Interface Asset Protection & Business Intelligence Solutions Boost Safety
and Operations at Panda Express

Interface helps Panda Express save over $100K per year in false alarm fees and thousands of dollars per month per store in reduced shrink at the POS

With more than 2,200 locations and 41,000 associates, Panda Express is America's largest family-owned and operated Asian dining concept. Challenged with losses at the point of sale (POS) and growing false alarm penalties, the company turned to Interface Security Systems, a leading managed services provider delivering managed network, interactive alarm monitoring, video surveillance and business intelligence solutions to help them dramatically decrease shrink and resolve security inadequacies. Read more in today's Vendor Spotlight column below.

Lyle Forcum, Executive Director of Asset Protection at Panda Restaurant Group, will be sharing insights on how to maximize ROI on security infrastructure in a webinar that will take place on Thursday, June 18, 2020 at 2PM EST/1PM CST/11AM PST. Register here!


LPF Announces Hanwha Techwin as Newest Bachelor Level Partner
The Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) announces Hanwha Techwin, a global supplier of IP and analog video surveillance solutions, as the newest Bachelor Level Partner. The Bachelor level partnership allows Hanwha to provide LPQ and LPC certification course scholarships, as well as LPF memberships, to loss prevention industry professionals.

With US headquarters in Teaneck, NJ, Hanwha Techwin offers video surveillance products including IP cameras, storage devices, and management software. Their end-to-end security solutions have achieved global success across many industry verticals including retail, education, banking, and hospitality. yourlpf.org
 

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Retail Under Scrutiny
C-Level Misconduct - Lack of Diversity & Inclusion

Some Adidas Staff Ask Board to Investigate HR Chief

Employees petition for further changes after raising concerns about workplace culture following George Floyd killing

Some employees at Adidas are calling on the company's supervisory board to investigate its chief human-resources officer and create an anonymous public platform to submit complaints about racism, after the sportswear giant promised to hire more people of color and invest in black communities.

A group of 83 employees asked the supervisory board to investigate whether Karen Parkin, the company's global head of human resources, has taken the right approach to address racial issues in the workplace, according to a letter dated June 15 that was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The letter also asked for a system to voice allegations of racism and for protection against retaliation for speaking up.

"We welcome the commitment of our people to stand against racism," Adidas said in a statement. "Our Black employees have led the response that we will continue to implement together and that we have committed to as a company. We are now concentrating our efforts on making progress and creating real change immediately."

"We strongly reject all statements made in the letter to the supervisory board," the company said. Adidas said it has a hotline and email address that employees can use to file complaints. The company said it has a zero-tolerance policy for abuse or retaliation, and that it recently hired a third-party investigator to monitor that policy.

At an all-employee meeting last year at the Boston headquarters of Reebok, which is owned by Adidas, Ms. Parkin said racism was "noise" that is only discussed in America, and that she didn't believe the brand had an issue with racism, the Journal has reported. wsj.com

Apple's Diversity Chief Leaves as Companies Vow to Tackle Racism
Apple Inc.'s head of diversity and inclusion Christie Smith is leaving the iPhone company, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple said the move was planned two months ago, though a person familiar with the matter said Smith's last day was Tuesday.

Last week, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said Apple is launching a $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, adding to the company's response to the police killing of George Floyd last month. Earlier this month, Cook wrote in a letter to employees and customers that society needs to do more to push equality, particularly for Black people.

Smith joined Apple in 2017 after 16 years at consultancy Deloitte. Unlike her predecessor, who reported directly to the CEO, Smith reported to Apple's Senior Vice President of Retail and People Deirdre O'Brien. The previous person in the role, Denise Young Smith, lasted only six months and left after apologizing for controversial comments she made about the mostly white makeup of Apple's executive team. bloomberg.com

UK retailer John Lewis under fire for lack of diversity in top ranks
The lack of diversity in the management ranks at the high-street favourite John Lewis has been criticised after it emerged that just six of the retail group's top 158 UK managers are people of colour. Of the permanent senior UK managers at the company - which is owned by its staff and runs 50 department stores and the Waitrose supermarket chain - three directors are from an ethnic minority. theguardian.com

Retailers Address Racial Inequality As Consumers Demand Action

Kohl's Creates Task Force for Diversity & Inclusion + 4 Other Commitments to Fight Racial Injustice

McDonald's CEO says the chain has 'probably' created more Black millionaires than any other corporation

Combating Bias at Work: Free LinkedIn Learning resources on diversity and inclusion topics


1st Cyberstalking Case Ever on a Global Security Team
eBay Federal Charges Follow Up:
EBay's Former PR Chief Is 'Executive 2' in Cyberstalking Indictment
EBay Inc.'s former communications chief is "Executive 2" in a federal indictment accusing company employees of cyberstalking a Massachusetts couple, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Steven Wymer, who has not been charged with a crime, was EBay's public-relations chief for about nine months in 2019, when six EBay employees allegedly harassed the proprietors of an e-commerce newsletter that wrote articles about the company. Bloomberg reported Monday that "Executive 1" is former chief executive officer Devin Wenig, who is also referred to in the indictment but not charged with anything.

Wymer allegedly sent a text to Wenig in April of last year saying, "We are going to crush this lady" after the newsletter published a story about Wenig's compensation, according to the indictment. bloomberg.com

Editor's Note: This has to be the biggest cyberstalking case ever indicted on corporate executives and 1st one ever on a global security team.

Read more about this case in the D&D Daily's Special Report


Conspiracy Costs Consumers $600 Million
Former Bumble Bee CEO Gets 40M's Fed. Prison - Fixing Prices Of Canned Tuna
Christopher Lischewski, former Chief Executive Officer and President of Bumble Bee Foods LLC, was sentenced to serve 40 months in jail and pay a $100,000 criminal fine for his leadership role in a three-year antitrust conspiracy to fix prices of canned tuna.

Lischewski was charged on May 16, 2018. After a four-week trial in late 2019, he was convicted on the single count of participating in a conspiracy to fix prices of canned tuna. In imposing Lischewski's 40-month prison sentence, the Court found that Lischewski was a leader or organizer of the conspiracy and that it affected over $600 million dollars of canned tuna sales.

Bumble Bee pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay a $25 million criminal fine. In September, StarKist Co. was sentenced to pay a statutory maximum $100 million criminal fine. In addition to Bumble Bee and StarKist, four executives, including Lischewski, were charged in the investigation. The other three executives pleaded guilty and testified in Lischewski's trial.

"The sentence imposed today will serve as a significant deterrent in the C-suite and the boardroom."

Editor's Note: The Daily has been following this case for three years and it's the first time we've seen a CEO get prison. justice.gov

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Riot Fallout Continues
Charges in Guard's Murder - More Arrests

Follow Up to Yesterday's DOJ Murder Charges Filed Post:
2nd Night of Nationwide Protests, HS Federal Officer Killed in Oakland

Alleged 'Boogaloo' extremist charged in killing of federal officer

"They Came to Oakland to Kill Cops" FBI SAC San Francisco

Air Force sergeant who was arrested in the fatal ambush of a Santa Cruz County deputy was charged Tuesday in connection with the killing of a federal security officer during George Floyd protests in Oakland last month. Staff Sgt. Steven Carrillo, 32, was charged with murder and attempted murder in the killing of federal officer Dave Patrick Underwood, 53.

Underwood was one of two officers who were shot May 29 while guarding the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building. The other officer was critically wounded in the drive-by attack. Both were members of Homeland Security's Federal Protective Service.

Authorities said Carrillo and a second man traveled to Oakland with the intent to kill police and believed the large demonstrations spurred by the death of Floyd in Minneapolis - which they were not a part of - would help them get away it. nbcnews.com

Brainerd Man Charged In Minneapolis Police Third Precinct Arson

Philadelphia, PA: Man Charged for Sending Racist, Threatening Emails to Police Commissioner

Philadelphia, PA: Woman Charged for Arson of Two Police Cars During Protests

Lincoln, NE: Man arrested for starting fire in gas station during riot

Albany, NY: Man arrested for setting tractor trailer on fire during May riot

Put-in-Bay, OH: Officer involved in riot arrest placed on leave
 

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Coronavirus Tracker: June 17

US: Over 2.2M Cases - 119K Dead - 903K Recovered
Worldwide: Over 8.3M Cases - 447K Dead - 4.3M Recovered

Fallen Officers From the COVID-19 Pandemic: 47 | NYPD Deaths: 45
Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 150


 

Webcam Interviewing
Rise to the Challenge of Remote Investigations
Investigating workplace issues is rarely easy and doing so remotely can be even harder. Some employers insist on in-person investigatory interviews, even as telecommuting has increased during the coronavirus pandemic. But many now rely on remote investigations, which bring unique challenges: stilted conversations, difficulty making credibility assessments from afar and at-home distractions.

"It is harder to establish rapport with anyone when you are not meeting face to face," said Janene Marasciullo, an attorney with Epstein Becker Green in New York City. "Likewise, it may be difficult to ensure confidentiality of any communications because you and the person you are interviewing are not together, and the person you are interviewing may not have sufficient privacy to speak candidly."

It's also harder to assess credibility without being able to see someone's body language, she added.

If interviewing in person isn't feasible, videoconferencing, rather than conducting the investigation by phone, can help with credibility assessments because it allows the investigator to see the interviewee's facial expressions. That will help the investigator know if an interviewee is uncomfortable with a particular subject. shrm.org

Going Beyond Zoom
The New Town Hall Meetings

Picnics with prepackaged sandwiches might take the place of packed conference rooms and buffet lunches

How can organizations meet state guidelines for social distancing, protect people's health and keep up interactions with the whole workforce?

Blended Format - "Some are talking about removing chairs to create six feet between each seat," he said. "Others don't have the space to spread out chairs and still [be able to] accommodate a group of 50 to 150." Companies without enough space are exploring a blended format. A portion of the staff will gather in a large meeting room, with others joining in virtually from their desk in another part of the building.

Increased Frequency - States have different guidelines for group gatherings, and travel restrictions into and out of each state differ, as well.

The frequency has gone from quarterly and has increased to monthly and she says Microsoft Teams is working better now than when the company tried video conferencing a few years ago. SMRT President Ellen Belknap is also encouraging staff to reach out to one another to connect, much like they would stop by a colleague's desk at the office.

What's on the Menu? - Adams predicts that companies won't be able to serve communal food for a long time. Buffets and self-serve dishes will be replaced with individually wrapped, grab-and-go items. Bottled beverages will substitute for pitchers and shared coffee pots.

Consider picnic-style town hall meetings. Scheduling staff gatherings at parks may be an option for fostering the communal aspect of meeting in-person while having ample space for social distancing.

Evolving as Times Change - Town hall meetings work because they invite conversation and engagement between leadership and staff. Knowing how to read an audience to encourage participation is vital, as is managing feedback. In-person staff meetings rely on nuances of physical face-to-face interactions that can be missed in virtual meetings. Participants may also be reluctant to contribute online.

"The awkward silence hits differently on video than in person. I preface calls with, 'I know it's awkward to meet via video, but please participate as much as possible'," Adams said. "Polling is one feature that has helped in having people give feedback in a controlled format so it doesn't turn into mass chaos when you have 55 people on a virtual meeting."

It may take a bit of creativity and a willingness to evolve through trial and error to find a format that works with the new normal for in-person or virtual all staff meetings.

"Pulse surveys are a great way to solicit feedback on what you're doing, to measure engagement and find out what is working or not working," Adams said. "If it doesn't work, try to tweak it until it does." shrm.org

That Random Number Calling You Might Be a Contact Tracer
Contact tracing, essential to fight against coronavirus, hits roadblocks
One of the most crucial parts of the fight against the spread of COVID-19 relies on significant cooperation from the public, and so far, the results are mixed.

Public health workers are trying to break the chains of COVID-19 transmission by reaching out to people who have tested positive for the disease and asking them to both self-isolate for two weeks and provide a list of people they had contact with 48 hours before becoming sick, who will, in turn, also get a call.

But in the age of robocalls and scams, so-called contact tracers are having a difficult time getting people to answer their phones or return missed calls.

Governors and public health officials in recent days have pleaded with the public to answer their phones if they get a call from the health department. "If it comes up on your phone, please answer," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said Friday during a news conference, after reminding everyone of the phone number to look for. "In many cases, people are simply missing the call, or I suspect they don't recognize the number and they just choose not to answer." thehill.com

49% of Consumers Waiting on Vaccine
KPMG survey: Consumer behavior shifts due to COVID-19 may be permanent
A recent KPMG survey of 1,000 consumers in the U.S. revealed that consumer behavior and purchasing patterns are rapidly changing, and is impacting consumer and retail companies. As consumer-facing businesses adapt to the "new reality," they face more challenges to innovate and reinvent their businesses to survive.

Survey found that:

- 49% of consumers said that they will not return to pre-COVID-19 levels of activity until there is a vaccine available.

- Millennials saw an average of 47% reduction in their income.

- Most consumers expect recovery within two years; however, there are significant numbers of consumers who believe the economy will not return to pre-COVID-19 levels.

- Survey respondents indicated that consumer activities that migrated to online shopping due to COVID-19 will remain online in the future.

"Retailers need to rapidly re-evaluate their customer base, uncover the signals of permanent change and transform their business to meet customers where they are, in the new reality," said Scott Rankin, Principal, Advisory, Strategy, KPMG LLP. "Strategies may include revised price, promotion and discount structures, as well as preparing leading digital platforms and applying advanced data and analytics to achieve greater efficacy." kpmg.com

CrewMinders Launches Platform Designed to Rapidly Communicate Health and Safety Messages to Frontline Workers

Apple to reopen 10 NYC stores, appointment-only

COVID-19 closes some reopened restaurants in Florida

Texas Governor Says 'No Reason Today To Be Alarmed' As Coronavirus Cases Set Record
 

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Walmart tests new all-self-checkout system in Arkansas store
Walmart hopes the new system will shorten lines and reduce checkout time

Customers can check out their own items, but they can also still have a store employee scan and bag their purchases at these kiosks, if they prefer.

"In our Fayetteville store, we're redesigning what that front-end checkout looks like, so it will look a little bit different to customers," Walmart spokesperson Kory Lundberg told TODAY Style. However, he added, "customers will continue to have all of the same options they've always had when it comes to checking out, whether they want to check out with an associate scanning their items and bagging their groceries, or if they want to use a self-checkout." today.com

Coronavirus Accelerates Target's $15/Hour Plan
Target raising minimum wage to $15 an hour, giving frontline workers $200 bonus
Target said Wednesday that it is raising its minimum wage for U.S. hourly workers to $15 beginning July 5. The increase is for all U.S. hourly full-time and part-time team members at stores, distribution centers and headquarters locations, the company said, noting it set a goal in September 2017 to raise the starting rate to $15 an hour by the end of 2020. In June 2019, it increased wages to $13 an hour.

The Minneapolis-based retailer also said it will give its frontline store and distribution center hourly workers a one-time recognition bonus of $200 "for their efforts throughout the coronavirus pandemic." usatoday.com

WSJ Video: The Economic Ripple Effect of Retail Sales
Analysts and economists are paying close attention to monthly retail sales numbers as a way to gauge how the economy may be recovering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. wsj.com

Some Hotel Rooms Aren't Coming Back
The country's biggest hotel market will likely see the permanent closure of thousands of rooms. While the reopening of New York City has seen occupancy rise from a low of near 20% in April to nearly 50% in June, a full recovery isn't expected for years. The hotel industry across the country is reeling from the pandemic and its consequent shutdowns. Some Atlanta hotels are seeing only 10% to 15% occupancy. Hilton Hotels announced this week that it was cutting over 2000 corporate employees - about 22% of its corporate workforce. linkedin.com

After merger, T-Mobile lays off hundreds of Sprint employees

Mall of America Misses Third $7M Mortgage Payment

New Jersey's American Dream Mall Had Retail Problems Before Coronavirus. Now, They're Worse.

7-Eleven cancels Free Slurpee Day on July 11th - 7/11 - because of coronavirus

Stein Mart warns "substainable doubt" about surviving pandemic disruption

Simon, Brookfield could team with Authentic Brands on bid to buy J.C. Penney
 

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Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Director, Business Continuity & Crisis Management for T-Mobile in Plano, TX
The New T-Mobile is a Fortune 40 leader and as a Director in Business Continuity, you will help protect our biggest assets - our people and our customers and help us to become a leader in the technology and telecommunications industry.

This leader will architect our strategies, coordinated with the enterprise, to prepare for natural disasters, manmade disasters, and any other events that affect the continuity of our business. This leader owns the full playbook from end to end on how we manage a crisis, and will be the point person to coordinate cross-functional support and enterprise decision-making. Additionally, this leader will lead our coordinated response efforts supporting local leaders who will have decision rights, consistent with our agreed-upon playbook, and applied as the situation on the ground requires to ensure 1.) employee safety, 2.) asset protection, 3.) coordination with governmental emergency management offices, 4.) customer assistance across all products, and 5.) overall business continuity. brassring.com
 

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Canada's Policing & Racism Debate  'Defund the Police' - Retail Under Scrutiny

Ecommerce During April & May Surpassed the Entire 2019 Holiday Season
Ecommerce shopping reached $153 billion during April and May, surpassing spend during the 2019 holiday season by 7%, according to Adobe. Consumers spent $70.2 billion online in April and $82.5 billion online in May during lockdowns, $52 billion more than forecasted last year.

The share of mobile transactions grew 10% in May from January, while buy online pick up in store (or BOPIS) grew 195% YoY. BOPIS activity is starting to level off after a sharp increase in March and April, but 23% of shoppers still say they prefer curbside pickup to home delivery.

People are also starting to get back to their regular shopping habits. Daily online grocery sales were down 14% in May, while electronic sales were up 11% and apparel rose 12%. adexchanger.com

Walmart directly competes with Amazon for third-party SMBs
Walmart is partnering with Shopify to open its Walmart Marketplace e-commerce marketplace to SMB sellers.

The discount giant is integrating Walmart Marketplace with Shopify, an e-commerce platform aimed at small-to-mid-sized businesses (SMBs) with over 1 million users. According to a corporate blog post announcing the partnership, Walmart will focus the Shopify collaboration on "U.S.-based small and medium businesses whose assortment complements ours and have a track record of exceeding customers' expectations."

Calling the expansion of Walmart Marketplace a "strategic priority," Walmart says it will start integrating new sellers now and expects to add 1,200 Shopify sellers this year. The retailer's e-commerce business grew 74% in the first quarter of 2020, boosted by COVID-19-related demand for remote shopping. chainstoreage.com

Amazon to turn former Macy's into tech space with 600 employees