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INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS DURING COVID-19

Learn how to protect yourself, your employees and your business with the power of awareness.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis situation unlike any other we’ve experienced in living memory, affecting almost every business around the globe. During a time like this, it’s critical for your company to make internal communications a priority. In doing this you need to ensure your managers have the right tools to keep employees well informed, which gives your business a better chance to stay on course and to keep your people safe. Look for different ways that you can engage with your employees throughout the COVID-19 situation: be prepared, and be safe.

Internal communications during the COVID-19 pandemic

In a crisis situation like the COVID-19 pandemic, having effective internal communication systems and processes in place can help to ensure your crisis situation doesn’t get any worse.

“Disease outbreaks are inevitable, and often unpredictable, events. The environment surrounding an outbreak is unique in all of public health. Outbreaks are frequently marked by uncertainty, confusion, and a sense of urgency. Communication, generally through the media, is another feature of the outbreak environment. Unfortunately, examples abound of communication failure which have delayed outbreak control, undermined public trust and compliance, and unnecessarily prolonged economic, social, and political turmoil. The World Health Organization (WHO) believes it is now time to acknowledge that communication expertise has become as essential to outbreak control as epidemiological training and laboratory analysis.” - WHO Outbreak Communication Guidelines

To effectively communicate in a crisis, you need to:

  • Have a strong internal communications plan in place
  • Make sure your response to unfolding issues is managed well
  • Ensure your employees find out key information from the company before they hear it from somewhere else
  • Use multiple communication channels and ensure staff know about them
  • Use your leaders effectively to deploy information
  • Keep people informed as the situation develops and changes

DeskAlerts for critical communications during the COVID-19 crisis

It’s important to have a variety of communication channels for your employees during a time of crisis so they can access the latest information and stay up-to-date. DeskAlerts is an internal communication software system with multiple channels and functions to assist you to communicate with your employees throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Communicating with a remote workforce

Many companies are requiring their employees to work from home so their business can continue while they keep their people safe, observe social distancing protocols and government lockdowns. Remote work is a stopgap measure that many companies haven’t been prepared for so many of their employees to have to undertake simultaneously.

What you communicate and how you communicate with employees at this time is important to get right. They’ll need information on things like work from home protocols, having a safe workplace, how to communicate with their manager and information flow. Many business processes will be impacted including meetings and briefings.

DeskAlerts tools to help include Desktop alerts and RSVP invitations.

Delivering vital health and safety information from WHO to your employees

A key priority for every organization is to ensure people are safe and healthy and aren’t spreading the virus. Share information in your office or campus about good hygiene habits such as hand washing protocols, using hand sanitizer, avoiding touching the face and observing social distancing to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in your organization. If your city is quarantined, help to prevent panic by sending out facts to counteract rumors.

DeskAlerts tools to help include desktop ticker, corporate wallpapers, and screensavers.

Keeping staff informed about new or updated COVID-19 company policies

You may need to reinforce existing company policies during the crisis and remind staff about them. You also may need to create and distribute many new ones – the rate of change is so great that many new rules may be needed. Perhaps your company has made the decision to switch to remote work of more than three employees from one department who are sick at home. Or perhaps senior management wants to ensure everyone knows when to self-isolate, or how payroll functions or vacation days are affected.

DeskAlerts tools to help include corporate newsletters, video alerts, and digital signage.

Alerting employees to office lockdowns or giving the all-clear

Let your employees know if the office is to be closed to prevent the spread of the virus or letting everyone know when there is the all-clear to resume operations from next Monday is one of the most important internal communication issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is information no-one should miss.

DeskAlerts tools to help include mobile alerts, pop-up alerts, desktop ticker.

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Many organizations around the globe have turned to DeskAlerts as their preferred alert notification system

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Use of DeskAlerts tools

Desktop alerts

Desktop alerts

Pop-up notifications sent to desktops with important information

Surveys

Surveys

Gather feedback and insights on virtually any topic with results in real-time

Screensavers

Screensavers

Important information is displayed on screens that are inactive

Newsletter

Newsletter

Aggregate different content and present it in one location

Wallpapers

Wallpapers

Transform the background of computer desktops into notice boards with critical information

Digital signage

Digital signage

Turn any screen into a digital billboard with images and text

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Let us work together

At DeskAlerts we want to help organizations to be safe and to take care of themselves and others. If you need help with internal communications during this challenging time, a free trial of DeskAlerts is available so you can determine if it’s the right fit for your organization’s needs.

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