COVID-19 Preparation or Response Messaging for Essential Industry

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is mandating companies with five outbreaks or more of Coronavirus to report it. In all reality, five outbreaks is not a large number — especially for companies that have done their part to keep the heartbeat of the American economy pulsing by providing jobs, essential services, and moving industries forward.

Messaging Essential Industries for Over a Decade

Veracity has been messaging Essential Industries for over a decade in Oregon. When COVID-19 hit, we immediately got to work with our clients, examining their current policies, discussing what could be better and then delivering their policy messaging to their most important internal audiences — employees, partners, and vendors.

The internal messaging has been just that, internal. We have not had to release any of the prepared messaging to the press because there haven’t been any issues. This is the hallmark way of doing Crisis Communications, meaning there aren’t any issues. Yet.

If an issue surfaces, our clients are ready, armed with the necessary materials and a plan of action including a “response tree.” By having all of the policies written down ahead of time in a succinct, easy to understand way, we are armed and ready.

Complimentary Consultation for Oregon Essential Industries

If your Essential Industry organization has had five outbreaks or more of Coronavirus, or you are worried that you might, Veracity is offering complimentary consultation calls that will likely offer ideas and protocols for next steps moving forward.

You have an important side of the story to tell if you’ve had an outbreak or not. If you haven’t had an outbreak yet, the good news is that you have time to prepare. Take advantage of this time now to get your talking points in order for both internal and external audiences.

Questions to Help Prepare Press Materials

Prepare for this call with Veracity by examining what you are most worried about happening. Possibly create a list. Sample questions are below. Your responses to the questions could be the beginning of the PR materials (responsive, not proactive, press release and/or talking points).

Does anyone in your organization have COVID-19? Or, are you worried about them catching it?

—> Outline what was done on the front end to prevent this from happening. Messaging can be pulled from that.

—> Next outline what your response has been/will be for those who have fallen ill and for mitigating the effects on others. Messaging can be pulled from that.

—> Offer a few sentences on your health insurance offerings, if at all, or health and sickness policies. If messaging cannot be pulled from this, it is just for our awareness as PR teams need to know what we are working with.

Will any major or additional changes occur as a result of the economy or internal health crisis?

Such as layoffs, office closures/business closures/relocations or halting any specific services or products.

What are your return-to-workplace plans?

Outline your plans and the messaging would be derived from there.

Where are you planning on using the messaging?

Veracity can customize the same messaging for multiple audiences (such as press, internal, etc.) and multiple platforms (such as social media, press and internal messaging, such as emails, newsletters, and multi-language or picture only posters, etc.).

Business Insurance

Do not share this list with anyone. We would be remiss if we asked you to send us the answers to these questions without signing a confidentiality agreement first. We can have an honest, confidential conversation first to help you address these concerns either on your own or with additional help from a PR team.

Consider working on the issue now while you have a PR team available to help you. If outbreaks flood Veracity at once in the fall or winter when more are expected, we will not know what our bandwidth is to help others. We’ll have to take cases on a first-come-first-served basis. Please be one of the first to prepare. Solid Crisis Communications done in advance will help you mitigate the effects of the damage, as well as help you rest assured.

Think of this crisis preparation work like Business Insurance.