Now that the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic, businesses must develop a pandemic response plan.

Establish a core crisis management team and define roles & responsibilities.

Develop a crisis communication plan

Panic and misinformation are extremely dangerous (SHRM), and the first steps taken by an organization should help promote a sense of calm.

  • The initial communication should come from the head of the organization or the pandemic response team.
  • Establish how further updates will be communicated. Identify who on the crisis management team is responsible for writing and distributing updates.
  • Let employees know where they can go for additional information or to ask questions.
  • A “living document” is a good communication tool, particularly one that can be easily updated. The document serves as a single point of reference for employees (HBR).
  • Minimize the number of communication channels as much as possible to avoid doing double work and to avoid information overload.