QUOTE OF THE DAY

“You can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.” –Michelle Obama

COVID-19 UPDATE

• At the time of reporting, The New York Times showed 3.014,123 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and 131,329 deaths. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker reported 3.054,091 cases in the U.S. and 133,435 fatalities.
• The U.S. has reported a single-day record of 60,000 new COVID-19 cases with Arizona, Florida, California and Texas representing nearly half of all new cases.
• Churches and religious gatherings have been linked to many recent outbreaks, experts report.
• Chief economic advisor to President Trump, Larry Kudlow, says that shutting the economy down again would be a “big mistake.”

Are you asking the right questions to guide workers back to the office? Here’s how you can run surveys to get essential insight from your stakeholders to influence your strategy.

United warns 36,000 employees of layoffs as the crisis continues. The airline says it has prepared more than a third of its staff for cuts, but the notice doesn’t necessarily mean the employee will be laid off.

CNBC wrote:

In a memo sent to employees Wednesday, United said just because workers receive a WARN notice it doesn’t mean they will definitely be furloughed and it said it will try to exhaust voluntary measures before cutting workers. Some of the workers may be called back to work but that will depend on a return to demand, which some industry executives say could take years.

Who belongs on your internal task force for coming back to the office? Here are some tips on how to put your team together.

Your organization can foster important conversations about Black Lives Matter. Here are some ways you can create the necessary forum for employees to engage with these tough subjects in safe and meaningful ways.

Dunkin explains store closures as necessary move to prepare for future success. As many groups face cuts due to COVID-19, it’s important to put those decisions in the context of future plans. Here’s how Dunkin is describing a decision to close more than 400 stores.

Fox Business reported:

"By exiting these sites, we are confident we will be better positioned to serve these trade areas with Dunkin's newest Next Generation restaurant design that offers a broader menu and modern experience," Kate Jaspon, Dunkin's chief financial officer, told Today of the Speedway locations via email. "We also remain committed to growing our presence in gas and convenience locations, as well as other non-traditional locations, including airports, universities, travel plazas and military installations."

Communicators say leaders see their value—but budgets aren’t climbing. In a new report, the role of the communicator gets high marks for its indispensable value, but that doesn’t mean more money is being allocated to the department. “Employee experience” is a top priority for many pros.

British apparel company Boohoo gets hit with questions over worker conditions. When investigators reported that the company was underpaying workers and failing to offer protection from COVID-19, retailers removed the company’s products from circulation. The company says it was unaware of the factory in question.

The New York Times reported:

“As a board, we are shocked and appalled by the recent allegations that have been made and we are committed to doing everything in our power to rebuild the reputation of the textile manufacturing industry in Leicester,” the Boohoo statement said. The company said it would report on its supply chain review in September, when it publishes its half-year results, with further updates in January 2021.

Facebook meets with leaders of the Stop Hate For Profit boycott. When Facebook failed to offer anything other than old talking points, the meeting broke down and led to a series of bad headlines for the company. An audit of the company’s Civil Rights policies shows the work it still has to do to receive third-party validation.

The New York Times wrote:

Results of a two-year audit of Facebook’s civil rights policies will be published today. The Times received a draft of the 100-page report, conducted by independent civil rights experts and lawyers. “Unfortunately, in our view Facebook’s approach to civil rights remains too reactive and piecemeal,” it says, according to Greg Bensinger of The Times’s editorial board . “Many in the civil rights community have become disheartened, frustrated and angry after years of engagement” with the company, it added.

Creating “family work groups” could offer added workplace safety. Here’s how you can think about setting up and communicating to divisions of your work force to help socially distance while bringing employees back to the office.

NBCU’s news group sets its diversity quota. The organization’s leader has aggressive targets, like 50% of employees that are people of color and 50% female.

The International Business Times wrote:

… Cesar Conde, who was named chairman of NBCU’s News Group in May, has discussed his desire to change the makeup of the staff to be 50% female and 50% people of color. As stated in a memo that Conde sent to staffers on Tuesday, NBC News Group currently has a workforce that is 26.5% diverse, but, he said, he doesn't think that is "good enough."

Virtual Conference Alert

Join us for Ragan’s Remote Employee Engagement &Culture Virtual Conference on Tuesday, July 21 to learn internal comms strategies and best practices to meet the challenges of the new reality.

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