Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 9

KORNIT'S
'BUSINESS UNUSUAL'
EVENT SHEDS
LIGHT ON
FUTURE OF FASHION

During Kornit's "Business Unusual" live webinar
event, Achim Berg, the global leader of McKinsey
& Company's apparel, fashion, and luxury group,
was interviewed by Kornit CMO Omer Kulka about

As the COVID-19 quarantine and statewide "stay-at-home" mandates begin
to be lifted, your employees are preparing to return to the office or shop
floor. Many of these workers are uncertain of the risks they may face as a
result of being immersed into an environment with sometimes hundreds of
other employees. Your job as the responsible employer is to take certain
measures to allay those fears so your company can begin to return to some
semblance of normalcy.
HERE ARE SOME GUIDELINES AND TIPS TO CONSIDER:
1. Educate. Generally speaking, people want information about the real
risks of entering into an office building or manufacturing facility. They want
to know how they will be impacted by being in close proximity to others
after having been in isolation for weeks. Communicate with your employees
before they come back to work. [See COVID-19 Communications Plan on
bigpicture.net for more.]
2. The number one message you need to communicate is "If you've been
exposed to the virus, do not come into work!" This will help ensure your
company doesn't become crippled with a widespread outbreak of the virus.
3. Give them the basics about avoiding contracting COVID-19. They've
seen it all over the news, but be vigilant in your efforts to underscore the
importance of washing their hands and staying home if they're sick. The
basics are:
* Employees who have symptoms (i.e., fever, cough, or shortness of
breath) should notify their supervisor and stay home.
* Sick employees should follow CDC-recommended steps. Employees
should not return to work until the criteria to discontinue home
isolation are met, in consultation with healthcare providers and state
and local health departments.
* Employees who are well, but have a sick family member at home
with COVID-19, should notify their supervisor and follow CDC
recommended precautions.
4. Create emails, printed posters, and postcards that spell out your company's:
a. Updated Cleaning and Disinfection Guidance
b. Updated Best Practices for Conducting Social Distancing in the
Work Place
c. Updated Strategies and Recommendations You Can Implement Now
to Respond to COVID-19.
This information can be found at cdc.gov. Have your communications
person begin creating this outreach immediately.
5. Craft a brief Q&A with questions like "How will I know if the person
working next to me is carrying the virus?" "Will I still get paid if I do get sick
and have to quarantine at home for 14 days?" You don't want an employee
coming into work sick because they're fearful they won't get paid.
6. Conduct daily, internal "Town Hall" meetings either onsite or via
Zoom, Skype, or another online tool, so you can provide updates. Convey
your company's protocols you've put in place in order to keep all your
employees safe, answer questions, and allay any fears. Consider consulting
a local behavioral therapist to obtain professional guidance on how to deal
with the psychological effects of this worldwide pandemic.
7. Move beyond the message "We're All in This Together." They've
heard that. They want to know what you're doing for them specifically, to
keep them safe and out of a risky environment.

BIGPICTURE.NET

the impending transformation in the fashion
industry caused by COVID-19. As with many discussions happening today, the main topic of conversation was the "new normal" that fashion
would be facing, and what can be done to adapt
and work with it.
Berg predicts a 40 to 50 percent decrease in
revenue in the fashion industry for 2020. He also
highlighted that many companies who adapted to
the times by upgrading their websites and implementing online stores in the past decade have
been able to weather the COVID-19 storm better
than those who did not. As a result of COVID-19,
many companies who have been putting off
upgrading their websites for years have been able
to complete the transition in a span of weeks,
which is notable as many business owners
thought the process would be much more difficult
than it has proven to be.
Berg also spoke about how COVID-19 could
spur along the "end of ownership" in fashion as a
recession may encourage more companies like
"Rent The Runway" to emerge. With social distancing and remote work continuing, data will be
more valuable than ever, and companies can utilize this information to increase sustainability and
reduce waste. While it's impossible to know what
exactly will happen as COVID-19 persists, Berg
made it clear that the fashion industry will be significantly affected.

COVID-19 Fears BY HELENE KELLY

http://www.bigpicture.net http://www.cdc.gov http://www.BIGPICTURE.NET

Big Picture - June/July 2020

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