Both in the media and in casual conversation, we often hear about the time "after corona" when things are back to normal. But that world no longer exists and here's why.
In the same way major events like September 11th or World War Two changed the world irreversibly, so too has the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While all of the ramifications are not fully visible yet, we are beginning to settle into a new normal or, in some cases, at least accept that certain changes are here for good.
For many established companies, especially outside the tech sector, it was a given that work was done from 9 to 5 in traditional offices, a relic from the era of industrialization that seemed written in stone until March. The rise of mobile devices over the past two decades meant work crept into our private lives although there was no added flexibility for most people to balance it out.
There was also a time during Corona. By this, I mean the days and weeks in which entire workforces transitioned to home office overnight, where shift models were introduced for classic desk jobs, where orders for laptops and especially headsets shot up, as did inquiries in service centers and IT help desks. Many companies faced not just major technical challenges, but also organizational ones including:
Even while lockdowns and other public measures are beginning to loosen, both private social interactions and businesses will certainly not be the same as before. Twitter has already announced its employees can continue working from home after the pandemic is over and many people never want to return to the office.
Over the past two months, employers have learned by force of circumstance that most employees can not only be trusted to work from home, but can continue to maintain their previous levels of productivity, if not higher ones. Zoom, Slack, Microsoft Teams and other collaboration tools aren't just for those with offices overseas or in other time zones, but for everyone. Even our children are now taking classes online despite e-learning and distance learning having been predicted to grow for some time, but never quite taking off.
It is clear that the digitalization of things like education and especially the workplace are not only possible, but an unavoidable new reality. There are simply no more excuses conservative executives and management can make. It's now the end of the road and the metaphorical can can't be kicked any further.
Despite the positives of today's technology enabling many people to keep their jobs and remain productive from anywhere, there are two challenges companies still face:
We like to count, analyze and measure productivity and output, forgetting that so many things are aided if not made possible via the relationships we have with others both inside and outside our company.
There's been plenty of creativity on the part of both companies and individuals for dealing with this shortfall in social ties. Here are some great examples for private and work life we've found.
Personal:
Work:
Working alone and together at the same time can be a challenge of both social ties and especially tools. This is one area where having the right tools really makes all the difference in contrast to just getting by with something that works well enough.
Here are a few must-have tools for both right now and the long-term future.
As the pandemic continues with the future full of uncertainty, Unymira will continue to offer it's range of knowledge management, customer service and IT products free for 90 days to help companies smoothly transition to digital workplaces. Be prepared now and in the future to deliver excellent service, whatever may happen.