FOCUS TOPIC
IRISH INNOVATION DURING CRISIS An interview with Martin Casey, Managing Director at Arekibo Communications
Alina Sidbrant Local Group St. Petersburg
How has COVID-19 crisis impacted the business
What was the most challenging part in this
at Arekibo?
transition?
COVID-19 has impacted businesses across the
People are the core of every business and at
world and Ireland is no different. As our teams
Arekibo is no different, if your team is doing
are based across the world, we were fortunate to
well, your business is probably doing well.
have had advanced notice of its pending impact
From a personal perspective, I felt much more
already by January, so we began planning and it all
responsibility for
felt like an experiment - it was going to be useful
COVID-19 has many similar effects to the other
to see how well we would cope and what could
two crises with additional layers of anxiety, that
happen if everyone had to work from home -,
are significant both from a personal and a family
however, I didn’t think it would happen as quickly
perspective.
our team’s well-being as
or as severely as it did. When the experiment became a reality, we were prepared.
Working from home was supposed to be temporary, but six months in, it seems to be
Thankfully, unlike many, we can work from
turning permanent, and it’s getting harder. At
home with all of our tools, systems, and data
first, we were focused on helping our team
available in a cloud, which significantly reduced
adjust but as every month brings new challenges,
our operational concerns and allowed us to focus
initiatives that worked during the first few months
on the team and our clients. With the novelty
are becoming stale or harder to sustain. We are
of working from home gone, the team adapted
therefore continuously looking for new ways
well to this new scenario, which allowed us to
to engage with the team and this is probably
focus on the well-being of the team and work
the most challenging part of the transition for
hard to ensure that we can help everyone, as
me. We have been talking about this as a team
we transition from working from home in the
and we have encouraged everyone to check in
summer to the winter. We have no plans to get
regularly outside of talking about work. The team
the team back to the office and have no dates in
has embraced this and we can all recognise that
mind. We will wait and see to ensure that nobody
everyone is tired and frustrated - the small things
is at risk.
count and I would recommend you to focus on those.
Our business has been impacted, but that was to
On the flip side, from a business perspective, we
be expected. This is the third time in my career
know what we need, and we are doing this very
that I have had to deal with significant economic
well. Much like ourselves, our clients - which have
changes: starting with the ‘Dot Com’ collapse in
been impacted in many different ways- also need
the early 2000’s, passing by the financial crash in
more attention to make sure they are also getting
2008 and now COVID-19; these were all significant
through this. As a business we need to be looking
global events, but you get through them and we
for ways to be more helpful and supportive;
will get through this one.
thankfully this is in our DNA and the team just knows what they need to do, which has been wonderful to see!
12 ESTIEM Magazine | 59th issue - Innovation in a Crisis: Adapting and Advancing
