How Verizon Provides Employees with Up-to-the-Minute Pandemic Information Daily

Each Friday, i4cp hosts a a COVID-19 coronavirus response video chat for CHROs and other HR leaders to discuss topics that are most pressing for them at the moment.

At the onset of the group’s April 3 call, we polled attendees about what they most needed to cover in the upcoming hour. At 52%, communication strategies pertaining to how the pandemic is affecting their organizations and their employees upcoming layoffs, furloughs, reductions in force, for example—topped the list by a 20% margin.

During that same call, Verizon CHRO Christy Pambianchi, executive vice president and CHRO at Verizon, shared an overview of how the telecommunications company is providing its 135,000+ employees with up-to-date COVID-19-related information every day.

At noon each workday, the company conducts a live broadcast with updates for employees, co-hosted by CEO Hans Vestberg, Pambianchi and a third C-level leader (the third leader differs each day). Employees can tune into the 30-minute meeting via the Verizon website, as well as social platforms such as Twitter, for example.

The organization also conducts weekly pulse surveys designed to gauge employee sentiment around how they’re coping in the midst of the pandemic, and how the organization is faring in terms of its response. Verizon employees worldwide receive text messages reminding them to complete the survey.