By: Lauren Druskinis
There is no doubt that the coronavirus has impacted several fields of work; on the other hand, public relations in many aspects has been on the incline. Although the pandemic has made it difficult for the public relations field to host events and talk to clients face to face, there has been a desperate need for crisis PR. When the world is dealing with a pandemic, crises can create opportunity. Luckily companies that are capable of being decimated by the pandemic can be brought back to life through crisis and internal communications. The future to many seems very unclear in a time like this, but according to The Business Insider several industries “can count on crisis PR and internal comms for the foreseeable future.” With the coronavirus impacting jobs, healthcare, and the future of our generation, public relations is crucial in voicing organizations goals and visions moving forward.
It is important during crisis management to listen, measure, engage, and talk.
There is no question that working during a pandemic is nothing short of frightening, and several organizations are putting their health on the line to serve millions of americans. One of the biggest companies to stay up and running during the coronavirus is Amazon. Several strikes occurred over coronavirus related health issues, and workers felt unsafe during this time while handling thousands of packages. With this taking place, Amazon used crisis PR to help workers feel safe and cared for while also addressing to the public all the procedures taking place in order to enforce a safe working environment. It is important for the public to know how employees are being treated and this can damage the ability for a company like Amazon to attract new staff and keep them around long term. Amazon is one of the top growing companies in the world, and the public relations staff was put under complete fire in order to deal with the pandemic and the changing working conditions. During the pandemic, the need for Amazon continued to grow, meaning the need for workers grew as well. This dilemma was one of the biggest PR dilemmas to date, because the pandemic hit so fast and there was little time to come to conclusions on what was going to happen in order to keep Amazon running smoothly. According to the global media journal, “In a rapidly changing world, information and communications technology, and knowledge economy, organization face two issues: keeping pace with rapid social change and adapting to it or facing extinction and a slow death.” The public relations field prior to the pandemic was given time to analyze, study, and make conclusions from public opinion, and then able to make rational decisions on what to tell the organization. Now, the public relations field is asked to urgently make decisions and try to come to conclusions more quickly due to the sense of panic. PR is still asked to understand all communication processes, but it is important to stay effective and successful during the process.
The Global Media Journal also touched upon the key aspects of public relations in the 21st century along with the coronavirus. “A deep understanding of the environment of the organization, its philosophy, and its privacy are among the most important requirements and conditions for effective and successful public relations.” Although the coronavirus impacted public safety and health, the public relations field is still considered to be one of the most important and widespread fields in the world. Crisis PR and management is needed to keep organizations up and running during this unpredictable time. Workers need safe conditions, the public needs to be updated on these conditions, and the organizations need to be aware of these issues. Public relations is centered around the truth, and not lies, and that is even more prevalent during a world crisis.
Kamil, Amed. (2020, July 13). Role of Public Relations in Crisis Management with the Coronavirus Crisis as an Example: A Case Study on The UAE. Retrieved September 15, 2020, from http://www.globalmediajournal.com/open-access/role-of-public-relations-in-crisis-management-with-the-coronavirus-crisis-as-an-example-a-case-study-on-the-uae.pdf
Moses, L. (2020, April 07). The Coronavirus Crisis is Propping up the Public Relations Industry. Retrieved September 15, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-crisis-is-propping-up-the-pr-industry-newsletter-2020-4
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