STAT OF THE DAY In Edelman’s Spring Update for its 2020 Trust Barometer, 65% say CEOs should take the lead on COVID-19 response and not wait for government. Business executives trail other top-tier groups in demonstrating the leadership that the public expects. COVID-19 UPDATE At the time of reporting, The New York Times reported 1,264,025 cases in the U.S. and 75,746 deaths from COVID-19. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker reported 1,291,337 cases in the U.S. (1,039,975 active) and 76,653 deaths. A valet for President Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19, driving new safety precautions at the White House. The president refuses to wear a mask in public as other prominent government officials do. An aide to Vice President Mike Pence has tested positive, as well. S. unemployment has swelled to 14.7%, a post-war high for the world’s largest economy. Experts warn that the prospect of a “V-shaped recovery” or swift rebound is “absolutely zero.”
Build your remote culture with these helpful tools. Communicators share 15 tactics and ideas they are using to create community and camaraderie during the work-from-home quasi-lockdown. See the full lists here.
Make sure these essentials are in your crisis plan. Identify the format for your messages (video?), anticipate potential risks and scenarios, and establish clear guidelines for social media. Here’s a full list of basics you must include. Dunkin’ franchise owners create contest to spur creative messages to customers. When store owners in Massachusetts learned workers were writing positive messages on cups for drive-thru consumers, they decided to turn it into a contest. Here’s how the effort was received. Your audience is begging for shorter video meetings. With many suffering screen time overload during this crisis, being brief on your video call is crucial. Here’s a full list of important rules for more productive video chats. Workers turn to each other on social media amid pandemic fears. Think about how you can help your employees become resources and communicators as they rely on one another for important messages. Here’s how workers from Trader Joe’s and Walmart have created their own communications networks on Facebook and Reddit. To build trust, businesses must contribute resources to fight COVID-19. In Edelman’s Trust Barometer update, the No. 1 way for organizations to build trust right now is to show how they are working to contain COVID-19.
Image courtesy of Edelman. Beware faulty logic or convoluted arguments on hazard pay. In a message to concerned workers, Intel chip factory manager Jim Evers says that because the company works so hard as a general practice to remove hazards and risk, it scuttles the notion that workers need extra compensation during the pandemic. Bloomberg Law reported: “The way the question is worded just doesn’t align to the way we think,” he wrote. “We do incentives like OT if we need more hours or gift cards at the holidays if we need more people. We are not interested in doing hazard pay because we are wired to remove the hazard. All efforts over the last two weeks was to make this place a SAFE place to be.” Crisis videos can be effective—but finicky. Here’s how the experts say you should think about your crisis video message and how you can ensure a sober and heartfelt message comes through for your various stakeholders. For some teams, asynchronous communication is key. For employees feeling the overload of messages from teammates and leaders, offering flexibility on response times can make all the difference between effective messaging and overload or burnout. Here’s how to use this tactic in your organization. Facebook extends WFH options for workers until the end of 2020. The company plans to start to reopen offices July 6 and is still evaluating which employees will be required to return this year. Make sure your messages to employees regarding their return to work prioritize safety and include the very latest information from health experts. Virtual Conference Alert Join us for PR Daily’s Media Relations and Measurement Virtual Conference on 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. | 