How to build community during the current global pandemic

Communications professionals play a unique role in times of crisis, usually because they are some of the first called into action as their organizations develop a response.

As an industry, comms professionals are quite used to diving in headfirst and firing on all cylinders until the situation is resolved. However, COVID-19 is testing the boundaries of our typical crisis playbook.

Months of uncertainty require continuous re-evaluation of contingency plans.  The new normal often means decreases in budgets, rounds of layoffs, postponing growth strategies, protesting—and in extreme situations, rioting—together are creating the perfect storm for burnout among marketing and PR teams.

In this tough environment great leaders need to think beyond “work” when it comes to recovery.  Great leaders are creating plans that deal holistically with all realities.  This means considering the mental and physical health of their teams, their safety, the economic health and safety of their communities and the survival of the cities they live in.

Without these basic assurances, employees can’t properly focus on the health of a business.

Invest in your team

With the economic downturn, many marketing and PR people have a slower workload than usual.