By Vanessa Yanez, Chapter President

It’s only mildly amusing that I wrote this on the weekend anniversary of Careercast’s “most stressful jobs in America” ranking. As many of us laughed/lamented about how nobody knows how to define public relations, the profession ranked 8^th “most stressful” in 2019 and it’s a safe bet it will go up.  

Seriously, it’s real. Especially right now.  Today WHO announced that Coronavirus is at pandemic status. Let’s review the last week:    

California businesses and schools are starting to close for a few days of “deep cleaning”, or maybe indefinitely. This is an easier prospect for those of us in cities, but with 1/3 of rural areas in California without reliable internet, this is going to be a big deal with ripple effects we cannot even see yet. People are cleaning out Costco and the stockpiling videos are going viral and more and more of us now call work-from-home the “new normal” until further notice.

As the world’s largest conference call happened and events are cancelled, postponed or go virtual, now is the time to listen, learn and act with sound judgement.

We are here for you.  

Starting next Friday, our PRSA Silicon Valley Board will host a weekly midday Google Hangout series designed for you to hear the latest on what brands and the media are experiencing. Topics include best practices in issues management, how virtual work is working and managing stress. We will also release the content on our channels for an ICYMI podcast. TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR by tweeting at us or send a DM.

We will announce even more around mentorship, networking and professional development in the coming weeks. Track our weekly newsletter, Facebook page.

If you need anything and/or would like to help, please write me on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn or email vanessao7@yahoo.com.

We know that it’s tough right now. It’s the time to look for the helpers. We are here. For you.  

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