Employees reject Disney response to ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, Hybrid workers expect career advancement, and more

Hi there, comms connoisseurs.

Let’s explore some notable stories from March 7-11, 2022—and extract a few useful messaging takeaways along the way:

1. Why employees rejected Disney’s response to the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek finally denounced Florida’s controversial House Bill 1557, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, during a shareholder call this week. Chapek’s words followed widespread criticism against Disney for donating money to backers of the bill, which seeks to prohibit classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity.

According to NPR, Chapek acknowledged the outcry over its donations and subsequent failure to take a stand. “[F]rom the outset… we chose not to take a public position on it because we thought we could be more effective working behind-the-scenes, engaging directly with lawmakers — on both sides of the aisle,” he said off-camera during the call.