Looking Forward: The Post-Covid-19 Business World
The world has changed. Every once in a while, there an event of such impact globally that on a fundamental level the way in which we do business changes. The great recession and depressions were clearly events of this magnitude not only in scope and scale, but in the ways in which they changed the business landscape and consumer behavior long after the events themselves had been resolved. I still remember my grandmother’s distrust for banks was so deep seeded by the Great Depression that we were finding rolls of quarters and envelopes of cash hidden around her home for years after she passed.
Many are currently passing their time in self-isolation, or “social distancing” by binging Netflix, watching TV, playing video games, or whatever they tended to do to relax. While it is certainly a good idea to attempt to unwind in relax during a time in which the daily news cycle is constantly shedding doom and gloom, I’m afraid many will wake up to a work environment and world on the other side of their isolation that not only do they not recognize, but are unprepared for.
The businesses right now that have managed to weather this storm well are those who were able to alter their day-to-day with little notice. There is a need now not only for the ability to work from home in a technical standpoint, but for employees to have the skills in order to do so successfully. Additionally, the businesses and business units that are seeing the most success are those who were able to shake up their workflows and pivot towards products and services most at need during this quarantine economy.
Looking forward there are a new set of skills which may be more highly prized by employers than before the Covid-19 epidemic. The abilities to self manage and motivate while working mostly independently is going to become ever more important. Entrepreneurial thinking and the ability to think of a crisis not only as a potential threat, but also as an opportunity will likely become more prized within organizations. Meanwhile those who are able to lead others remotely will see their personal stock go up.
As such, during this time, even if you have been furloughed or find yourself without employment altogether, I’d suggest taking a pause from some of the pleasurable distractions and having a think about how this pandemic has changed the expectations and skills needed for office life. Perhaps, you have skills and strengths which are more relevant now than before that you need to better highlight on your CV and when networking in the future. Perhaps there are areas for development that you didn’t even realize you were lacking. Either way, the world and the changing needs for the workplace won’t stay on pause for much longer. Why not start today to get yourself prepared for the post-Covid-19 world?