QUOTE OF THE DAY “If you do not ask yourself what it is you know, you will go on listening to others, and change will not come because you will not hear your own truth.” –Saint Bartholomew COVID-19 UPDATE At the time of reporting, The New York Times showed 1,953,138 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and 110,422 deaths. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker reported 1,985,811 cases in the U.S. and 118,498 deaths. Global cases now exceed 7 million. Supplies are running dangerously low for the only proven drug to treat COVID-19, health officials warn. The latest updates on a potential vaccine against the coronavirus place a possible rollout in early 2021. A viable vaccine is what many officials say will be the turning point for bringing back some parts of American life, such as large public gatherings. The surprisingly good jobs report for May has come under question as analysts have found holes in the data. The errors indicate that while unemployment did fall in May, the overall figures might be higher than originally reported.
Your crisis plan should answer the who, what, when and how. When thinking through who will be the face of your organization during a crisis, identify who will speak, what they will say, when they will speak and how the message will be delivered.
More than two-thirds of organizations plan to return the office by summer’s end. In a report from World at Work, organizations said they would return to (or already have begun) “normal” operations by the end of the summer. When it comes to health and safety measures, organizations said they would consider “additional cleaning (85%), smaller meetings (83%), space modifications (67%), mask requirements (64%) and temperature screenings (52%).” To prepare for the next crisis, follow these tips. Before you find yourself in hot water, it’s important to know how to apologize, evaluate potential risks or “dealbreakers” and designate a “crisis leader.” See the full list of tips here. Google shares how it is addressing worker health. The company’s head of wellness, Lauren Whitt, shared how the tech giant is pushing managers to engage on employee well-being. CNN reported: We are asking them to check in on the well-being of their team, to ask about how their team is doing. We do not want our managers to be therapists, counselors, advisers in any way on the mental health space. We do want them to check in on: 'How is your well-being?' 'How are you doing?' 'How is life going for you right now?' And if there are signs or indications that there may be something going on, to be able to connect the Googler with the wealth of resources and suite of services that we have available. How can you “reboard” returning employees? As workers head back to the office, think about how you can rebuild your workplace culture, which has been affected by COVID-19 and work-from-home edicts. Here is a blueprint for analyzing your messages. Don’t let these errors ruin your crisis response. Ragan Consulting Group’s Nick Lanyi shares three of the mistakes that often trip communicators during a crisis. He argues that you must have a holistic view of reputation, and understand that your brand is much more than the news coverage it elicits. See all his advice here. Microsoft chief Nadella shares grief over racial injustice. The tech CEO promised to “take accountability” on his own journey to learn more about racial injustice in America and how the company can commit to fighting racism. Taking accountability and committing to change is a more effective CEO message than those that are less personalized. He wrote in a letter: I am heartbroken by the deep pain our communities are feeling. The results of systemic racism, which have impacted opportunities and exacerbated injustices for Black and African American communities, urge me to consider my own role as a leader. I must continue my journey of understanding and empathy and examine actions I take, or don’t take, every day. Listening and learning from my Black and African American colleagues is helping me develop a better understanding of their experience. And I take accountability for my own continued learning on the realities of privilege, inequity and race and modeling the behavior I want to see in the world. What does a mismanaged response look like? GE’s former top communicator shares how a PR crisis went off the rails during his tenure and offers insights on what PR pros should learn from a few key mistakes, such as failing to do your homework or asking the wrong questions. The Philadelphia Enquirer parts with executive editor over controversial headline. Employees and readers were furious over a headline that read “Buildings matter, too” in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd and racial injustice in America. Channel 3000 reported: “The headline offensively riffed on the Black Lives Matter movement, and suggested an equivalence between the loss of buildings and the lives of black Americans. That is unacceptable,” the editors wrote in the apology. The paper will review the process to “implement safeguards to flag sensitive content and prevent single-person publication,” the apology continued. Virtual Conference Alert Join us for Ragan & PR Daily's Social Media & Digital Communications Virtual Conference on June 18–19 to learn brand 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]. Sign Up Subscribe to Ragan’s Crisis Daily newsletter today. | 