QUOTE OF THE DAY

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be." —Rosalynn Carter

COVID-19 UDPATE

• At the time of reporting, The New York Times shows 3,131,550 positive cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and 133,079 deaths. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker reported 3,165,058 cases 135,094 fatalities.
• Daily fatalities are breaking records in the three of the most populous states: California, Florida and Texas. Experts warn than some municipalities are essentially in the same position as New York was in March.
• Dallas Federal Reserve President Robert Kaplan says that wearing masks is essential for the health and growth of the economy.

Equality and justice require structural changes. Here’s how one PR pro argues that meeting the moment around race and inclusion means the industry should stop investing in some things and add resources to other initiatives.

Technology makes it easier than ever to engage remote workers. Here’s how Microsoft’s Yammer software can be an essential tool as you try to connect remote workers during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Make sure failure on DE&I has consequences. How can you hold yourself accountable on your biggest promises around inclusion and equity? Here are some tips for the tech industry that can be applied to all kinds of organizations.

How are you helping ease conflict between co-workers? A new report says that with increased collaboration and connectivity comes more demands from workers on their colleagues—leading to friction and dysfunctional relationships.

RainmakerThinking wrote in a press release:

“It is a constant theme in business, but especially since the Great Recession, organizations have been determined to get more and more work out of every employee,” [Bruce Tulgan] says. “Organizations have not only steadily increased everybody’s individual workload, but they have also been streamlining work by pushing increased collaboration.  That means everybody is dealing with a lot more people—and all these people are almost always making requests of each other.”

Goya Foods faces boycott after CEO’s support of President Trump. While taking a stand on issues like civil rights and racial justice are imperative, supporting a political candidate is more risky. When Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanue praised Trump, critics were ready to call for a boycott. Unanue is holding his ground.

CNN reported:

"You're allowed to talk good or talk praise to one president but you're not -- when I was called to be part of this commission to aid in economic and educational prosperity and you make a positive comment, all the sudden that's not acceptable," Unanue told Fox News. "If you're called by the president of the United States, you're going to say, 'No I'm sorry, I'm busy, no thank you?' I didn't say that to the Obamas and I didn't say that to President Trump."

Can you learn crisis lessons from a musical? Here are some PR takeaways from the Broadway hit “Hamilton,” which was a smashing success on Disney+ over the July 4 weekend.

Delta CEO calls for federal mask mandate. Ed Bastian says that the lax federal guidelines make it tricky to enforce rules for the safety of customers and employees.

ABC News reported:

"I think I can speak for corporate America: We're all frustrated with the politicization of safeguarding the health and well-being of our employees, as well as our customers," Bastian said. He added that most Delta customers have been respectful when asked to wear a face covering. "We ask our customers to wear the mask, not only to safeguard themselves, but just as importantly safeguard others," Bastian said.

Embracing remote work can help with diversity, too. Here’s how one business leader says you can access a wider talent pool and cultivate belonging when engaging a remote workforce.

Balancing remote workers and in-office staff requires careful messaging. Experts warn that it is a balancing act when juggling workers who must come back to the office with those who are still working remotely.

SHRMS wrote:

Employees' experience during the pandemic can complicate matters. "If your entire staff has been working from home for three months, they may wonder why they need to return to the office now," [Matt Erhard, managing partner with Summit Search Group] said. "As a manager, you need to be able to explain your reasoning in detail and be open to feedback from staff who want to continue working remotely."

Disney Parks employees voice concern over safety precautions. As the parks try to reopen to the public, workers say there hasn’t been enough communication about safety, prevention and temperature checks.

The Verge reported:

One cast member who works at Disney World, and asked to remain anonymous, told The Verge that she’s disappointed with Disney’s lack of communication with employees and seeming lack of extra precaution when it comes to testing employees. “The burden is completely on us to determine we’re healthy at the time,” she said. “I know a lot of people have already decided to get tested on their own, whether for the virus or for antibodies, but I don’t know if the company is providing any testing.”

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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