QUOTE OF THE DAY “As a leader, it’s a major responsibility on your shoulders to practice the behavior you want others to follow.” –Himanshu Bhatia COVID-19 UPDATE At the time of reporting, The New York Times showed 2,291,735 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and 119,985 deaths. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker showed 2,311,345 cases and 121,609 fatalities. Health officials are starting to prepare for a new wave of COVID-19 infections this fall. Dr. Anthony Fauci says that the increased infection rate among young people isn’t surprising and a spike in fatalities among older demographics will lag a few weeks behind the infection rate. Fears about more lockdowns are weighing on the stock market as it tries to bounce back. The economic losses could still deepen despite economies reopening as some businesses have moved ahead with workforce cuts.
When is it safe to ignore bad headlines? Some negative stories can damage your brand and affect the bottom line—and others are just noise. Here’s how one PR pro explains how to determine the difference.
The move to remote workflows might damage trust and cohesion in your workforce. The loss of in-person interactions could pose a threat to culture and your organization’s success. In order to mitigate the damage, you must create a “psychologically safe” climate where experience and skills are freely shared. For a better crisis response, remember the 3 C’s. Here’s how you should think about bringing compassion, coordination and clarity to your messages no matter what crisis you face. Gallup reports inconsistent safety measures from employers as business reopens. Safety measures like handwashing and sanitizing are more likely to be adopted while temperature screening is the least likely to be used.
Image courtesy of Gallup. What can you do when you discover an inflammatory post from an employee on social media? Here are some of the potential options and risks associated. In many cases, terminating the employee might be necessary to preserve your reputation—but how you make that separation requires precision and care. American Airlines faces lawsuit over racial discrimination. The airline says that it is investigating the incident, but the story has blown up with celebrities like Ice Cube weighing in on Twitter. USA Today reported: "Discrimination of any kind is not acceptable and does not align with our values, which is why we launched an investigation when were made aware of the allegations," Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for American Airlines, told USA TODAY in a statement. "We are continuing to review this incident, but we believe that the allegations are not a full or accurate portrayal of the incident." Make time for communications that isn’t work-related. Bryan Hilton with Ragan Consulting Group offers offers tips on how to help employees manage the “next normal.” Here’s why you should take time to ask people how they are doing—and be invested in their answer. The future of communications requires agility and innovation. Service providers for the industry shared how they think technology and the current media landscape will change how PR pros do their jobs and find value in the business marketplace. Patagonia, REI, The North Face and others boycott Facebook. The companies say the platform didn’t do enough to curb speech that incited violence during protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd. The boycott was organized by the NAACP, Sleeping Giants, Color of Change and other groups. Patagonia’s marketing chief explained its stance in a statement, which CNBC reported: “For too long, Facebook has failed to take sufficient steps to stop the spread of hateful lies and dangerous propaganda on its platform,” the statement reads in part. “From secure elections to a global pandemic to racial justice, the stakes are too high to sit back and let the company continue to be complicit in spreading disinformation and fomenting fear and hatred.” Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream drops “inappropriate” name of Eskimo Pies. The company says that the name, which uses a term commonly used for indigenous tribes in Alaska, is derogatory and would come up with a new name for the product by the end of the year. 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. Join our Crisis Leadership Board Ragan’s Crisis Leadership Board is the resource you need before, during and after the crisis. As a Board member, you have access to all back issues of this newsletter—as well as research, data, case studies, checklists, tip sheets, articles and other resources—plus a peer-to-peer discussion board and an all-access pass to the annual Crisis Management Conference. Sponsorship/Advertising Opportunities Contact Hannah Lavelle at HannahL@ragan.com with sponsorship and advertising inquiries. Pitch Us Have a great story to share about crisis communication or your own take on current best practices? Contact Editor Ted Kitterman at TedK@ragan.com. Sign Up Subscribe to Ragan’s Crisis Daily newsletter today. | 