Employee coping with organizational change in the face of a pandemic: The role of transparent internal communication

La crisis del Covid-19 ha puesto a prueba muchos procesos propios de las estructuras sociales. La comunicacion corporativa y las relaciones publicas son ejemplos de estos procesos que se enfrentan a una situacion inedita, dificilmente prevista y de la que habra que sacar unas lecciones de cara al futuro. En este articulo, mezcla de investigacion y ensayo, pretendemos, en base a la teoria, pero a partir de la experiencia y de algunos estudios llevados a cabo por profesionales de la comunicacion, reflexionar sobre como afecta y condicionara la crisis de la pandemia del Covid-19 a la practica de la comunicacion corporativa en general, y de dos de sus areas de especializacion, la comunicacion interna y la responsabilidad social corporativa (RSC). Hacemos hincapie en la importancia de que las organizaciones asuman que la reputacion es un riesgo y que ese riesgo debe ser gestionado con las tecnicas y herramientas propias de las relaciones publicas, pues si algo ha puesto de manifiesto la crisis de la pandemia del llamado coronavirus ha sido la importancia para las organizaciones y marcas de la gestion de unas relaciones de confianza con sus publicos.

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Comunicación corporativa, relaciones públicas y gestión del riesgo reputacional en tiempos del Covid-19

Managing internal communication: How the choice of channels affects internal communication satisfaction

Purpose: Based on social exchange theory, the study examines the influence of informational and relational internal communication on cognitive and affective responses and job engagement during organizational crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected by means of an online survey among people working in organizations with a minimum of 10 employees (N = 1,033) and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: Results show that informational and relational communication as organizational resources have a significant but distinct influence on how employees support their employer during the crisis. While informational communication influences employees' acceptance of managerial decisions, relational communication exerts most influence on affective commitment, which is the strongest driver of job engagement. Research limitations/implications: The cross-sectional design, specific crisis situation and geographic location are limitations of the study. Practical implications: Delivering relevant information to employees quickly and reliably is important. Yet, relationship-oriented communication that demonstrates appreciation and allows for participation has even stronger effects on job engagement, which is essential to mastering challenges arising from a crisis. Social implications: During the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations demanded much from their employees. In exchange, organizations should provide the resources information, status and love (Foa and Foa, 1980) by means of internal crisis communication. Originality/value: The study demonstrates the role of different types of internal communication during organizational crises used to convey organizational resources, and it highlights the mediating role of acceptance and commitment to enhance employees' engagement at work. © 2021, Sabine Einwiller, Christopher Ruppel and Julia Stranzl.

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Achieving employee support during the COVID-19 pandemic – the role of relational and informational crisis communication in Austrian organizations

In the summer of 2021, European governments removed most NPIs after experiencing prolonged second and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most countries failed to achieve immunization rates high enough to avoid resurgence of the virus. Public health strategies for autumn and winter 2021 have ranged from countries aiming at low incidence by re-introducing NPIs to accepting high incidence levels. However, such high incidence strategies almost certainly lead to the very consequences that they seek to avoid: restrictions that harm people and economies. At high incidence, the important pandemic containment measure 'test-trace-isolate-support' becomes inefficient. At that point, the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its numerous harmful consequences can likely only be controlled through restrictions. We argue that all European countries need to pursue a low incidence strategy in a coordinated manner. Such an endeavour can only be successful if it is built on open communication and trust. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2021.100294

The benefits, costs and feasibility of a low incidence COVID-19 strategy

Integrating social cognitive theory and public relations literature, this study examines the effectiveness of organizations' transparent communication in building public trust and encouraging health-protection behaviours (i e social distancing) during a pandemic, that is, the COVID-19 outbreak Three aspects of transparent communication are investigated, namely information substantiality, accountability and participation Results of an online survey of American citizens show that during the early stage of COVID-19, information substantiality by state governments and health institutes (e g , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) increases publics' trust, which positively influences their perceived risks, behavioural control and subjective norms The participation of health institutes, rather than state governments, significantly increases public trust, whereas accountability has no effects Individuals' perceptions and attitudes towards social distancing predict their social distancing behaviour during the outbreak Theoretical and practical implications are discussed

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1468-5973.12354

The role of communication transparency and organizational trust in publics' perceptions, attitudes and social distancing behaviour: A case study of the COVID-19 outbreak

The value of internal communication in enhancing employees’ health information disclosure intentions in the workplace

Integrating strategic internal communication research with organizational change literature and organizational support theory, this study proposes a theoretical model to understand the influence of...

The Role of Symmetrical Internal Communication in Improving Employee Experiences and Organizational Identification During COVID-19 Pandemic-Induced Organizational Change

Jo-Yun Queenie Li

Papers

The role of communication transparency and organizational trust in publics' perceptions, attitudes and social distancing behaviour: A case study of the COVID-19 outbreak

The value of internal communication in enhancing employees’ health information disclosure intentions in the workplace

The Role of Symmetrical Internal Communication in Improving Employee Experiences and Organizational Identification During COVID-19 Pandemic-Induced Organizational Change