Need to know
- From almost 700 nominations, we selected six businesses that went above and beyond during the height of the COVID-19 crisis
- Small, local businesses gave back to their communities, and people say they'll remember their kindness
- Some big organisations made a big difference
It's been a little over a month since we put out the call for nominations for our Shiny Awards. As we said at the time, "The Shinys will celebrate those businesses whose authentic acts of kindness have helped Australians through the current crisis. It's something we all need more of right now."
We weren't disappointed in the response, receiving nearly 700 nominations from across the country. In reviewing the entries, we gained insights into what Australians think about the businesses who stepped up their support during this time.
What you think about businesses during COVID-19
Australians love their supermarkets
Almost 100 nominations were for supermarkets, with Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, IGA and other smaller grocers being commended for their response to the current situation. The main praise was for prioritised opening for vulnerable members of the community, and many of you expressed gratitude for the caring behaviour of individual staff at many stores.
Local generosity
Time and again we read about two types of small businesses going above and beyond.
It seems many local chemists organised for delivery of medications to community members whose health concerns made them wary of venturing out. More than once, the nominator mentioned that the pharmacy also happily included other essential goods with their deliveries at no extra cost.
Similarly, butchers were also praised for helping with supplies of meat and other essential goods for people who were forced to isolate at home, and many were praised for offering to include other items in their deliveries, all for no extra charge.
Doing it hard, but still time for kindness
One sector that COVID-19 undoubtedly hit hard is the hospitality industry. But despite the hardship, businesses in this industry responded by going above and beyond to support their communities. From providing free meals to people in need, to fundraising for the elderly and vulnerable, to simply finding ways to entertain during lockdown, many hospitality businesses were praised for their efforts.
Big, but caring
Although small local businesses received the bulk of nominations, some larger businesses were also applauded. Their behaviour set them apart from others due to the thoughtfulness and generosity of their response to the crisis.
And the winners are...
In choosing the winners we were looking for action that showed genuine care and concern for the community. It was also important that we were able to see that the actions taken went beyond what similar businesses who received nominations were doing.
NRMA Group CEO Rohan Lund says that help is part of the organisation's culture. "Our people were actively looking for ways to step in and help where it was most needed. Thankfully, we were able to play to our strengths by mobilising our people, our vehicles and our parks to make a real difference to those that were most vulnerable and isolated."
The group provided NRMA-owned Thrifty cars to essential medical personnel, with more than 13,700 days of free car hire used since the offer launched.
Our people were actively looking for ways to step in and help where it was most needed
They also provided assistance through discounted accommodation at their parks and resorts for essential travelers, worked with Meals on Wheels to deliver meals to vulnerable Australians, and worked with the Pharmacy Guild to help deliver medicines and other goods.
Lund says the organisation's response to the COVID-19 crisis has reinforced the importance of community. "We've always known the value of community inside our business and with our staff, but it's reinforced the importance of lending a hand and connecting with each other on a human level."
When the COVID-19 crisis began, Greater Bank very quickly became aware of the effect it had on its customers. "There was a lot of concern out there," says CEO Scott Morgan.
"People were losing their jobs and there was a lot of anxiety coming through via our contact centres. We were trying to understand what might provide the most immediate support for our customers and saw an opportunity to look at our credit card product."
"We actively looked at where the pressure points would come from and looked for ways to provide more immediate relief and support." In doing so, Greater Bank led the pack with their credit card assistance, offering a six-month pause on credit card repayments and interest for people in hardship.
We were trying to understand what might provide the most immediate support for our customers
Morgan says the Greater Bank is an organisation that focuses on helping customers in a sustained way. "There are lots of gimmicks and short-term benefits offered to customers, but we're more about delivering long-term benefits for our customers."
He says the response has been very positive.
"Customers and the broader public have been very responsible during this. Many people continued to make repayments because they wanted to stay ahead but we have had a number of customers who've taken up that option to put payments on hold because of more immediate household needs."
When the hotel had to shut its doors due to COVID-19, Hotel Bruny's owner and manager, David Gunton, was quick to act, despite the sudden turn of events.
"It came pretty much out of nowhere. We got a notice to shut our doors at midday the next day, which was a bit of shock to the system. About two or three days in we realised we had a lot of food going to waste. We had a huge bag of leeks and a big bag of spuds, so we made a very large soup. It took two of us to lift it off the stove. Then we thought, let's give it out free to the community."
People came out of the woodwork with donations to keep the thing running
They put up signs offering free soup and sent out messages on social media encouraging people in need to help themselves. Later, they also started producing free feeds of fish and chips, which was also popular.
Gunton is quick to stress that it was a community effort. "People came out of the woodwork with donations to keep the thing running. One lady in particular gave us a generous donation but wanted to remain anonymous. It was really quite a nice thing."
Josh Leemhuis, co-owner of the George Harcourt Inn in the ACT, was another hard-hit hospitality business that responded to the crisis with support for some of the most vulnerable members of the community.
"We noticed that most people sitting in our outdoor beer garden were elderly people and we had a caravan to serve from, so we started selling big plates of lasagna and curries and things for $15. Before long people started to donate and we ended up making it free. Really, we were just trying to do the right thing."
Complementary food being a powerful lure, the George did have to discriminate in some cases. "We wanted to make sure the food was going to the right people," Leemhuis says.
Really, we were just trying to do the right thing
When the lockdown tightened in the ACT, however, the George Harcourt faced a dilemma.
"It got to the point where telling elderly people to come out of their homes for a free meal wasn't such a good idea. We kept it going for about five weeks, but in the end we'd be cooking meals for 200 people and 15 would show up."
That's when the community came to the rescue. The George Harcourt had sent emails to nearby nursing homes telling them about the program, and pretty soon local residents were picking up 20 meals or so at time and delivering them to nursing homes.
Leemhuis and his staff were more than glad to rise to the occasion, but he acknowledges that times are tough for everyone in the hospitality business.
"We're not in a good position right now."
Gem Gautam, owner of the Busy Bee Deli in Como, was quick to notice how the arrival of COVID-19 was affecting the customers who visited his minimart.
"I could hear how lockdown was affecting them and knew the community was suffering, both financially and psychologically. Many had lost their jobs and I felt sorry for those struggling to make ends meet."
That's what inspired him to come up with the idea for the Como Cares initiative to give away free meals, which he did in conjunction with the nearby Mother's Kitchen Curry House.
Many had lost their jobs and I felt sorry for those struggling to make ends meet
The public response was extremely heartening, with many being motivated by Gautam's actions to perform their own acts of kindness. "People told me it was a wonderful idea and that they wanted to show more solidarity to others. It was very moving," he says.
For Gautam, the experience has reinforced for him that most people are good and want to do good, they just need a reminder to show their heart and soul.
"The positive community feedback for 'Como Cares' has motivated me to do more. I came up with the idea of setting up a charity with the purpose of promoting social cohesion for all Australians."
Jessi Singh, owner of Melbourne restaurant Daughter in Law, responded immediately to the COVID-19 crisis, supporting frontline workers.
"We started giving away free food right from the beginning, when they shut down everything. A lot of my customers are doctors and nurses from Peter MacCallum hospital and other hospitals in the area that I see all the time, and when you're working 10 or 12 hour shifts at the hospital you don't have time to go to the supermarket," says Singh. "Plus everybody was panic buying and hoarding, and you couldn't find anything."
I emigrated from India and so many kind people helped me on my journey here
"People offered to pay but I said, no, I don't want your money. I've been very successful in my businesses and I am paying it back to the community. I emigrated from India and so many kind people helped me on my journey here. The hospitality business is tough, and you forget the importance of being a good citizen."
After catering to health workers, Singh branched out to offering free food to backpackers stuck in hostels who couldn't fly home.
"There were so many backpackers who couldn't get home, and a lot of those people work in my industry. There were so many kids stuck there. I'm a big believer in leaving no one behind. The good thing is I know how to cook a lot of food for not too much money."
Though people are less locked down now than they were in March, Daughter in Law's free food program is still running.
Kindness will be rewarded
One of the overarching themes that came through in the nominations was your determination to reward the businesses that stood by your communities.
People told us many times over about their newfound commitment to supporting those who supported them.
- "A life support system in our time of need. We will not forget."
- "They will get my business in future, but in the meantime I truly am grateful for their generosity."
- "I will always buy from them now."
What next for Australian businesses?
While it was heartening to see the widespread kindness being celebrated with Shinys nominations, unfortunately there's still plenty of work to do to keep businesses accountable.
Sadly, along with the large number of entries for our Shiny awards, we've also heard about businesses that have failed to support their community during this period. Price gouging and panic marketing are two activities that have caused unnecessary distress.
While some have risen to the challenge with compassion, others have chosen to exploit people at their most vulnerable
"We've seen the best and worst of businesses during this crisis," says CHOICE campaigns director Erin Turner. "While some have risen to the challenge with compassion, others have chosen to exploit people at their most vulnerable. CHOICE will be keeping up the pressure on business and government to do better by consumers in good times and bad."
That's why in 2020 we'll be once again running our Shonky awards to call out those businesses that deserve to be named and shamed for taking advantage of Australian consumers. Nominations will open soon, but in the meantime, if you've spotted some poor behaviour you can let us know by posting in our CHOICE Community.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
