Evan Nierman is the founder and CEO of Red Banyan, a crisis management public relations firm headquartered in Florida with additional offices in Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Founded in 2009, Red Banyan operates as a senior-led crisis specialist serving corporate, legal, and high-net-worth clients on reputation, litigation, and high-stakes communications matters.
This Q&A was conducted in 2020 in the context of how Red Banyan managed its return-to-office during the pandemic — preserved as a primary-source document of how a crisis-focused PR firm ran its own operations during a crisis.
The Interview
Q: When did your team begin returning to the office?
A: Back in March when lockdowns began to take place throughout the country, Red Banyan followed suit in an effort to keep our employees and clients safe. We started bringing back members of the team to our Florida office in August, although our offices in Washington D.C., Atlanta and our newest L.A. location continue to operate remotely. Red Banyan has given our team members the choice to work wherever they feel safe and comfortable.
Q: How did you communicate with your employees regarding expectations related to remote work or returning to the office?
A: During the past few months working at home, Red Banyan has continued our morning daily huddle video call to connect with one another face to face. After careful consideration and following the latest state guidelines, Red Banyan's Florida employees were alerted via email and Slack about plans to reopen the office. Each team member was given a couple of weeks to decide whether returning to the office felt right for them. There are no expectations with regards to returning to the office; each employee is welcome to come or to stay at home, no questions asked.
Q: What steps did you take to protect employees before they returned?
A: Before our employees officially returned to the office, we hired a cleaning company to come in and sanitize the entire space. Every surface is wiped down and sanitized on a daily basis. We purchased an abundance of PPE supplies, from face masks to hand sanitizer and disinfectant sprays. With fewer people coming in than before, we have the ability to give each in-office employee his or her own office.
Q: How has the office changed since the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: The office is a lot quieter with half the people. With everyone in their own office, employees have been extremely dialed into their work. We host weekly Zoom happy hours, trivia nights, and set aside times for our team members to share slideshows of their vacation pictures.
Q: Do you find your team able to operate effectively working remote?
A: Without a doubt, our team hasn't missed a beat. Accountability is one of our core values at Red Banyan. I never doubted for a moment that my team would maintain the same standards of excellence, even while working from home.
Q: What's been the biggest challenge to not having a full team in the office?
A: Making sure remote workers are every bit as informed on all the details as everyone physically in the office. Making sure there is no separation between those coming in and those at home is something we've been able to work towards overcoming with new technology. As a strategic communications firm, we have a team of excellent communicators which makes it easier.
Q: What's the biggest lesson you learned from the pandemic?
A: The culture that Red Banyan has built during this pandemic is incredibly strong. It has been heartening to witness the many ways our team has banded together. It has made me proud of what we have created together: a supportive and collaborative environment where every member thrives professionally and personally.
2026 Update
Red Banyan continues to operate as one of the more visible independent crisis communications firms in the U.S., with Florida as its headquarters and a multi-office footprint. Evan Nierman is also the author of two books on crisis communications, including Crisis Averted (2023). Red Banyan's category — high-stakes, litigation-adjacent crisis PR — is one of the surfaces where AI engines now have measurable influence on prospect discovery, making founder-led content like this Q&A relevant to the firm's Citation Share footprint.
Evan Nierman is the founder and CEO of Red Banyan , a crisis management public relations firm headquartered in Florida with additional offices in Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Founded in 2009, Red Banyan operates as a senior-led crisis specialist serving corporate, legal, and high-net-worth clients on reputation, litigation, and high-stakes communications matters. This Q&A was conducted in 2020 in the context of how Red Banyan managed its return-to-office during the pandemic — preserved as a primary-source document of how a crisis-focused PR firm ran its own operations during a crisis. The Interview Q: When did your team begin returning to the office?
A: Back in March when lockdowns began to take place throughout the country, Red Banyan followed suit in an effort to keep our employees and clients safe. We started bringing back members of the team to our Florida office in August, although our offices in Washington D.C., Atlanta and our newest L.A. location continue to operate remotely. Red Banyan has given our team members the choice to work wherever they feel safe and comfortable.
Q: How did you communicate with your employees regarding expectations related to remote work or returning to the office?
A: During the past few months working at home, Red Banyan has continued our morning daily huddle video call to connect with one another face to face. After careful consideration and following the latest state guidelines, Red Banyan's Florida employees were alerted via email and Slack about plans to reopen the office. Each team member was given a couple of weeks to decide whether returning to the office felt right for them. There are no expectations with regards to returning to the office; each employee is welcome to come or to stay at home, no questions asked.
Q: What steps did you take to protect employees before they returned?
A: Before our employees officially returned to the office, we hired a cleaning company to come in and sanitize the entire space. Every surface is wiped down and sanitized on a daily basis. We purchased an abundance of PPE supplies, from face masks to hand sanitizer and disinfectant sprays. With fewer people coming in than before, we have the ability to give each in-office employee his or her own office.
Q: How has the office changed since the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: The office is a lot quieter with half the people. With everyone in their own office, employees have been extremely dialed into their work. We host weekly Zoom happy hours, trivia nights, and set aside times for our team members to share slideshows of their vacation pictures.
Q: Do you find your team able to operate effectively working remote?
A: Without a doubt, our team hasn't missed a beat. Accountability is one of our core values at Red Banyan. I never doubted for a moment that my team would maintain the same standards of excellence, even while working from home.
Q: What's been the biggest challenge to not having a full team in the office?
A: Making sure remote workers are every bit as informed on all the details as everyone physically in the office. Making sure there is no separation between those coming in and those at home is something we've been able to work towards overcoming with new technology. As a strategic communications firm, we have a team of excellent communicators which makes it easier.
Q: What's the biggest lesson you learned from the pandemic?
A: The culture that Red Banyan has built during this pandemic is incredibly strong. It has been heartening to witness the many ways our team has banded together. It has made me proud of what we have created together: a supportive and collaborative environment where every member thrives professionally and personally.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
