QUOTE OF THE DAY “You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.” –Shirley Chisholm COVID-19 UPDATE - At the time of reporting, The New York Times showed 2,564,281 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and 125,814 fatalities. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker shows 2,593,169 cases in the U.S. and 127,693 deaths.
- At least 12 U.S. states have paused their reopening plans amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and some states are rolling back lifted restrictions.
- Top CEOs are forecasting the impact from COVID-19 to linger into 2021. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the country needs a “Rooseveltian” approach to recover, in reference to FDR’s New Deal during the Great Depression.
Is your language inclusive of the entire gender spectrum? Check out this guide from The Trevor Project to help you navigate the intricacies of inclusive language, whether you are speaking specifically to LGBTQ audiences or the wider population.
One in five workers say productivity has dipped during the pandemic. Research from IPR and Leger look at workplace performance and communication during the global pandemic. Mentorship an important tool to address diversity and equity. Here’s how leaders should think about building a pipeline of diverse talent to build a better conversation around inclusion and equity within their own organizations. Amazon pledges $500 bonus to frontline employees. The one-time “Thank you” bonus comes after many have questioned the company’s values around worker safety and welfare during the pandemic. CNBC wrote: In a memo to employees, Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of retail operations, said the company will pay full-time warehouse, Whole Foods and delivery workers a $500 bonus. … “My thanks and gratitude for the truly remarkable commitment to customers you have shown throughout this journey,” Clark wrote in the memo. “I have never been more proud of our teams.” Earned media packs the biggest punch in 2020. When looking to build brand reputation and trust, working with third-parties and media outlets is essential for PR pros this year—and in the future. Here’s what you need to know about the future of PR work. Facebook faces stock price drop over ad boycott. With more and more companies halting advertising over concerns about policing speech on the social media platform, Facebook is trying to respond. Business Insider wrote: Facebook has responded with policy tweaks. It plans to label ads that discuss voting to direct viewers to accurate information, ban a wider range of hateful language, and tag posts by political figures that violate its standards as "newsworthy" to indicate why they haven't been taken down. However, the boycott is unlikely to do much damage to Facebook's revenue as it has more than 8 million advertisers, BMO Capital Markets analyst Daniel Salmon said in a research note. When are your workers coming back to the office? A recent survey from CNBC’s Technology Executive Council reported that 52% respondents say less than half of their workforce will still be remote come Sept. 1. 
Image courtesy of CNBC. Little Caesar’s explains swastika on pizza as an insensitive joke. The corporate office reached out to customers and apologized for the pizza, which had been decorated with a swastika in pepperoni. The employees responsible were fired, and the company made a statement against hate. ABC reported: Jill Proctor, a spokesperson for Little Caesars, sent a statement to WEWS, confirming the employees responsible were fired."We have zero tolerance for racism and discrimination in any form, and these franchise store employees were immediately terminated. We're deeply disappointed that this happened, as this conduct is completely against our values," Proctor told WEWS. "We have also reached out to the customer to discuss this personally with him." American Airlines announces return to full capacity July 1. The move comes as positive cases of COVID-19 have surged around the country, but airline executives say running planes half empty isn’t viable. The Verge reported: American says it has other measures to help prevent the spread of the virus. It will notify customers if they’re booked onto crowded flights and will give them the option of moving their reservation at no extra cost, and at check-in will ask customers to certify that they’ve been free of COVID-19 symptoms for the previous 14 days. Customers will also be allowed to move seats once boarded, subject to limitations. A California taco chain closes stores over confrontations about mask use. Hugo’s Tacos took to Twitter to share they were going to close shop for a while in response to continued altercations with customers about mask use. The decision highlights the problems facing businesses as they try to reopen and enforce safety measures—and the racist undertones that can accompany them. The Sacramento Bee reported: Workers, who are mostly Latino, also have been called racial epithets by customers who have demanded refunds and thrown drinks through drive-up windows, the Los Angeles Times says. 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 [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. | 
