We have all witnessed many ongoing discussions on how the COVID-19 pandemic, is likely to cast a dark shadow of recession on the economy, that will change work practices and the nature of jobs forever.
As the economy stand immobile due to the lockdown, we have seen or heard about job losses, disruption of supply chains, and losses incurred by travel and tourism industry. However, looking at the larger picture, if this crisis is managed well, there are chances that opportunities may revamp the economy, as well as reshape workspaces, and their norms.
We should use this opportunity to drive radical changes; this is the beginning of the blended model. We will see offline and online coming together. Skill development that began with this pandemic will emerge with opportunities and through this initiative; the changes required will meet expectations creating more job opportunities
With the work-from-home policy, employers with test the resilience of their employees, it will change the workspaces forever and bring the much-needed balance to work and personal life. This new work culture will bring tremendous opportunities for women too, as they cannot go to work because of the need to stay at home, but the ‘work-from-home’ policy will now also allow women who want to work to get back to it.
While there are several benefits of work-from-home, many are skeptical about its long-term advantages and suspect that it is a momentary trend which may not continue. Even if it provides continuity, we will have wait and watch to see if it can provide productivity in future.
Post-pandemic one thing that will become a yardstick for evaluating companies is their resilience. It’s important to understand in order to succeed, you have to survive. The current crisis will give rise to new trends, where employees will start evaluating employers for resilience as well as performance.