Lockdown issues emerge including isolation, hyper connectivity, and home schooling
An updated edition of the #FuturePRoof COVID-19 survey finds industry bosses continuing to come to terms with rapid change and uncertainty. The key challenges remain loss of income (35.9%) and access to customers (53.0%). 45.9% of employers are worried about their ability to trade through the crisis.
The latest findings reinforce the initial #FuturePRoof COVID-19 survey published on Sunday 22 March.
The single biggest intervention called for by respondents is financial support for freelancers who account for nine per cent of the industry according to the CIPR State of the Profession Report 2019. This issue was highlighted in a joint letter from the CIPR and PRCA to the Chancellor on Monday 23 March.
More than a third of the 181 respondents to the survey are freelancers. The full breakdown of respondents is as follows: agencies (30.9%); virtual agencies (9.4%); in-house (17.7%); freelance (36.5%); and other (5.5%).
The industry is coming to terms with the shift to flexible and virtual working following the Government’s lock down on Monday 23 March. The rapid change in business model has given rise to a series of secondary issues. These include:
Technology overload and the contradiction of hyper connectivity versus social isolation
The need to combine work and home schooling and parenting often with young children following school closures on Friday 20 March
Caring for elderly and vulnerable family members, and
The 12-week mandated period of isolation for vulnerable people.
Sarah Waddington, #FuturePRoof founder and Astute.Work agency owner, said: “Right now PR bosses need to think hard about the demands on their teams who in the majority have experienced a massive shift to home working during an unprecedented crisis - and who are facing more demands on their time, energy and resources than ever before.”
#FuturePRoof chair and Metia managing director Stephen Waddington said: “We’d hoped for a financial intervention for freelancers by now. This is the primary issue highlighted by our data. It’s good to see the CIPR and PRCA working together to lobby on the issue. We’ll continue to gather data and support their effort.”
Alastair McCapra, Chief Executive, CIPR, said, “This survey tells us the key issues colleagues are struggling with. We can help with some of these, by supporting our members to deal with very rapid change. For others we urgently need the Government to take the initiative.”
Francis Ingham, Director-General of the PRCA, said, “Let’s be clear: our industry is going to take a hit. What’s uncertain is this - how big a hit; for how long; and how quickly can we bounce back? Each of those issues will be addressed best if the Government provides timely, easily-accessible, big-scale support. And that means for companies and freelancers alike.”
According to the PRCA PR Census 2019 the UK PR industry is worth £14.9 billion and employs 95,000 people.
Survey Methodology
181 people have responded the #FuturePRoof survey between Saturday, 21 March and Wednesday, 25 March. Responses have deliberately been kept anonymous to allow PR leaders to freely share their situation.
The #FuturePRoof survey will stay open. We will continue to share the results with the CIPR, PRCA and Central Government to ensure the challenges facing the PR industry are well documented and being addressed. You can complete the five minute survey here.