QUOTE OF THE DAY “To progress is always to begin again.”—Martin Luther COVID-19 UPDATE - At the time of reporting, The New York Times showed more than 1.16 million cases in the U.S. and 67,785 deaths from the virus nationally. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker reported 1,187,761 cases and 68,565 deaths in the United States. Global cases now exceed 3.5 million.
- Vice President Mike Pence apologized for not wearing a mask on a visit to Mayo Clinic.
- Ohio’s Gov. Mike DeWine says his order requiring customers to wear face masks in stores was “a bridge too far” as leaders try to find the right balance on protection and safety around reopening the economy.
- Health experts approve of reopening plans, such as the one espoused by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, but they argue it is too soon to safely restart the economy.
- Markets were down Monday on news of prominent investor Warren Buffett dumping his airline stock holdings.
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COVID-19 has made “purpose” more important than ever. As brand managers try to find their role in this crisis, knowing your purpose has taken an even greater significance. Here’s how to think about this business concept in these tough times.
Help your workers stay sane while working from home. Your messages to employees shouldn’t be all about productivity and financial goals. Make sure you touch on self-care and mental health, among other recommendations. In a new poll, workers say WFH has improved productivity. For the 25% that say productivity has suffered, communication was cited as a main roadblock. Almost half (43%) say they are “communicating with their colleagues less than they did before.” See more insights here. Starbucks ends “catastrophe pay” but keeps benefits for some higher-risk employees. The coffee chain is working toward reopening 90% of stores by June 1, but the measures aren’t enough for some employees. Business Insider reported: While catastrophe pay ended for partners unwilling to work, it continues to be available to certain, qualifying Starbucks workers who are unable to return to stores, including those who test positive for COVID-19, "those partners whom the CDC has identified as at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, or partners who live with a health care worker who works with COVID-19 patients," according to a letter written by Rossann Williams, the company's North American president, outlining Starbucks' plan to ensure partners "safety and well-being." Become a data wizard to secure and defend your leadership role. During this crisis, communicators can be crucial strategic advisors, as long as they can decipher the numbers and use them to tell a compelling story. Here’s how you can bolster your skill set. Don’t ignore SEO during this crisis. Your content creation and linking efforts are crucial to drive online traffic that will be your lifeline in the months ahead. These tips can help you invest in search traffic. Make the welfare of employees a top priority in internal messages. A report from Hanover Research shows that many organizations are showing heightened concern for workers. Best practices suggest you should prioritize employees above profits during this crisis. 
Image courtesy of Hanover Research. Look to the future with this year’s earnings reports. Experts say there won’t be much good news to share about quarterly earnings, so communicators must focus on the future, leave extra time for Q&A with investors and admit it when you don’t have all the answers. See FleishmanHillard’s full list of tips here. When “hazard pay” pay disappears, employees react harshly. Money that was earmarked to encourage and reward workers who risked reporting for work during the current crisis has started to disappear—and workers are questioning the move as they say the workplace is still dangerous. Here’s how one wine store chain tried to spin the decision. Amazon gets strict on internal comms rules amid an employee safety PR ruckus. The company says it is insisting only on rules already in place, while some employees argue the move is intended to quash dissent. Vox reported: On Monday, Amazon’s IT department notified some employees who manage listservs of more than 500 people that they are required to have employee moderators pre-approve any posts on their mailing lists — a rule that the company says previously existed but several sources told Recode was rarely enforced until now. Employees who create or manage listservs can pick who they want to designate as the moderators, but those moderators have to be an “L6” manager-level employee or above, limiting the gatekeepers of the discussion. 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 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—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! | 
