Coronavirus crisis: protect your reputation

Do the right thing: show that you care about your staff, your clients and the wider public. Witness the backlash against Britannia Hotels for treating their staff badly and Sports Direct for defying the lock-down.
Keep communicating: don’t let there be a vacuum of information about how you are planning to manage the situation, either in relation to your staff or your clients. Keeping people informed will allay uncertainty, build loyalty and protect your reputation in the longer term. One chain of serviced offices has sent no communication to its business tenants about whether they will be closing the offices or offering a rent holiday, nor has it responded to tenants’ inquiries. The result has been some tenants giving notice, and widespread resentment from others.
Know the facts, keep your messages crystal clear and don’t speculate: ambiguity can breed confusion and potentially be dangerous. While the Government has been communicating regularly, there has been criticism of that some of its messages have been mixed or open to different interpretations.
Avoid overt selling: In a time of national crisis most will undoubtedly regard this as inappropriate. Couch any offers in terms of helping clients.
Check all your social media channels for inappropriate content and suspend scheduled updates. Ensure that the tone of your communications is reassuring and does not stoke/spark panic.