Making employee wellness a top priority ; 3 questions to ask your audience; Barclay ’s opines for the office; and more

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge." –Toni Morrison

COVID-19 UPDATE

Employee wellness should be a top priority. Here are some ways you should think about helping your workers find mental and physical well-being during the ongoing crisis.

Girls Scouts’ content director shares how to identify cultural pain points. You need to learn more about what your consumers and stakeholders need—but are you asking the right questions? Here are three crucial interrogatives to explore.

PR Can Reach Higher in Search Results Than Your Clients’ SEO Efforts. That, according to a study that reviewed the average the Domain Authority of earned media websites verses brand-owned websites. More on how PR has the opportunity to win search engine visibility where SEO and SEM fail: The Ultimate PR Guide on Search Engine Strategy.

Do you have the same cache as the marketing department? Here’s how you can make sure you are included in top level conversations and stop reporting to the chief marketing officer.

Is all the Zoom time worth it? Here’s how one PR pro is trying to adapt to the current work environment and some of the tools that help her navigate a hectic schedule.

Barclays signals it wants to bring people back to offices. As some have mulled a permanent switch to WFH, others are pining for their corporate offices.

BBC wrote:

In his latest remarks, [Barclay’s chief Jes Staley] appeared to cast doubt on the idea of abandoning those hubs, saying: "We also have a responsibility to places like Canary Wharf, like Manchester, like Glasgow." He added: "We want our people back together, to make sure we ensure the evolution of our culture and our controls, and I think that will happen over time."

Trader Joe’s rebuffs claims that its packaging is “racist.” While the grocer is still planning to change branding like “Arabian Joe,” “Trader Ming” and “Trader José,” the company has updated its stance to push back on claims that the branding was racist.

USA Today wrote:

"We want to be clear: we disagree that any of these labels are racist," the company said a new statement shared with USA TODAY on Tuesday. "We do not make decisions based on petitions. ... If we feel there is need for change, we do not hesitate to take action."

Goldman adopts new performance review process. The bank’s new system is set to grade 10% of its workforce as “underperforming,” something that sets the stage for job cuts, according to a report.

Biden campaign asks staffers to remove TikTok. The war over TikTok’s potential security flaws continues, this time with staffers for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden being asked to delete the app. Amazon told employees to remove the app—only to switch course later.

CNN reported:

In the email, the DNC security team wrote, "We continue to advise campaign staff to refrain from using TikTok on personal devices. If you are using TikTok for campaign work, we recommend using a separate phone and account."

Starbucks tries to turn the page after $3.1 billion loss. The coffee chain has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, but top leaders wanted to look to a brighter future in comments about its latest earnings report.

CNBC reported:

“We still have a long ways to go to get back to full recovery, but we’re optimistic based on the strength of our brand and the strategy and initiatives that we have to drive sales and improve margins,” CFO Pat Grismer said.

Spirit Airlines prepares for heavy layoffs. The airline sent a memo from its CEO to workers to explain potential cuts after what it had hoped was a recovery in demand.

Reuters reported:

Spirit Airlines, the 7th largest U.S. carrier as of January, confirmed the memo was sent to employees on Tuesday but said it has no further comment. “It’s now clear that the demand increase we saw in June was an outlier, and the downward trend will continue,” CEO Ted Christie says in the memo.

Workplace lawsuits are increasing “exponentially.” The data is a reminder to follow best practices and keep workers safe during these unusual and turbulent times, the report says.

How will COVID-19 impact the future of work? Top predictions include concentrating workers into large companies, forcing automation and digital transformation and a move away from dense city centers.

Special Report

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Join us for Ragan’s Brand Storytelling During a Crisis Virtual Conference Aug. 4-5 to learn the latest tips on telling your brand story and protecting your reputation during these uncertain and tumultuous times.

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