QUOTE OF THE DAY “If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.” –Thomas Aquinas COVID-19 UPDATE - At the time of reporting, The New York Times showed 2,103,990 cases of COVID-19 and 115,762 deaths in the U.S. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker reported 2,138,883 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and 117,464 fatalities. The effective reproduction rate is above 1 for 18 states.
- The Supreme Court has handed down a landmark ruling that bars employers from terminating LGBTQ employees based on their orientation or gender, a ruling heralded as a major win for LGBTQ advocates.
- Thousands showed up for protests across the nation to support black and trans citizens in a continuation of the Black Lives Matter movement.
- Larry Kudlow, a senior economic advisor to the president, says the $600 added to unemployment benefits will be allowed to expire in July because it is a “disincentive” to return to work.
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Collaboration tools must be incorporated. That was one of the top lessons at Levi Strauss as it tried to respond to a historic crisis. Here are some more of their takeaways from crisis communications during the last couple of months.
Commitment to LGBTQ issues should extend beyond Pride month. Here’s how organizations can engage with these active and vocal communities to develop meaningful connections and support diversity and equality in the workplace and the marketplace. Support is very high among employees for nonviolent protests. Make sure that you are engaging with your workforce to avoid a tone-deaf corporate response that might lead to backlash. 
Image courtesy of Clutch. What crisis lessons can we take from BP, Uber and more? Here are some topline takeaways from crises of the recent past that can inform how we approach the new landscape. Make sure your conversations about racial justice include diverse voices. When the Main Medical Association tried to hold a meeting to discuss racial disparity in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the call almost left out the voice of its sole African-American participant. When they made space for her to speak, everything changed. The Sun Journal wrote: [Dr. Samuela Manages] had another message to the predominantly white group representing 4,300 physicians, residents and medical students in one of the whitest states in the country. “We need to stop just putting out statements,” she told her colleagues. “We decry this, we decry that. You can’t just say stuff and not have actions to back it up.” Terminating employees via phone or Zoom has become more common. When 24 Hour Fitness needed to communicate staff reductions, the CHRO Tami Majer asked employees to jump on a call via email. Once on the call, they were let go. The move contrasts with others like Airbnb, which have tried to be more open and compassionate around staff layoffs. Is your language inclusive? Here’s how you can evaluate your messages, both internal and external, to see if you have blind spots or gaffes that undercut your message of equity and diversity. Slack allows many employees to switch to permanent remote work. The company is one of many tech companies that are reevaluating the future of the workplace post-COVID-19. It shared its new thinking via Twitter: 
L.A. Times grapples with history of unfulfilled promises on racial equity. For many organizations, demonstrating a commitment to inclusion now will require visible action after years of failing to live up to past promises. Here’s how the organization is trying to talk about its past, present and future around race. Office small talk an important and “uplifting” part of work culture. The science shows that small interactions with coworkers are an important part of the work experience—and so in the WFH experiment it is important to try to replicate those interactions. Here’s how LinkedIn users are talking about the research. 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. | 
