STAT OF THE DAY According to the Pew Research Center, most Americans support or somewhat support the Black Lives Matter protests that have gripped the nation in the wake of George Floyd’s death. About seven in 10 Americans say they have had a conversation about race in the past month. COVID-19 UPDATE At the time of reporting, The New York Times showed that there were 2,124,082 and 116,210 deaths in the U.S. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker reported 2,159,787 cases and 117,893 deaths in the U.S. President Trump is to sign an executive order Tuesday on police reform after weeks of protest around racial injustice and the death of black citizens at the hands of police officers. Florida leaders struggle to balance an aggressive reopening plan with spiking cases of COVID-19. The state has been hard hit in its tourism and entertainment sectors. The International Monetary Fund warns that the planet faces an economic crisis “unlike anything the world has seen.” On a positive note, experts said that possible pent-up consumer demand for some services may help restart the world economy for faster rebound than for other crises.
Go beyond quotas and unconscious-bias training. To really address inclusion in a meaningful way, one communicator says you should measure inclusion and equity within your organization annually. Here is her full list of actions to support inclusion in the workplace.
Address the negative assumptions behind uncomfortable questions. Tough media queries require a bit of translation to understand how your interviewer might incorrectly frame a problem or topic. For crisis communicators, it’s important to address the underlying assumptions. Here are some examples of how to change the narrative. Github removes terms with links to slavery from its lexicon. The coding outfit hopes to address bias and systemic racism by removing terms like “master” and “slave” from the terminology it uses for its offerings. Cnet reported: In an email, a GitHub spokesperson confirmed that the site is changing the default branch name for new repositories away from "master," and making it easier for users to choose their own default branch name for all new repositories created. They also said they are releasing guidance and tools for users who may choose to rename their default branch in existing repositories. Bring your deskless workforce together with tech tools. Building a community of employees when they don’t all gather in the same workplace requires a careful strategy. Here’s how you can unite employees without forcing them into a central location. How you should address mask use in the workplace—for both employees and customers? Check out this guide on the information you need to know on mask use and how you can develop messages that keep your various stakeholders safe. U.K.’s Premier League supports players wearing “Black Lives Matter” messages. The top soccer league in Britain says the message is an ethical stance rather than a political declaration, and therefore is allowing players to share the message on their jerseys. Sportstar reported: “I support them in using their platforms to push good causes. The messages you are going to see coming through the Premier League matches in relation to thanking the NHS, with the 'Heart NHS' logo on the front of shirts and also the anti-discrimination messages coming forward, are issues that all players feel,” [Premier League chief executive Richard Masters] told Sky Sports on Tuesday. Ariana Grande unfollows Starbucks over Black Lives Matter controversy. The move highlights the damage that can be done by insensitive messaging during this moment of cultural change. The coffee chain had originally told employees it wouldn’t allow pro-BLM messages to worn during shifts, only to change tack after it received backlash. Grande’s change of heart matters because the pop star once served as a brand ambassador for Starbucks as recently as 2019. Comms service providers step up during COVID-19. Many vendors and service providers are offering promotions, products and discounts to help communicators meet the moment brought on by the COCVID-19 crisis. Here’s a list of opportunities you can check out. Microsoft Teams to match Zoom by showing up to 49 call participants. The workplace communications tool from Microsoft hopes to challenge Zoom for video dominance with the move—vaulting past Google Meet which only allows 16 callers to be shown at one time. Teams has proven hugely popular, with VentureBeat reporting: Microsoft Teams is the company’s fastest-growing business app ever. That was true in 2018, long before lockdowns started juicing up remote work and learning numbers. Microsoft’s Jeff Teper recently told VentureBeat that Teams “will be even bigger than Windows.” As of April, Microsoft Teams had 75 million daily active users, up 70% from just six weeks prior. JP Morgan Chase to allow employees to “voluntarily” return to Manhattan trading floors June 22. Many oragnizations are trying to chart their way back to the office this summer—even as many companies, particularly in tech, have announced permanent WFH arrangements. Here’s how JP Morgan Chase is addressing the issue. 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. | 