Publicis Groupe flies people home to families amid COVID-19 chaos

More and more employees of Publicis Groupe are taking the holding company up on its offer to fly them home to be with their families amid the coronavirus disruption. 

CEO Arthur Sadoun said he is pleased to learn staff are taking advantage of the invitation as he addressed everyone on Sunday for the third time since COVID-19 took hold of the economy. 

The leader said that Publicis is accelerating the launch of Marcel so its employees can be better connected.

"We realized that today we not only need to fight the virus, but also the isolation it is causing," he said. "Staying strong together in this period is going to be vital. Not only for our business, but more importantly for your well-being. 

"This is why we have decided to advance the launch of Marcel. We move fast as there is an urgency to keep us all connected. It will now be available for the entire group by the end of April. We will start in the U.S., where Marcel will be available to 30,000 people there. It won’t be perfect -- there will be some bugs -- and it will keep evolving. But it will unite us, at a time when we need that the most."

Meanwhile, 3,000 Publicis leaders will come together (virtually) at the end of this week, with a main theme of addressing client relationships. 

Sadoun explained: "When it comes to our clients it is clear everyday that it has never been more important to be on their side. We need to act differently with them today and tomorrow, and I want to make sure we start immediately."

He added: "I want to thank you all for your courage and the incredible engagement you’ve shown at this time."