Crisis marketing: A conversation with Gene Pease
How do you market in a global crisis? Bret wanted to find the answer to that question, so he called up Gene Pease. Gene is the founder of Mighty You, a new performance management solution. However, earlier in the 2000s, he was the founder of a company called Vestrics that ultimately sold to Ultimate Sofware. […]
The employment situation
You could argue that employment numbers look better this month, meaning the economy is headed toward recovery. New government numbers showed payrolls added 4.8 million jobs in June. The unemployment rate lowered to 11.1% from 13.3% last month. Similarly, ADP’s latest employment report shows an additional 2.3 million jobs. The markets responded positively to the […]
The straw that broke the camel’s tuition
Many schools have canceled classes for the rest of the year, right? Students are going online, they’re requesting returns for their room and board money, tuition is at astronomical prices—you get the point. Okay, so what happens when the entire economy of college towns collapses because there aren’t college students there, which can contribute to […]
Remote work: Temporary or forever?
Debate: Is the massive switch to remote work going to stick around after COVID-19 passes, or is it just a (required) fad? SHRM says nah, Twitter says yeah, and Barclay’s CEO says, “I guess we don’t need that giant office building anymore.” Of course, the conversation is more nuanced than that: It’s not about full […]
3.2M more jobless, totaling 33M (+20% of labor)
Another 3.2 million filed for first-time unemployment this week, according to government data. That brings the seven-week total to more than 33 million, or 20% of the US labor force. The New York Times has more on the story here.
3.8M more file for unemployment, totaling +30M
Another 3.8 million file for unemployment, bringing the total to over 30 million since the crisis began. With 157 million workers in the US, 30 million represents just under 20% of the workforce. However, some studies suggest this could be vastly under representing the real unemployment figures. Read more on The New York Times.
Remote learning is too hard.
A new article in The Wall Street Journal reports that some school districts in DC, Georgia, and Texas are ending the school year. Remote learning, they say, is too difficult to manage. Food for thought: Is remote corporate learning too difficult to manage?
CFOs’ Uneasy Street
Both Gartner and PwC ran CFO surveys recently, and both had similar things to say: CFOs are feeling uneasy (to put it mildly). Many financial leaders plan to cancel or pause planned investments, 74% (Gartner) or 49% (PwC) will permanently shift some workers to remote work arrangements, and many will reduce their corporate real estate […]
“Quiet Time” and Four-day Work Weeks
This message is for our past, current and future clients (and anyone else who may find inspiration in our approach to employee experience during COVID-19). I sent this message as an email earlier today to all of our client contacts. We love our clients. I mean it. They put food on our table. But they […]
4.4 million more unemployed, totaling 26 million in five weeks
Unemployment numbers continue to climb, with the Labor Department counting 4.42 million more unemployment claims this morning. That erases the jobs boom we’ve seen over the last ten years—with 26 million jobs evaporating in a little more than a month.
Returning to work: Employers are “making it up as they go.”
Businesses must get going again, but people must be safe. It’s a delicate balance. Government officials and employers are trying to figure out what that looks like, hoping to set proper expectations about the inevitable return to the job. However, as a new article in The Wall Street Journal explains, no one really knows what […]
Internet go zoom, zoom.
Since we’re all home, many web platforms are seeing incredible traffic. The New York Times explains the details, but one thing to think about: With all this traffic and streaming, what’s happening to our internet infrastructure? Several writers have commented on this recently. One interesting finding from KASPR Datahaus, however, shows where the strain is […]
During COVID-19, customer experience (CX) is eating marketing’s lunch.
(and Stealing Its Milk Money While Smashing Its Glasses) COVID-19 has brought many things that were previously fuzzy into sharp focus. For example, the employee experience matters more than anything else in business. Leadership is different (and more important) than management. And (one of my personal favorites) talking to people is more important than processes, […]
5 million more unemployed
The department of labor data from this morning confirmed that 5.2 million more workers filed for unemployment last week, bringing the four-week grand total to 22 million. If you couldn’t tell by the chart above, that’s a lot. Here’s how The New York Times reported the figures: Even as political leaders wrangle over how and […]
IMF: Worst economic slump since Great Depression
Everyone is wondering what the economy will look like on the other side of this whole thing. As time goes on, the picture is becoming a little clearer, and many economists are offering their forecasts. Starkest of all perhaps is the IMF’s latest projection. Here’s what the New York Times reported this morning: In its […]
Record unemployment claims: 6.6 million
According to jobless claims data from officials released this morning, 6.6 million people filed for unemployment last week. The week before that? Over 3.3 million. That means in just the last two weeks we’ve had 10 million people apply for unemployment benefits. A New York Times story covers the widening toll on jobs due to […]
Invest in marketing during COVID-19.
Another gentle reminder of why Work Tech brands should invest in marketing now: TechCrunch’s analysis of the prices of their search engine keywords for more than 100 unicorns since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis shows a collapse in prices for almost all ads. Put out a bucket. It’s raining opportunity. (TechCrunch)
