Project nominated for the Excellence in Communications Steelie of the Year 2021
Utilising the scientific approach to predict the scenarios of the infection spread in different locations with the help of experts from the Indian Institute of Science and other medical institutes, Tata Steel evolved its communication strategies to fit to the changing landscape
of the disease.
Synergising with the Tata Group, taking continuous feedback from targeted stakeholders, coordinating with civic bodies and district administration and following guidelines from the Indian government and the WHO were the key communication approaches undertaken to effectively communicate throughout the period of the crisis.
Tackling the challenge through three stages of communication – awareness, engagement and reinforcement – real-time, quick & focussed communication was done in different languages through traditional and new media for maximum reach and impact to internal and external stakeholders.
Regular interactions with senior leadership and medical authorities, setting up an employee assistance helpline and organising daily reviews were some of the primary initiatives undertaken to streamline communication across the locations and address common concerns.
All these efforts have been in sync with the preparedness on the ground to ensure prompt, agile and timely communication. Setting up special COVID-19 care facilities, improving overall medical infrastructure, developing standard operating guidelines (SOPs), introducing Pod concept (self-contained working units), Suraksha card (real-time workforce tracking device), enabling IT infrastructure for ‘Work from home’, and deploying communication across the city were adopted to drive the ‘New Normal’ and behavioural changes.
Tata Steel rolled out integrated communication for communities through weekly press briefings, media stories, press releases and senior leadership interviews. These efforts were amplified through our social media communication.
Consistent, concise & correct messaging has been the key to achieving our communication objectives to tackle the spread of COVID-19 and protect our stakeholders.