QUOTE OF THE DAY "Real strength has to do with helping others." – Fred Rogers COVID-19 UPDATE - At the time of reporting, The New York Times showed 834,340 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and 42,501 deaths. Bing’s COVID-19 tracker reported 855,869 cases (729,278 active cases) and 48,061 deaths. Global cases are reported at over 2.6 million.
- President Trump and his allies have criticized Georgia’s Gov. Brian Kemp over plans to reopen some businesses tomorrow. Trump had applauded states for taking measures to start bringing back businesses. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says state governments should be able to declare bankruptcy instead of being propped up by more federal aid.
- Five-week unemployment numbers now total more than 26 million. The calculated unemployment rate, which will be released in two weeks, is estimated to hit around 23%. The previous high for the U.S. during the Great Depression was 24.9%.
 |
Levi Strauss & Co.’s recommendation for change communication. Levi’s largest store is in Wuhan, China, so it has been dealing with COVID-19 fallout since the outbreak began. Learn the five imperatives of change communication from Levi’s head global head of employee communication.
When you can’t rely on digital channels, focus on visuals. Johns Manville needed to reach factory floor workers—and digital channels weren’t a good option. Here’s how the manufacturing company used visuals to deliver key messages during this crisis. COVID-19 specific responses are crucial to build trust. Here’s how Porter Novelli’s COVID-19 Tracker Report breaks down the way crisis-specific messages from brands can impact sentiment and move consumers to action. 
Image courtesy of Porter Novelli. Employers play crucial role in COVID-19 communications ecosystem. As public trust falls to new lows, business leaders have new responsibilities to educate and protect their stakeholders—including employees. Here’s what Edelman reports as the top concerns for executive comms during this crisis. Remote work means getting creative to impress management. There are a few small steps you can take to show your value and work ethic during the current lockdown. Here’s a list of nine steps, including meeting your deadlines and making the effort for videoconferencing. Make sure employees are getting clear safety guidelines. Businesses should consider going above the minimum standards required by the government as many don’t place trust in public institutions. Failing to deliver on employee safety might lead to “sick outs”—or stories about anxious, overworked employees. How can comms pros make the most of remote collaboration? One agency exec suggests leaving your vintage T-shirt in the closet and cutting vapid small talk to improve connection during this lock down. Here are all of his tips. CNN tells employees they won’t return to offices until September. In a memo, CEO Jeff Zucker said with only a few exceptions, employees should prepare to work from home until the autumn. The move is in contrast to other organizations who have signaled a return to offices in early May. The Daily Beast reported: In an internal email obtained by The Daily Beast, network chief Jeff Zucker told staff that the vast majority of company staff will “not be returning to the office in any significant way” before the end of summer. “Our expectation is that the rest of you will not return before early September, with a few exceptions in July for newsgathering and some in August, depending on the political conventions,” Zucker said, noting that some dates could be subject to change. “But, to be clear, production of our programs will continue from home, as is it is now, until the end of summer.” MGM CEO outlines future in video message to employees. The acting chief began to address changes that will be coming to the business when it does reopen, from the tenets that make good customer service to the layout and flow on the casino floor. Video messages from your executive continue to be a powerful tool during this crisis. Communicate a clear end of the workday for all team members—and offer flexibility. A report from Bloomberg says that WFH during COVID-19 means the workday has grown by an average of three hours. Be clear about expectations for when work should stop and protect your highest achievers from themselves. Virtual Conference Alert Join us for PR Daily’s Media Relations and Measurement Virtual Conference May 14–15. Learn from experts who are transforming their pitches and media relations efforts as well as their measurement strategies to meet the challenges presented by the current public health crisis. 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, we 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! | 
