG Employee Communications Research Findings & Recommendations
GSG Employee Communications
Helping organizations
understand and
communicate with their
employees to achieve
organizational goals, lead
on issues, and overcome
business challenges.
2
Addressing key questions about coronavirus communications
What information do they
want from their employer?
Who are the right
messengers?
What’s the right frequency
for communicating?
What are employees
concerned about?
3
4
Do the Five
Help stop coronavirus Help your employees
1. HANDS Wash them often
2. ELBOW Cough into it
3. FACE Don’t touch it
4. FEET Stay more than 3ft apart
5. FEEL sick? Stay home
1. PLANS Share contingency plans
2. ECONOMY Address the implications
3. OPTIONS Reiterate what’s available
4. HEALTH LEADERS Put them front and center
5. COMMUNICATE You can’t tell them too much
The virus is dominating the public discourse; employees are hearing from their employers, but not as much as from other sources
How much have you seen, read, or heard lately about coronavirus?
How much have you seen, read, or heard lately about coronavirus from your employer?
5
79
77
81
78
81
20
23
18
22
19
Overall
Local
National
Multi-National
Global
A lot Some/a little Nothing at all
38
34
39
44
47
50
50
53
49
44
12
16
9
7
9
Overall
Local
National
Multi-National
Global
A lot Some/a little Nothing at all
#1 Share contingency plans
Employees admire and trust the organizations they work for
7
And they are confident their employer will handle coronavirus effectively, with employer communication driving that confidence
How confident are you that your employer will effectively handle coronavirus?
8
44
60
35
30
31
48
36
39
41
50
43
47
44
36
39
34
50
37
26
36
45
40
41
32
34
38
38
45
17
6
15
33
43
16
19
21
18
18
23
15
18
19
Overall
Heard a lot from employer
Heard some
Heard a little
Heard nothing
Interacts with public
Doesn't interact with public
Small companies
Medium companies
Large companies
Gen Z
Millennials
Gen X
Boomers
Very confident Somewhat confident Not confident
Employees want the communication they receive to help them feel informed and help them prepare for what might happen
How interested are you in hearing from your employer about … ?
9
49
44
43
42
41
40
43
49
49
48
49
50
7
5
6
8
8
9
If someone who works at your organization gets coronavirus
How your employer plans to respond if an employee contracts coronavirus
What employees should do if they believe they've come in contact with somebody whohas coronavirus
When not to come to work because you may have coronavirus or aren't feeling well
Signs that somebody may have coronavirus
Tips and guidelines for avoiding contracting coronavirus
Extremely
interested
Very/somewhat
interested
Doesn’t
apply
Not
interested
While logistics are important, they fall to a second tier
How interested are you in hearing from your employer about … ?
10
39
37
37
34
30
29
47
49
50
54
48
42
9
9
8
10
12
12
Information about you health insurance coverage related to coronavirus
Options that you have for adjusting your work schedule
Steps that the company is taking to adjust work flexibility
What you can do to help your employer handle the coronavirus
How this impacts upcoming employer-related events
Limitations on your work-related travel
Extremely
interested
Very/somewhat
interested
Doesn’t
apply
Not
interested
Ask employees to share content about steps your organization is taking to address coronavirus with external audiences
Extremely/Very Interested in what
you can do to help your employer
handle the coronavirus
Overall 65
Heard A Lot
From Employer
79
Heard Some 63
Heard A Little 49
Heard Nothing 44
11
#2 Address the economic implications
13
There’s a lot on people’s minds right now, but employees are particularly concerned with how the coronavirus will impact the U.S. economy
Likeliness vs. Degree of Concern around Potential Outcomes
Negative impact on the U.S. economy
Negative impact on employer's financial stability
Negative impact on personal
wages/earnings Someone in your workplace becoming infected
Someone you know becoming infected
Someone you know dyingBecoming infected
personally
Concerning ➔
Lik
ely
to
hap
pen
➔
Concern about the economic impact of the virus is highest among the college educated, high-earning workers and workers of color
Concern About “Coronavirus Negatively Impacting the U.S. Economy”
14
40
37
47
32
36
51
39
47
45
46
37
50
51
48
53
55
43
51
45
43
49
51
10
12
5
15
9
6
10
8
12
5
12
Overall
Non-college
College
<$50,000 HHI
$50,000-$100,000 HHI
$100,000+ HHI
White
African American
Hispanic/Latino
Democrats
Republicans
Extremely concerned Very/Somewhat concerned Not concerned
#3 Reiterate the options available
77% Extremely/very helpful
76
73
72
68
67
65
65
58
58
51
41% Employer has done this
37
21
44
21
34
25
31
16
23
16
Regularly deep cleaning workspaces
Asking people to voluntarily self-quarantine
Offering additional paid sick leave to affected employees
Sharing information from the CDC/public health agencies
Offering additional time off to care for family who are affected
Limiting international/domestic work travel
Offering the option of working remotely
Cancelling conferences or other large gatherings
Requiring all employees to be tested and work from home if positive
Restricting visitors to your workplace to employees only
Mandating that all employees work remotely
Happened – Helpful
-36
-39
-52
-28
-47
-33
-40
-34
-42
-35
-35
It’s not just about working from home – employees are interested in a variety of solutions and extra measures that employers can take
16
Please indicate how helpful you think each one would be to you personally.
42% Extremely helpful
54
44
52
57
39
Men
Women
Can Work Remotely
Cannot Work Remotely
Democrats
Republicans
Paid sick leave is particularly helpful for women, those who cannot work remotely, and Democrats
Please indicate how helpful you think offering additional paid sick leave to affected employees would be.
17
#4 Put health experts and company leadership front and center
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Most Trusted Sources of Information & Who Employees Want to Hear From
Put public health experts front and center; communicate from the top with HR, managers, and dept. heads acting as reinforcing messengers
Overall% Who select as one of their top 2 most trusted sources
71 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
55 The World Health Organization
26 Medical professionals
12 Your healthcare provider
10 President Trump
9 Your local department of health
6 Vice President Pence
4 Your employer
65
60
59
58
Your employer's leadership (CEO,President, Head of Organization)
Your direct supervisor/manager
Your organization's HumanResources department
The head of your team or departmentwithin your organization
Extremely/Very
interested in hearing
Hearing directly from leadership is key
20
Have you ever heard something about your employer before you heard it from your employer’s leadership or HR?
If leaders don’t communicate with employees directly, the void will be filled by the rumor mill
21
56 44Overall
No Yes
There are departments or colleagues that I know will hear news about my employer before I do.
29 71Overall
Disagree Agree
And which of the following sources did you hear something about your employer before you heard it from your employer’s leadership or HR?
59
17
17
16
15
From another employee
From local news
From social media/message boards
From vendors or partners we work with
From national news
#5 Over-communicate
Despite the volume of news, employees still want to hear from their employers
(IF HEARD FROM EMPLOYER) Would you say you received…
23
19
1621
19211815
162623
1820
17
54
5357
5250
5466
6043
45
5059
49
27
3122
29292819
243132
3221
34
Overall
Men
Women
Gen Z
Millenials
Gen X
Boomers
White
African American
Hispanic/Latino
Can work remotely
Cannot work remotely
Headquarters
Less information than you’d
like about coronavirus
Just the right amount of
information about coronavirus
More information than you’d
like about coronavirus
The words employees use to describe employer communications on the virus convey appreciation and utility
[IF RECIEVED INFORMATION FROM EMPLOYER] On a scale from 1 to 10, how well do each of the following descriptions apply to your employer's communications with employees about coronavirus, where 1 means it does not apply at all
and 10 means it applies completely?
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5.3
Alarmist
7.5
Clear
7.3
Realistic
7.3
Helpful
7.2
Useful
7.2
Timely
7.0
Actionable
7.0
Diligent
6.9
Transparent
6.6
Empathetic
5.2
Scary
4.2
Condescending
3.8
Confusing
Among those who are hearing “a lot” from their employer, the average score for positive words is
one full point higher than those who say they are only hearing “some” from their employer.
Employees would rather have a surplus of information come from their employers than any limits
Who do you agree with more, even if neither is exactly right?
25
74
78
26
22
People who say employers should send them as
much information as possible about how they are
dealing with coronavirus and how employees can
effectively avoid contracting it
People who say employers should limit the amount of
information they are sending about coronavirus as too
much information will only stoke fear and lead to
unnecessary panic
People who say employers should send them as
much information as possible about how they are
dealing with coronavirus and how employees can
effectively avoid contracting it
People who say employers should limit the amount of
information they are sending about the virus as too much
information means the most important pieces might get
missed
Employees who over-index on wanted to have as much information as possible include women, employees at large companies,
Baby Boomers, employees who earn six figures or more, employees who cannot work from home, and people who have already
heard a lot from their employer about coronavirus.
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Conclusion
1. Share your contingency plans. Employees are anxious enough already and want to
know you are looking ahead and planning for what might happen.
2. Address the economic implications. Be transparent and proactive in
acknowledging how the virus may affect jobs, earnings, and the organization’s
financial stability in the short and long-term.
3. Reiterate the options available to employees. Remind employees of the steps you
are taking and options you are considering taking in the future.
4. Put health experts and company leadership front and center. Employees trust
nationwide authorities and the leaders of their companies to deliver information.
5. Don’t worry about over-communicating. Employees are very open to more
frequent updates, so communicate early and often.
To reiterate:
Contact UsGSGemployeecomms.com
John Cipriani Theresa Gilbert
Senior Vice President Vice President