When and when not to focus on company news during Election Week

The 2024 US elections have come and gone, and the results remain the top of the minds of millions nationwide. But while the new makeup of Washington dominates headlines, some other breaking stories were overlooked.

For instance, tech workers at The New York Times went on strike for a fairer contract on Monday. That would be notable in and of itself — but it taking place the day before an election made the action even more of a crisis. On top of the timing, the paper’s iconic election needle graphic pushed ahead on Election Day even without the tech workers who made the move.

NYT’s response, which focused on the election before the striking workers, raises questions about the optics of its timing.  While NYT didn’t choose to break the story on this day, striking employees alleged that the delay and subsequent timing of the strike were caused by the publication’s failure to reach an agreement with them in time.

According to NYT coverage of the event:

Hannah Yang, the company’s chief growth and customer officer, and Jason Sobel, its chief technology officer, said in an email to the tech workers on Sunday night that management had “a strong offer on the table.”

“We are disappointed that the Tech Guild leadership is attempting to jeopardize our journalistic mission at this critical time,” they said in the email, a copy of which was obtained by The Times.

It’s a reminder that you can’t always control when news about your company breaks—but you can choose when and how to respond.

This begs the question: When is it wise to address other news that impacts your business or industry during a major event, and when is it ill-advised?  When should you talk about these types of events with your employees?

We spoke with David Quiñones, founder of All Points West, about how comms pros should think through the timing of corporate communications in the context of larger events.

Timing is everything — even if that means not releasing news at all

Just as a journalist considers how a story fits into the larger news cycle, talking about a company issue with your employees requires a deep consideration of how the timing will affect your company’s reputation, both as an employer and in the public eye.

Quiñones stressed that communicators should respect their employees’ perspectives concerning message timing. If there’s a news release that has implications about people’s jobs, burying it on a Friday afternoon when many people have their minds on the weekend ahead isn’t the way to go.

“These messages aren’t just about grabbing attention — they need to respect your audience’s capacity and emotional state,” Quiñones said. “Your audience is made up of people first, regardless of their roles.”

Quiñones shared a few other concepts communicators can follow when looking to figure out a news drop during the tension of an election.

• Be as straight down the line as possible. In the case of a strike like the one occurring at The New York Times, Quiñones recommended that internal comms pros take a line that’s unlikely to provoke much of a reaction from aggrieved parties. “I try to steer communications into a very anodyne way of sharing messages during labor disputes. I don’t want to be over-communicating.”
• Silence can be a strategy. Sometimes the best thing to say during Election Week is nothing at all. “Strategic silence is an option. If you step into the arena, you can risk your internal issue becoming a larger part of the political or social debate.”
• Give major news space to breathe when needed. If an employee finds their company in the news or gets a major announcement about their workplace during the chaos of an election, they’re not likely to absorb it as well. You can certain news back until after the election to give employees the chance to properly wrap their heads around it. Also, it gives the comms team more time to provide clarity. “If it’s something that we really want people to pay attention to, we should aim for a logistically clear space.”

Respecting your audience’s capacity is key to reaching them

No matter your political leanings, elections can be exhausting. Toss a major company news drop that involves something like a strike or layoff, and the anxiety is bound to compound.

Internal comms pros can mitigate it by deeply considering the content and tone of their announcements near the election.

“We are all at the end of our emotional bandwidth pretty much every day,” Quiñones said. “Forcing your message can alienate and exhaust people if it’s not done deftly.”

Quiñones suggested that communicators hold non-urgent company news for after the election at the risk of burning people out. When this isn’t possible, hedge your messaging in employee-first language if something needs to drop during another major event.

“If you can avoid further stressing people out with major company messages around the election, do your best to do it,” he said. “That helps build trust.”

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and hosting trivia.