Life after COVID-19
The current pandemic has brought the whole world to a standstill with nations going into lockdown to stall the virus’s relentless march. Still, there is no specific data on when situations will stabilize. What is certain is that the people are learning valuable lessons through this global crisis, and life after COVID is sure to change for the better. Aristotle, the celebrated philosopher, taught, “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” Thus, this is perhaps the right time to look ahead at expected improvements in the post-COVID world.
Workplace Post COVID-19
Post-Covid-19, there will be an influx of new talent in the market, we all should take this opportunity to invest in your workplace culture. The right workspace culture and setup can inspire and allow employees to make the most of their time in the office or home office. With the advent of the pandemic, we’ve seen a dramatic shift in the paradigms of industries and businesses that utilize skilled labor. We foresee a trend where organizations would limit their capital expenditures and focus more towards intellectual and skillset growth of their employees. The work from home culture would become a norm for such industries.
This paradigm also affects agricultural and manually intensive sectors, which have started to work towards creating safer and more hygienic workplaces, something that was easily passed off as of little importance earlier.
Mental Health Post COVID-19
The coronavirus crisis will continue to have many feeling lonely, helpless and looking for support, especially for those who have lost loved ones, may not have a job or a business to return to.
Additionally, for many people, the general uncertainty of what lies ahead has created a heightened level of anxiety and burnout. According to a recent survey published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly half of the people living in the United States feel the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health.
Solving these challenges will be critical to the company’s success since it will profoundly impact employee engagement, productivity and the ability to adapt to adversity. Remember, life after Covid-19 does not have to be scary. Take this time to turn challenges into opportunities and be the leader that will rise to the ‘occasion’.
Sustainable Growth Post COVID-19
Some of us can see a sliver of silver lining due to the pandemic and feel that while it caused confusion and mayhem of epic proportions, it was probably something we needed to open our eyes towards bigger future calamities. As a generation that faces threats of similar epidemics as well as Global Warming consequences, the pandemic allowed us to reassess and introspect our actions and their consequences on our wellbeing. Organizations would now move towards more sustainable development. Self-sufficient power and water are just the first steps. The goal would be independence from the outside world and to minimize the risks associated with a full shutdown in future. The work from home culture would also bring down the carbon footprint of most industries and organizations as they would no longer be investing in maintaining facades by reducing the size of their offices and thereby cutting down carbon emissions caused by PTACs or Central air-conditioning, power and water consumption, etc.
To summarize, the new world after COVID-19 would mainly be about the things that matter the most. There will be fewer objects, lesser wastage and responsible actions. More questions will be asked, even when doing a small purchase: is it made of natural materials? Does its production harm the planet?
So, wash your hands, stay at home, go out less and let’s create a new worthy life that the planet will no longer want to lose.
Regards
Ms Sanjana Bakshi Datta
Principal
DAV Public School, RK Puram Delhi
