Why you need a COVID-19 information hub on your website
Here’s why a COVID-19 information hub is valuable for your candidates, customers, employees, and employer brand.
It has now been over a month since COVID-19 was declared a national emergency in the United States. Talent professionals, in just one month you have accomplished a lot. You have transitioned some or all of your workforce to remote, you’re building and executing a virtual hiring process and you’re implementing physical and mental benefits to ensure your team members are cared for. And, you’re overhauling your content calendar, too.
The question that is constantly on our minds: How long is this going to last?
Of course, we would like to believe we’ll be back to business as usual soon. However, the truth is we really do not know how long COVID-19 will be affecting how we live, work, and hire. So, we need to update all of our audiences on our COVID-19 response as our workplaces change and evolve.
A COVID-19 information hub on your website is an extremely valuable communication tool right now.
What’s a COVID-19 information hub?
A content hub is a destination on your website that houses a variety of content (blog posts, videos, photos, articles, etc.) related to a single topic. Some companies have already created COVID-19 hubs to house content regarding how the company is responding to the crisis.
Here’s why you should have a COVID-19 information hub on your website, too:
- Accessibility. A COVID-19 hub consolidates all the information candidates need regarding the crisis in one place. And, it’s easy to drive traffic to the hub vs. marketing each update as its own piece of content.
- Build trust. Proactive communications reassure candidates that you have your employees’ and candidates’ best interests in mind.
- Empower your recruiters. It’s hard to know the right thing to say right now. A hub of approved content becomes a resource, empowering recruiters to confidently communicate with their pipeline.
Primary content for your COVID-19 information hub
Your COVID-19 information hub requires three main content elements. The first two are your greatest communications tools in a crisis: empathy and clarity. The third type of content your hub needs is updates to your hiring process.
1. Communicate empathy
Candidates and customers care about how you are treating your team members right now. Airbnb’s COVID-19 hub factors in more than just their corporate team members. Additionally, it serves the hundreds of thousands of Airbnb hosts who depend on the income they generate through renting out their properties.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky released a statement to all of their hosts explaining their response to the pandemic, and how the company is going to support hosts to get them through this difficult time.
2. Provide clarity
When you arrive at Verizon’s COVID-19 hub, front and center is their latest, official company response, just updated that morning.
Verizon provides clear information about the latest steps they are taking for the health and safety of customers, employees and their communities. As the situation is constantly changing for their audiences, Verizon also changes their lead message on their information hub.
3. Update candidates on hiring
A third piece of essential information is how the hiring process has changed as a result of the pandemic. Cigna developed a COVID-19 information hub especially for candidates, and they even worked to anticipate, and answer, frequently asked questions from candidates.
Content that fulfills these three essential criteria will always be the most important content in your COVID-19 hub, so be sure to update it regularly and pin it to the top.
Employee stories are needed on your COVID-19 hub
We’ll keep saying it: the decisions your company makes during this crisis will define your culture and employer brand for years to come. Current employee experiences will become the employee stories that communicate your talent brand.
Many employees are already sharing these experiences on social media. Consider including a few of these stories in your hub for two reasons.
1. Stories are proof of your policies in action
It’s one thing to say you are supporting your remote team, it’s another to hear a story from a team member about how they were specifically supported. We love this story, shared from a recruiter at Susquehanna International Group, LLP, about how she was able to purchase equipment to improve her work from home experience.
2. Stories are the strongest communicators of your culture and values
Candidates are in your hub looking for information about working at your company. Give them the insight they need to make an informed decision.
One of Ochsner Health’s core values is teamwork. Nurse anesthetist Alex Wheatley contracted COVID-19 while on the frontlines. After his quarantine period was complete, he returned to work saying, “I can’t let down my coworkers.” What a powerful story that proves that value!
Including employee stories such as these in your COVID-19 hub makes it easy for candidates to experience your culture and policies in action.
Recruiters really need your COVID-19 hub
Yes, your COVID-19 hub is an ever-evolving resource to candidates throughout this crisis. But it’s also a tool to empower your recruiters. It’s really hard to know what to say right now. Recruiters are doing their best to reassure candidates and answer their questions, while still representing your company and your official response to this crisis.
A hub filled with at-the-ready, polished content gives recruiters confidence that they are saying the right thing. And when recruiters aren’t so worried about what to say, they can focus on what they do best: building relationships with candidates.
Your employer brand needs a COVID-19 information hub
Be proactive in your communication strategy right now. An active COVID-19 information hub shows candidates, and your team members, that their well-being matters.
We at Stories Inc. are here for you to help you navigate this unprecedented time, and best capture and share the stories that your audiences really want to hear. Send us a note if we can help you in any way.