QUOTE OF THE DAY “A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.” —Bruce Lee COVID-19 UPDATE At the time of reporting, The New York Times reported 1,559,313 confirmed cases in the U.S. and 93,408 deaths from COVID-19. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker showed 1,581,903 cases, with 301,341 recovered cases and 93,806 fatalities. The top five states with the greatest coronavirus-related increases in unemployment claims last week were as follows: Florida, Georgia, Washington, South Dakota and New Hampshire, WalletHub reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a guide to reopening originally deemed too prescriptive by the White House, a University of Minnesota center reports. The guidance follows a phased approach to reopening schools, childcare facilities, restaurants and mass transit. British healthcare workers are taking part in an international trial of two antimalarial drugs to see if they prevent COVID-19. One of them is the medication hydroxychloroquine, which President Donald Trump has said he is taking. How to show you care. These eight keys to compassionate communication during and after the COVID-19 pandemic will ensure your messages are guided by compassion, not fear. For starters, make sure your employees know what safety measures you’re taking. Balance PR and legal concerns in a crisis. There’s no need to be at loggerheads with your legal team. Now above all, collaboration is essential for navigating a crisis. Lowe’s chief: Support your employees. Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison shared lessons learned during the COVID-19 crisis. For starters, company actions carry more weight with employees than we’re-all-in-it-together messaging. Lowes staffers in at-risk categories can get four weeks leave if they test positive. Community relations are also key for the home improvement chain headquartered in Mooresville, N.C. New remote workers struggle. There’s a gap between seasoned remote workers and newbies when it comes to WFH, a survey by Pipefy reveals. Some 66% of respondents are working remotely for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 41% wish to return to the office. Pipefy’s conclusions contrast with those of a Buffer report that 97% of those surveyed would recommend remote work to others.
Image courtesy of Pipefy. Create healthier working habits. Audit, edit and augment your approach to work during these trying times, and see your productivity shoot up. How? Start by delegating, reducing multitasking and cutting back on the booze. Watch your language. On COVID-19, lose the language of war, a communications CEO argues. While words born from conflict seem to fly in headlines and internal memos, find better ways to frame the challenges we face together. Use video to show a human face internally during the pandemic. New Wana Brands CMO Joe Hodas prefers live talks, as he uses gestures to communicate. His team uses Slack and Zoom (but during those Zoom events, watch out for obnoxious hackers.) As the new guy, I felt like it's important for people to see me, to know my face. I use my hands a lot, and I gesture. I've been trying consciously to make sure that I use my camera regularly. Changes to future travel. Communicators—especially for far-flung organizations—will return to business travel sooner or later. As the COVID-19 lockdown begins to ease, CNN predicts a brave new world of air travel, with robots cleaning airport concourses, passengers transiting touch-free security checkpoints, and overhead bins activated by hand gestures and eye movements. Don’t fear heartfelt emotion in CEO comms. Glassdoor is laying off 30% of its staff, and CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong acknowledged the hurt. “It has been gut wrenching to watch COVID-19 unfold and witness its impact on our business, let alone our lives,” he wrote in a memo to employees. Leaders used to upbeat messaging may find it hard to express raw emotion, but employees want to know you care. Downsized? Looking for work? Here are job-hunting strategies for those in mid-career and out of work. Seek out companies hiring recruiting staff, and other hints for out-of-work comms and others. Virtual Conference Alert Join us for Ragan & PR Daily's Social Media & Digital Communications Virtual Conference 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 post-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 HannahL@ragan.com 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 TedK@ragan.com. Sign Up Subscribe to Ragan’s Crisis Daily newsletter today. | 