Post-COVID Communications
Evaluating Your Post-COVID Vulnerabilities
The extent of the damage caused by COVID will not be visible for some time. Yet, companies and communicators need to begin preparing now for the new risks and realities of a weakened world emerging from the pandemic. Here are some of the top threats we are likely to confront.
Personnel problems will get more common and complex. The health, racial, economic, and political upheaval of the last year has largely transpired with our staff working from home. When we do finally come back together, there are bound to be new lines and elevated expectations discovered. Not everyone will manage those unchartered waters well. Internal incidents around these issues are invariably going to unfavorably spill out into the public view.
Speaking of shifting societal sands and standards, consumers will much more closely scrutinize how businesses engage beyond their bottom lines. I have said for a while that the days of getting away with a thin veneer of corporate social responsibility programs are done. In their place, we will see pressure for executives and the companies they lead to regularly and robustly engage on a wide range of national, as well as global challenges. Those who do not, will find themselves subjected to quickly departing investors and clients.
Health concerns will not end with COVID. The significant support and safety measures we have seen from the private sector over the last twelve months to protect employees and customers are here to stay. There will be intransigent long-term medical issues for those infected with the virus and many other ailments that went untreated during this time. Both will look to businesses to continue investing in a wide range of measures to create safe conditions. Anytime a health problem arises related to a product or process, questions will be asked about why you did not do more.
The constant crises of the past twelve months have eroded trust and confidence. They are making businesses’ relations with the community and consumers less personal. Convenience and costs may be benefits in the short-term. But, when things go wrong, it will be much harder to draw on the reservoirs of goodwill that come from that real, regular contact. So, even if it isn’t required to successfully deliver our products or services, we need to seek out more opportunities to directly engage in non-digital discussions with clients and customers. Otherwise, in the absence of that personal relationship, the price of recovering from the next crisis will be much, much higher.