3 Huge Changes That Covid Has Inspired

We can all agree that 2020 wasn’t exactly a fun year. Everybody on Mother Earth was introduced to a life-threatening virus that doesn’t discriminate against age, wealth, creed or gender. And with millions of people falling prey to the pandemic, we’ve lost more than 2 million lives since it reared its ugly head... and it’s still counting.

While I’m certain that we all wish it never happened, there are a few interesting changes that the virus has brought about.

So it will be fascinating to look back in the years to come and see just how much the world changed due to the impact that it had on us all. (In no way is this article glorifying Covid-19, as it certainly did enough damage).

Working Remotely From Home

A few years ago, one of our clients wanted to downscale and have a co-working environment with employees working from home at least 60% of the time. This was a complex project with multiple layers and took a total of 9 months to process just under 300 employees.

Our Change Manager dealt with multiple challenges, while having to develop a comprehensive engagement and communication plan that would deliver on the client’s requirements in a diligent and dedicated manner.

The pandemic certainly did not provide an opportunity or the advantage to transition towards this new approach of working from home - it simply happened overnight. And while there have been plenty of instances of people working from home for several years now, many industries were pushed towards doing it far quicker than ever before.

As the virus began rapidly increasing in strength and with the lockdown becoming a normal part of our lives, many industries were forced to allow their employees to work from home with no real clue as to how it would affect productivity.

People now had to adapt to spending far more time with their families, while still trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance. It seemed like it was out to do more harm than good.

But a lot of positive results actually ended up coming from this new shift.

Research proved that allowing parents to spend more time with their children resulted in an increase in productivity and even those without kids showed no loss in productivity working from home; that remote working is far more beneficial to the environment, with less traffic and pollution; and that employers benefit from both the increased productivity and the savings that come without having an office space to pay for.

On the other hand, the pandemic raised challenges that would move us forward and ultimately make the world a better place. One of those challenges was the issue of reliable internet connectivity. Reliable internet can be quite pricey and those that do have a connection are susceptible to the stress and pressure that comes with unreliable service providers.

There was also the challenge of women being forced back into traditional gender roles, while being expected to perform at optimal levels, not to mention the fact that employers would end up abusing flexible working hours afforded by working from home.

Either way, nobody would have expected to be doing work in the comfort of their own homes while saving money on transport and maintaining productivity. The challenges that have been identified can only empower workplaces and humanity to be better, do better and be more empathetic to themselves, their environment and each other.

The Emergence Of Telehealth

The use of telehealth and telemedicine have drastically increased due to the pandemic. While it’s still a developing form of medical care, its availability to the public is getting better and better with applications and websites that provide patients with access to doctors from the comfort of their own homes.

For those of you that don’t know, telehealth is a method of providing healthcare through the use of telecommunications (i.e. video calls from your doctor).

With social distancing becoming crucial to our safety, doctors are engaging in online consultations and other forms of check-ups in order to see to the health of patients.

And it’s been working wonders.

Research conducted in 2020 showed that, on a global level, telemedicine was valued at $29.6 billion back in 2017, with steady growth predicted through until 2022. The need for this new approach has increased dramatically since the pandemic and seems like it might end up being a normal part of our lives going forward.

Some of the biggest benefits that this technology has brought about would be through savings in costs and time, as well as patient safety; consultations are far more affordable than in-person checkups, attending to even more patients has become easier, and patients that are highly susceptible to other illnesses can avoid being in risky environments.

It certainly is a great change that will most likely impact all of our lives for the better going forward.

Online Shopping

Online purchasing has been around for some time now and while it’s been growing at a comfortable pace, the pandemic has been quite the catalyst behind its increase in popularity.

The convenience that online shopping has brought about is significant, to say the least. With access to more products, better prices and the overall ease of use, online shopping has been a massive game-changer for the retail industry as a whole and it seems like it will only get better as more competitors jump on the bandwagon.

With an increase of over 40% in monthly online transactions, buying things like groceries, cleaning products or cosmetics has never been easier.

Through the simple click of a button, we’re able to pick and choose any products that we want and have it delivered to our homes safely and efficiently.

And as the competition increases between the different companies, we’re given access to a greater customer experience, better specials and more time to focus on the important things in life.

Although Covid has done a whole lot of damage, it’s forced us to change in wonderful ways.

And while it might seem like a disaster to many of us, putting all of the advantages into perspective helps us see just how profound change can be. We are always evolving, transforming and adapting to the unknown, whether consciously or subconsciously.

Redefining your ways of working?

Here at Change Agility, we understand various types of changes. Your next steps should be supported by a robust change management plan that will ensure that your workforce is engaged, empowered and heard!

Chat to us about ensuring ongoing engagement of your workforce while you transition during this time!? Contact us at [email protected].

Article by: Tlale Mosimane

First Published on 25/March/2021 (Change Agility)