Case Study: Communicating During A Crisis

I’ve been open with my belief that communication is one of the true keys to success for businesses. If you missed the last blog, you can read it here; it’s all about communicating while you’re working remotely.

Over the past month, I've seen some fairly poor communication from service providers, and I’ve also seen some fantastic ones. I'm sure most people saw that coffee chains around Ireland and the UK were giving free hot drinks to frontline workers. But communications aren't just about external-facing issues to earn social kudos and respect in the wider community. Of course, we'll all pay it forward and support those businesses who supported others. We'll remember the bars and restaurants that donated supplies and kept their workers on as they were forced to close. We’ll remember the pioneers of dedicated shopping hours for the elderly and vulnerable, the businesses who have adjusted their models to online-only.

However, communications need to be closer to home; they're internal as much as they're external and when you're a service provider, it's very important to remember that. In these circumstances, it's more important to 'start at home', and keep your staff, clients and service users in the loop. There’s nothing worse during times of uncertainty than being uncertain as to where you stand. Many freelancers and sole traders have been listening to radio silence from their clients, but if you're not sure what's going to happen next week: say it. 

This blog is a case study of two service providers, both co-working spaces in city-centre locations. One in Ireland, one in the UK. Both operating as spaces for small businesses to operate from, both of which refer to their clients as 'Members' and two companies which took very different approaches to communicating in a crisis. 

The UK and Ireland took a different approach to the current Covid-19 pandemic, with the UK coming under fire for procrastinating a bit about the lockdown. This, of course, has been taken into account but as individuals, we all knew what was going to happen, and how we would need to respond: proactively, not reactively.

Aligning your actions with your ethos

On March 2nd, a coworking space in Dublin sent an email to its coworking members to say that they didn't want to cause any alarm but they had installed touch-free hand sanitising stations at both entrances. On March 6th, a coworking space in Edinburgh emailed members to remind them to wash their hands, and if they were sick - to STAY AT HOME and yes, they used all caps. 

On March 12th, Leo Varadkar closed all the schools in Ireland and banned events of more than 100 people. The Dublin coworking space then sent another email to tell members that they had cancelled their upcoming events and were disinfecting high touch areas. They encouraged people to stay home if they were feeling unwell and to let them know if they had been unwell and in the space recently.

On March 17th, the Edinburgh coworking space sent an email to members saying they had reduced their opening hours and that 'given the size of the space and the reduction of member attendance, we believe we can safely keep our doors open'. They also added that they were maintaining their 30-day notice period for membership cancellations. Meanwhile, the Dublin space emailed members on March 17th (on a bank holiday in Ireland) to say that members could suspend their membership for April and May if they wanted to, that they weren't sending staff in, and that they were available for chats over email or Slack. 

On March 23rd members of the Edinburgh space were sent a succession of emails asking them to foster plants, that they were closing their doors at 6pm and that members needed to collect their equipment because 'as a friendly reminder, our insurance does not cover members' items'. There was no mention of memberships, costs, or anything else. Just that they were moving their support network online. Two days’ later members were then told that they could rest assured that they were waiving their usual notice period. 

I understand that situations were different, that coworking spaces operate in a grey and murky area, that in the UK in particular, the government were incredibly vague about their guidelines. However, the people who use coworking spaces are, generally, small businesses who have also taken a hit during this pandemic. By failing to act on their own accord, the coworking space in Edinburgh failed its members, many of whom were feeling the effects of the pandemic by seeing projects shelved, or cancelled. 

The coworking space in Edinburgh talks about community, encouraging members to bond over tea, events and similar. However, when creatives were struggling, they put the needs of their business over the needs of the smaller businesses who use their services. 

The Tara Building has always prided itself on its commitment to fostering community and inclusion in its space, and to act as a support system for creatives and creative businesses in Dublin. They have shown that they're committed to their ethos. They have aligned their actions with their ethos. 

Since the above happened, the coworking space in Edinburgh has acknowledged that there were ways, in hindsight, that they could have made their members feel more at ease. I haven't named them, because these were unprecedented times. I have, however, named The Tara Building, because: 

Our ethos is built around supporting our members and putting them first, as the business is only as strong as the community we uphold

This is what drives loyalty. Now, more than ever is time to put your money where your mouth is: tell people what you do, what you can do for them now, and what support you offer.

If you’d like to have a chat with no strings attached, get in touch and see what we can do together.