This week's PR Roundup examines the reputational risks of rolling back employee benefits at Zoom and Deloitte, Tim Cook's departure from Apple after 15 years and what Edelman's latest Trust Barometer reveals about the state of health information—and why more of it isn't helping.
Deloitte and Zoom Are Cutting Benefits—and Employee Trust
What happened: It’s hard to be an employee in this day and age. However, it may be harder to be an employer when word gets out about benefit cuts. This week, reports surfaced that both Zoom and Deloitte are rolling back some of the most coveted workplace benefits—and the timing is no coincidence.
Zoom is trimming parental leave from 22 to 24 weeks down to 18 weeks for birthing parents, while non-birthing parents will receive 10 weeks instead of 16. At Deloitte, broader cuts to paid time off (PTO), pension plans and IVF funding will impact employees in roles such as administrative services, IT and finance. Notably, both companies declined to comment.
The current job market trends matter here. According to this year's MetLife employee benefit trends study, 35% of workers say they are staying at their jobs because the current job market feels too risky. The U.S. quit rate has dipped to 1.9%, meaning employees have limited leverage.
Experts warn this could be the start of something bigger. Laszlo Bock, Google's former Head of Human Resources, put it plainly to Fast Company: once a few marquee employers make bold moves, "it legitimizes that action for everybody else."
Communication takeaways: Regardless of who is in the job market driver’s seat, silence can take its toll. For PR and comms teams, the silence from both Zoom and Deloitte is notable—and not in a good way. Benefit cuts are deeply personal to employees, and saying nothing doesn't make the news go away. Professionals on LinkedIn were already calling the reductions a reason to "boycott" the companies—a signal that the reputational stakes here are real.
Michael Grimm, Senior Vice President at Reputation Partners, says instead of silence it’s important for companies to acknowledge the human weight of what's being cut. Parental leave, IVF funding and PTO aren't perks—they're benefits people built life decisions around.
“Deloitte's public response—that the changes "better reflect employees' diverse skills"—doesn't address what employees actually lost, and that silence is where the backlash lives,” Grimm says.
He also notes the necessity for companies to align internal and external voices.
“If a leader explained this decision with honesty and humanity to employees internally, that same explanation needed to be the public response versus a 'no comment' or soulless corporate statement,” Grimm says. “Two different narratives for two different audiences always collide.”
Grimm also recognizes that if the real goal is headcount reduction, cutting benefits is a particularly bad strategy, which reflects poorly on the organization.
“Benefits cuts push out the people with the most options, not the ones you'd choose to lose,” he says. “Your highest performers, the ones being recruited elsewhere, leave first. What you're left with is an involuntary reorganization of talent in the wrong direction.”
In a low-trust environment, silence and spin will cost you. Honesty, delivered thoughtfully, at least gives organizations a fighting chance.
Tim Cook Steps Down as Apple CEO
What happened: After 15 years of leading one of the most valuable companies on the planet, Tim Cook is passing the torch. Apple announced that Cook will become executive chairman of the board, with SVP of Hardware Engineering John Ternus stepping in as CEO effective Sept. 1, 2026. The board unanimously approved the transition and described the result as long-term succession planning—though Wall Street didn't entirely see it coming.
Over the years under Cook's watch, Apple's market cap grew from roughly $350 billion to $4 trillion. In his new role, Cook will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world.
Ternus, who at 51 is nearly the same age Cook was when he took the CEO role, joined Apple's product design team in 2001 and was elevated to SVP of Hardware Engineering in 2021.
Apple shares slid 2.5% following the announcement, with analysts pointing to the timing—Apple is mid-pivot on AI, having recently struck a multiyear deal with Google to integrate Gemini as the new foundation for Siri and Apple Intelligence. Ternus’s transition will certainly not be a walk in the park.
Communications takeaways: Apple's announcement showcased a masterclass in controlled narrative—warm mutual endorsements, a unanimous board vote and a months-long runway before the handoff is complete.
The harder work now falls to Ternus. Inheriting Cook's legacy while navigating AI, hardware innovation and a post-iPhone future means he'll need to establish his own public identity quickly. That narrative will take time to develop.
Jessica Onick, Founder and Senior Communications Advisor at Jessica Onick Communications and former Senior Director of Internal And Executive Communications at GitHub, says too often, companies treat CEO transitions like a simple press release problem.
“In reality, it's an intense trust exercise across multiple critical audiences: employees, investors, customers,” she says. If even one of those groups feels surprised or unsettled, you've lost significant ground. Strong transitions protect the business.”
Onick says Apple showcased a deliberate consistency in continuity and confidence in Ternus and respect for Cook’s legacy, simultaneously—something other brands can follow.
“It's not easy to execute, but the lesson is to start early, align tightly, build an airtight messaging and channel strategy, and communicate like people are paying attention, because they are,” she says. “That's what it looks like when comms operates as an expert strategic function."
Edelman: People Are Consuming More Health Information and Feeling Worse About It
What happened: More information, less confidence. That's the uncomfortable takeaway from Edelman's 2026 Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust and Health, released this week. After years of stability, confidence in people's ability to find medical answers and make informed decisions dropped 10 points year over year, with double-digit declines across 10 of 16 markets.
The data gets more complicated from there. Most people now hold at least one divisive health belief—and the findings challenge some basic assumptions about engagement:
- People who hold many divisive health beliefs are twice as likely as those who hold none to actively consume health and medical information, indicating that more exposure is not translating into greater clarity or confidence.
- Those with divisive beliefs are more likely to receive and act on conflicting advice, reinforcing how competing information can shape decision-making.
Traditional authority is also being reshaped:
- Doctors remain the most trusted source for health information, but influence now extends across a broader set of voices.
- 64% say someone without a medical degree who knows how to use AI can perform at least one health task as well as or better than a doctor—signaling shifting perceptions of expertise.
- Trust in the media to report accurate health information is down 11 points since January 2019.
Communications takeaways: For health communicators, these findings should be both a warning and a roadmap. The old playbook—push more content, cite more experts, flood the zone—isn't working. If anything, it may be making things worse.
Courtney Gray Haupt, Global Health Chair and Global Client Leader, Edelman, says the opportunity lies in meeting people where they actually are amongst the diverse demographics and prioritizing clarity over volume.
“Our report reveals a high level of divisiveness worldwide around health beliefs—spanning age, political affiliation and education,” Gray Haupt says. “To connect across this divide, communicators and healthcare professionals need to understand the context people are living in, acknowledge uncertainty and lead with empathy.”
Gray Haupt also notes that building trust today includes offering real-world examples, being present in communities and making personal connections—more than what can just be done behind a screen.
“This isn’t about delivering a single message,” she says. “It’s about building an ongoing dialogue.”
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.