Ragan's Crisis Communications Daily

STAT OF THE DAY

Employee trust has taken a tumble, according to research from Udemy, with 63% of workers saying they believe their employer is using the pandemic as an excuse to trim their organization. Sixty-one percent say the pandemic is being used as a cover to transition to a more automated workforce.

COVID-19 UPDATE

Video tools are crucial for telling your brand story during COVID-19. Here are some takeaways from the NBA bubble and how one player is documenting his experience in a unique environment and creating compelling content.

Managers of remote workers lack confidence. According to a survey of 215 managers, 40% said they lack the ability to successfully manage remote employees. A similar proportion of managers have doubts about remote employee performance.

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.

Help employees limit screen time. With many workers facing burnout while working from home, limiting time in front of the computer or video screen can help, according to a report.

How are you featuring your products in videos? Without in-person shopping experiences, brands must be proactive to convince consumers of their value proposition. Here are some tips from a video expert.

Make the most of your virtual interview. Looking for a new job? Here’s how to bring your personality and talent to that crucial job interview, which is likely happening over video chat.

Zillow to allow 90% of its workforce to permanently WFH. CEO Dan Spaulding explained the change in a message to employees:

This is a drastic change from where we started the year. We have historically discouraged employees from working from home, preferring face time and in-office collaboration versus virtual exchanges. Our old preferences have been debunked during the pandemic.

Comms should compete to be a top advisor to the CEO. Wondering why your CMO has more pull than your PR leaders? One PR pro breaks down what communicators must do to earn more influence in important conversations.

McDonald’s partners with Mayo Clinic on safety protocols. The move is an attempt to bring credibility to McDonald’s efforts to keep consumers and employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic as case numbers rise around the U.S. Can the move address reputational damage the chain faces from lawsuits against some franchisees?

CNBC wrote:

McDonald’s and some of its franchisees face lawsuits from employees related to its response to the pandemic. A Chicago judge, for example, found that McDonald’s had taken steps to mitigate the risk of contracting the virus, but some locations weren’t enforcing mask policies and training on social distancing fell short.

Permanent remote work must offer “team level norms.” If only one team member is remote, an inequality can threaten the entire operation and employee morale.

CNN explains:

The worst situation would be to have most employees in the office, and only one or a few remote workers, said Peter Cappelli, management professor at the Wharton Business School. "When you are out of the office, people forget who you are and other people get access to information faster than you," he said. "If you would be remote when no one else is, I wouldn't want that job at all."

Dunkin to permanently close 800 stores. The coffee chain says the closings only represent 2% of its U.S. sales in 2019 and are necessary in the face of losses from COVID-19.

Tech CEOs from Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google testify to Congress. The companies were grilled on issues from anti-trust to questions of censorship on their platforms. These interviews were seen as a departure from past testimony where lawmakers struggled to grasp the principles of the modern internet economy.

Business Insider wrote:

The CEOs were media trained. They knew to try to give long answers to run out the clock. They knew how to evade. And they knew how to give non-answers. Bezos, at one point, uttered the words "I do not understand" and I could not help but find the irony in that. Antitrust is complex. The way these companies build moats around themselves is so brilliant, and sometimes ruthless, that it's hard to believe Bezos could get lost following anything. But in this hearing all four CEOs looked lost.

Special Report

Get a free copy of Ragan’s Crisis Leadership Board’s “Organizational Responses to Black Lives Matter,” a concise and meaningful review of how 10 brands responded to the Black Lives Matter movement—from best to worst—and the lessons taken from each response.

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.

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