We have been dealing with COVID for over a year now. It has forced many companies to handle their business remotely and has forced many people to live their lives very differently.
The question I have is once the pandemic is over what will the new normal look like?
A few facts/assumptions of where we are now:
- People have less money, they have had to use savings to help get them through the pandemic.
People have been isolated during the lockdowns that have happened over the past year.
Mental health concerns are up
Governments have run up debts in order to deal with the pandemic
People have learned how to work and interact online
What we have learned
- I think many people have learned what is and isn’t important to them. Having to do without for the past year, people now can see what they have missed and what wasn’t important to start with.
- I think we all realize how important family and friendships are
- I think many people have discovered nature and outdoor activities. In my city, I see probably ten times as many people hiking on the city trails as I did before the pandemic.
What I think will change
- I think a lot of work will continue to be done remotely. I don’t think it all will, I think it will be a hybrid of 60-75% remote and 25% – 40% in the office. I think this will increase productivity as well a the quality of life due to less time commuting.
- I think there will be a greater focus on social gatherings. There will be more extended family dinners, more getting-together in a restaurant. The focus will be the social experience more than the location or activity.
- I think, and I hope, that people have learned more social responsibility. More people will adopt habits that help both themselves and the community both local and global. I think this will lead to mask-wearing becoming common, especially during flu season.
- I think more people are going to take the time to determine what is important in their life so that they can live a life without regrets.
- I think the global approach to creating a vaccine is going to influence other global actions including climate change, global vaccination of all diseases, education, etcetera.
- I think people’s homes are going to become more important as the place where one lives their lives. People will be living and working a large majority of the time in their homes. Leaving your home is going to be more focused on social reasons whether it is work or personal
- I think people are going to understand mental health better and have more empathy for individuals struggling with mental health issues.