QUOTE OF THE DAY “Surround yourself with a trusted and loyal team. It makes all the difference.” –Alison Pincus --as featured in Bits & Pieces on Leadership COVID-19 UPDATE - At the time of reporting, The New York Times showed 4.050,126 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and 144,283 deaths. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker reported 4,117,913 cases in the U.S. and 146,596 fatalities.
- Hospital capacity is stretched to the breaking point in Florida, one of the states at the forefront of the recent surge in cases of COVID-19 in the U.S.
- Markets have taken a hit, but not on COVID-19 concerns. Instead, the cooling relationship with China, including the forced closure of its Houston embassy, is scaring investors.
Make sure you care for the financial well-being of your employees. Here’s the case on why your workers’ financial health should be a primary concern for your organization—and what actions you can take as a communicator.
Chatbots can be a helpful tool for COVID-19 communications. Here’s how Mars Petcare turned to Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to connect with consumers online. Agency leaders to embrace remote work and shared workspace. Here’s how some of the industry’s leaders are planning to change the status quo after the COVID-19 pandemic. Head of Hearst Magazines resigns after accusations of sexual misconduct. Hearst’s president and CEO sent a terse message to employees announcing the magazine group leader’s departure. The Cut reported: “Dear Colleagues,” an internal memo from Steven R. Swartz, Hearst’s president and chief executive officer, read. “Troy Young and I have agreed that it is in the best interests of all of us that he resign his position as president of Hearst Magazines, effective immediately.” Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey apologizes for Bitcoin hack nightmare. The social media company leader is still trying to address the security lapse that causedseveral high profile accounts to be compromised. Forbes reported: “I also want to address the security issue Twitter suffered last week,” Dorsey said in a statement. “We moved quickly to address what happened, and have taken additional steps to improve resiliency against targeted social engineering attempts, implemented numerous safeguards to improve the security of our internal systems, and are working with law enforcement. We understand our responsibilities and are committed to earning the trust of all of our stakeholders.” How can employers help their workers with increased child-care responsibilities? Here’s how some California companies are trying to address the problem. Hawaiian Airlines addresses death of flight attendant from COVID-19. The airline is expressing sorrow over the loss of Jeff Kurtzman, who had been with the airline since 1986. Kurtzman, along with 13 other attendants, tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a training in Hawaii in June. USA Today reported: "We are supporting our team members in their recovery, and other employees involved in the training have been self-monitoring their health, in accordance with CDC and state Department of Health guidance provided to us," Alex Da Silva, a Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson, previously told USA TODAY. "We have also reinforced our office protocols to keep our employees safe and have temporarily canceled our flight attendant training in order to deep clean our facilities." Make sure you prioritize two-way communication. Here’s how one agency leader is focused on making her way through the current crisis, and how she sees the future of the industry. How can you improve your business acumen? Here’s what you can read and study to help improve your knowledge of essential business terms and strategies to earn yourself bigger responsibilities—and budgets. Smithfield Foods strikes defensive tone on COVID-19 response. In a message to Democratic senators, the meat packaging group shot back over claims that it hasn’t done enough to stop the spread of the disease. The New York Times wrote: “Think this has been easy?” Kenneth Sullivan, Smithfield’s chief executive, wrote in a letter to two leading Democrats in the Senate, Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, who have asked the company for information about their response to coronavirus outbreaks in many of its plants. “It has not. I would gladly let you live in my shoes.” Virtual Conference Alert 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. 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 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. | 
