NAILING THAT ZOOM MEETING; DOMAIN CUTS COSTS, OFFERS EQUITY TO STAFF

NAILING THAT ZOOM MEETING; DOMAIN CUTS COSTS, OFFERS EQUITY TO STAFF

Welcome to today’s business and media intelligence, with insights collected over the past 24-hours as Australia releases its contact tracing app to help life get back to normal.

International news

  • NAILING THAT ZOOM MEETING. SERIOUSLY
    • It’s hard to project authority online, and, according to British author and coach Viv Groskop, online screen communications can reduce the impact of high-status individuals. This could pose a huge threat to leaders as Zoom meetings look set to become the way of the foreseeable future. She shares her tips on how to nail the Zoom meeting, including following the usual rules of good practice: appoint a chair and don’t allow long tirades or multiple interruptions. Read all her techniques in The Financial Times here.
  • DRESS THE PART, EVEN VIRTUALLY
    • If you thought you could get away with wearing pyjamas while working from home, you’re wrong. Well, that’s at least according to stylists who spoke to The Financial Times. They suggest you should be dressing just as you would at the office. So, that means if you wear a blazer or shirt to work you should wear one for video calls too – and certainly shoes. Read the new rules of home workwear here(Subscriber access)

Australian company news 

  • NAB UNVEILS HUGE EARNING LOSS, CUTS DIVIDENDS AND SALARIES
    • NAB announced it will cut its interim dividend by more than 60 per cent to just 30c a share and unveiled a $3.5 billion capital raising to bolster its balance sheet. The bank also slashed executive pay by 20 per cent after it revealed a massive 51.5 percent drop in earnings to $1.46 billion. Read The Australian article here (subscriber access), and the letter from the chairman and CEO here.
  • DOMAIN CUTS COSTS, OFFERS EQUITY TO STAFF
    • More than 90 per cent of employees at listed real estate media group Domain took up one of the options outlined in a new voluntary program launched last week. Of that 90 per cent, the majority chose to take a 20 per cent pay cut but receive that same amount in share rights. Domain CEO Jason Pellegrino said the project will not only have the benefit of a large cost reduction but also allows Domain to retain and attract talent. Read The AFR article here(Subscriber access)
  • THE ART OF SURVIVAL – HOW BOARDS WILL COPE
    • According to Jonathan Wenig, lead commercial partner at Arnold Bloch Leibler, COVID-19 will trigger a fundamental realignment of director responsibilities and change in corporate governance as boards focus on the art of survival. In an opinion piece in The AFR, he argues that when the dust settles, risk planning and resilience will be prioritised alongside growth. (Subscriber access)

Australian markets 

  • VIRTUAL AGMs – THE NEW NORMAL?
    • Lawyers are calling for corporate law to be brought into the 21st century by making online meetings a permanent option, as companies with some of the biggest shareholder bases in Australia push ahead with virtual meetings. Will Heath, partner at law firm King & Wood Mallesons, said it was time to bring the Corporations Act into the modern day by allowing for “fully virtual” AGMs as a regular option. Read The Australian article here. (Subscriber access)

Our daily briefing is not meant to be a summary of media coverage but rather, insights that may be helpful in understanding how organisations are communicating with stakeholders in a time of crisis – and what comes next. Sign up via email