COVID Update

US: Over 7.4M Cases - 211K Dead - 4.6M Recovered
Worldwide: Over 34M Cases - 1M Dead - 25.2M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 190   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 115
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Retailers Called Out On COVID Gag Orders
Walmart's 'United for Respect' Activist Group
Workers say major retailers suppress news of workplace COVID-19 cases
Workplace gag rules, which cropped up as retailers began reopening this summer, prohibit or discourage workers from speaking with one another about positive COVID-19 diagnoses. Employers often cite healthcare-privacy laws in their rationale, giving employees little recourse. This murky legal and safety landscape has created a complicated workplace environment for retail employees working during the pandemic.

Retail workers feel more unsafe than ever during the pandemic and can't rely on OSHA for protection

Complaints like an REI's former employee are widespread in the retail workplace during COVID-19. Employees at McDonald's, Target, and Amazon have reported that their companies told them to stay mum regarding positive COVID-19 cases, according to Bloomberg.

Walmart employees worked with the labor activist group United for Respect to create their own COVID-19 tracker and found that 22 workers have died from COVID-19 so far. Despite those numbers, workers at some stores have alleged that they have been "coached" by management to never discuss positive cases, a representative for the group said.

At a Georgia CVS, after a pharmacy employee contracted COVID-19, the CVS district leader instructed employees not to tell patients that their medications had been filled by someone who tested positive for the virus, according to a leaked email shared with Business Insider. Read full article.

Trio of Security Integrators Discuss Operating During the Pandemic
For security firms, the pandemic further accentuates the industry's ultimate mission to help protect people and property. Across the nation, the industry's resolve has been highly evident. This despite office shutdowns, customer base challenges, and cancellation or virtualization of every security trade show and event since March.

In this Security Speaking podcast episode from SSI, three security integrator leaders dish on staffing, customer service, new technologies and managed services during COVID-19.

Taking part were Mike Meridith, president of Security Equipment Inc. in Omaha, Neb.; Abe Schwab, vice president of Care Security Systems in New York; and Kekin Shah, president of Shanix Technology in Cranston, R.I. securitysales.com

NYC to fine people who refuse to wear masks
as COVID-19 positive rate tops 3% for first time in months
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that anyone who is not wearing a face mask will be offered one, and that anyone who refuses to comply will be fined - as the positive coronavirus test rate in the city spiked above 3% for the first time in months.

"Our goal of course is to give everyone a free face mask and get them to wear one," he said. "We don't want to fine people. If we have to, we will. And that will be starting on a large scale today."

De Blasio said the positive test rate is 3.25%, but the seven-day rolling average is 1.38%. The city has said public schools will close if the seven-day average climbs above 3%, and indoor dining will be reassessed above 2%. cbsnews.com

What the CFO's are reading
What's the Right Way to Return to the Workplace?

India: Nearly 77,000 security personnel tested positive, 401 dead from COVID-19

NRF Files Public Records Request in Response to California Mall Closures
The National Retail Federation filed a request under the California Public Records Act to release information related to restrictions placed on shopping malls and other retailers in order to bring transparency to California's decision-making process in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"California's retailers are making the safety and well-being of employees and customers priority number one and they deserve transparency in the reopening process," said NRF Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel Stephanie Martz. nrf.com

NRF Podcast: COVID-19 retail trends that are here to stay
Seizing the moment with AI, user-generated content and contactless payments

This week on the Retail Gets Real podcast, NRF Managing Editor Kris Stewart is joined by Susan Reda, vice president of education strategy, and Jill Dvorak, vice president of content and retail strategy, to discuss noteworthy trends influencing retailers, employees and the consumer journey since the onset of the coronavirus and how retailers are adapting for the future. nrf.com

"The worst year in recent history for retail"
U.S. Retail Store Closures Hit Record in First Half
29 retailers have filed for chapter 11, mostly those selling apparel, footwear and home furnishings

This year's collapse in American retail could overtake that of 2010, when 48 retailers filed for bankruptcy in the wake of the 2007-09 recession, according to the report by professional-services firm BDO USA LLP. Including filings through mid-August, BDO said 29 retailers have sought bankruptcy protection in 2020, surpassing the 22 such filings recorded last year. wsj.com

UK Store Closures Hit Harder then U.S.
UK Retail: 13,867 Stores Close YTD 2020 - Up 25% Over 2019
Non-food retailers have lost £9 billion ($11.6B U.S.) in sales so far this year, which could lead to one in 10 stores never being used to sell goods again.

The Centre For Retail Research said that, although some of the lost retail sales over the lockdown period were now being regained, 13,867 shops had pulled their shutters for the final time so far this year - up 24.8 per cent on the same period last year.

In the retail sector alone, it is thought at least 125,000 jobs have been lost so far this year. retailgazette.co.uk

Holiday Job Postings Down 21% Below 2018
Holiday hiring ain't what it used to be
Overall hiring is down from past years, a greater percentage of the jobs are being filled to handle the expected increase in online orders and many positions being listed now are, in fact, permanent. All three of these developments reflect the damage and demands placed on retailers in the year of the novel coronavirus, according to research from Indeed.com. As of Sept. 22nd postings were down 11 percent from last year and 21 percent below 2018.

A greater percentage of the jobs currently being filled are permanent positions, reflecting the belief of retailers that online sales will continue to remain strong well after the Christmas season is in the books. Only 37 percent of jobs being advertised are temporary compared to 54 percent at this time last year. retailwire.com

33 Retailers vs. 350 Retailers - American Nightmare?
It Took 17 Years, But American Dream Mall Is Finally Opening Some Retail Stores
First group of retail stores tomorrow - Even with Owner Triple Five Missing Mortgage Payments

With only a tiny fraction of the space built to house more than 300 retail stores will be occupied. The delay-plagued project is still being mysterious about releasing the full list of tenants that will be operational when the mall reopens Thursday after a six-and-a-half month shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The mall's Instagram account as of Tuesday night listed 33 retail stores that will debut Thursday. A far cry from the 350 stores Triple Five previously announced would be ready for shoppers this past March,

Those ghosts of American Dream's retail past include Toys 'R' Us and FAO Schwarz, Barney's, Lord & Taylor, Century 21, and Microsoft. forbes.com

Disney to lay off 28,000 workers at domestic theme parks and other units
The segment, which employs 177,000 people, also includes Disney businesses such as its retail stores and four cruise ships. The layoffs affect about 13% of Disney's 223,000-person global workforce. An estimated 31,000 people work at Disneyland Resort. Walt Disney World employs well more than 70,000 in Florida, making it one of the state's biggest job sources.

Walt Disney World has been operating with strict capacity limits and social distancing requirements, while California has not yet allowed theme parks including Disneyland to resume business, to the frustration of executives. latimes.com

PJ's & Gym Clothes Decrease Productivity
The Old Adage Dress For Success Still Rings True

Dress-Code Policies Reconsidered in the Pandemic
Nearly half of people working from home said they don't adhere to a defined dress code for remote working, according to a recent survey of 1,000 remote workers by CouponFollow. But business-professional, business-casual and smart-casual dressers all reported higher levels of productivity than those who dressed in gym clothes and pajamas, the survey found.

Approximately 80 percent of the more formal dressers said they felt productive throughout the day, compared to just 70 percent of those in gym clothes and 50 percent of those in pajamas.

"Before COVID-19, a work-from-home dress-code policy would have seemed like a strange concept," said Megan Toth, an attorney with Seyfarth in Chicago. "But, with the recent increase of remote workers and videoconferences, this has become a real issue for some employers." shrm.org

McKinsey and Company on 'Women in the Workplace 2020'
This is the sixth year of the Women in the Workplace study-in a year unlike any other. This effort, conducted in partnership with LeanIn.Org, tracks the progress of women in corporate America. The data set this year reflects contributions from 317 companies that participated in the study and more than 40,000 people surveyed on their workplace experiences; more than 45 in-depth interviews were also conducted to dive deeper on the issues. These efforts were in the field from June to August of 2020, although the pipeline data represents employer-provided information from calendar year 2019.

Progress toward gender parity remains slow - The COVID-19 crisis could set women back half a decade - Companies are at risk of losing women in leadership mckinsey.com