What happened: We’ll be honest. When PRNEWS first heart the name “Kyte Baby” this past week, we thought it was a new rapper or influencer. Upon further research (and an excellent roundup by Axios), we discovered Kyte Baby (a children’s clothing brand), did not do anything even remotely humorous when it came to employee communications and care.
Even though its branded as a “woman-owned” company, the organization denied employee Marissa Hughes’s request to work remotely as her premature baby (22 weeks) was placed in neonatal intensive care. Kyte said she “opted to leave.”
The company further dug itself into a hole when the CEO released not one, but two apology videos—acknowledging her first one was not “sincere.” CEO Ling Liu says the company is currently reviewing its policy and procedures for family leave.
Communication takeaways: While Kyte Baby CEO and founder Ying Liu has made several apologies on social media, the damage had already been done and her efforts fell flat with the audience.
Tracy Williams, founder and CEO, Olmstead Williams Communications says there are better ways for PR teams to deal with crisis fallout.
“Two apologies by the Kyte Baby CEO didn’t hit the right notes on social media,” Williams says. “Navigating the path to redemption isn’t easy, and reading an apology that sounds like it’s coming from lawyers, is a damming path. Recovery is possible with transparency and ongoing communications on efforts to address internal/management issues, and while your redemption can’t be bought, activities that support families and children in NICUs could help.”
Read the full article: PR Roundup: Media Layoffs and Media Relations, Causes That Count and Lessons from Kyte Baby
