Is getting back to normal really our ambition?

Covid-19 has wreaked havoc across the planet. It has been dealt with very differently from country to country, with varying results. 

Here in the UK, we could have done a much, much better job of containing the virus. After all, the ‘island’ mentality that resulted in us voting for Brexit should have jumped into gear and kept people carrying the virus out in the same way it is keeping neighbouring countries that want to trade with us out. But credit where credit is due, we seem to be doing a very impressive job of rolling out a world-class vaccination programme. Go NHS!

We are doing everything we can to get ‘back to normal’ or a ‘new normal’. But, is normal - old or new - really ambitious enough?

Hasn’t Covid-19 taught us that maybe the old way of doing things could be improved upon? Don’t get me wrong, it would have been much better for the pandemic, and the devastation it has caused to so many people, to have never happened. But now it has happened, let’s learn from it.

Surely we can improve our work/life balance.

Personally, I am a little concerned that everyone working from home is being seen as a positive thing. The first lockdown brought out the ‘Dunkirk spirit’, where everyone just got on with it. But, subsequent lockdowns have seen us getting fed up and bored. People are feeling isolated and disconnected. People are struggling with routine and structure. It is clear that the nation’s mental health is being put under strain.

I don’t think working from home is the fix-all solution that some are making it out to be. And it shouldn’t become the new normal for the sake of businesses saving money on office rent. After all, we are social animals. We need social interaction.

A more flexible approach to how and where work is done can definitely be improved upon. As long as the reasons for improvement are to improve the work/life balance, to improve productivity and to improve the mental health of everyone involved. And, as long as employees have a choice. If working from home is adopted more widely, then employers need to invest in the right environment for their staff. Working space, exercise, social interaction, staff welfare (mental and physical) all need to be taken into consideration.

Lockdown has seen many of us become sedentary and put on weight, while others have used the caveat of being ‘unlocked’ for the sake of daily exercise, to get daily exercise. Personally, I have fallen into both categories. During the first lockdown, I put on a stone. To counteract this, I have started walking every day. I have also started ‘NETwalking’ two to three times a week. Between October and Christmas, I set myself a goal of one million steps. Walking is hugely beneficial to both your physical and mental wellbeing. 

Gentle, regular exercise is another learning we can take away from the lockdown. Whether that is watching Joe Wicks on YouTube, doing a spot of yoga on Facebook Live, or getting outside for a good walk.

We have also been reminded of how important our local communities are. Individuals, small businesses, sports clubs and community groups have gone above and beyond to help the most vulnerable in our society. Neighbours are talking to each other for the first time. People are shopping locally again. 

I have been lucky enough to work on the branding and marketing for the Scotland Loves Local campaign. This has helped me get to know my local high street businesses better and buy nearly all of last year’s Christmas presents from them. 

Local businesses have been forced online and it is up to us to seek them out and support them. Money spent in the local community gets re-spent in the local community. Local businesses pay their fair share of taxes, unlike some well known online shopping behemoths.

We have seen evidence of how much we are f*%&ing up the planet. One of the most powerful images I remember from the first lockdown is the image of the Himalayas visible in parts of India for the first time in decades because factories have been shut down.

The natural world has benefited from human incarceration. Surely we should reappear being much more conscious (individually and institutionally) of what impact our carbon footprint is having on the natural world. Is flying around the globe for business meetings necessary, when we can bring people together on Zoom? The same could be said more locally too. Does someone have to drive from Inverness to Edinburgh for a 20-minute meeting, if it is not really necessary?

Some face-to-face meetings will remain important for creating and maintaining chemistry. But, where it is not essential, surely saving time on commuting, saving money on fuel and saving this wonderful planet (the only one we have) should become our primary considerations.

Working from home has given many of us something extremely valuable. No, I am not talking about the homeschooling experience. I am talking about ‘time’. We have been given time to think strategically about our business. We have been given time to work ‘on’ the business rather than ‘in’ it. I have been working with a number of businesses, who have used this time wisely to create their brand, to rebrand or to pivot.

I have pivoted myself. I became The GC Index’s first GCologist in Scotland. Brand Satellite is the only brand consultancy in the world that uses the GC Index as part of our brand creation process. That is a USP.

And what else have we learnt during the lockdowns? Well, we’ve learned. Or, at least we should have done. People have been falling over themselves to pass on their knowledge online. There have been a plethora of 5-Day Challenges. And with each, the opportunity to sign up for ‘paid for’ workshops and masterminds. Personally, I have got to; Know My Numbers with Aleksandra Kohut, Improve My Sales Techniques with Craig Herd; Mastered LinkedIn with Helen Pritchard, Powered Up My Business with Hazel Addley. I have others in the diary, including a 4-day, Unleash the Power Within virtual conference with Tony Robbins. Not to mention the library of business and self-improvement audiobooks I have added to my collection of branding books.

There may lie the secret to why I am feeling so positive about the future.

Let’s not strive to get back to normal, or be content with a ‘new normal’. Let’s work together for a better tomorrow.