A new normal?

The talk of a new normal ignores one big variable. Competition. Even if you think video is an adequate replacement for an in-person event or meeting, and personally I think that's debatable, if your competition is meeting your customer or partner in-person...you'll quickly find yourself at a disadvantage.

I'm already feeling some of this myself. Some of our partners have begun holding in-person events and while I'm not sure I'm ready to attend large gatherings, especially those where the participants are largely unmasked and not physically distancing, every time the photos appear on my timeline it does make me worry about falling behind.

The new normal is really a new temporary. Video meeting services have been a lifeline to keep some of our economies functional during the pandemic but once it's safe I believe we will return to in-person events augmented with remote participants, which isn't really all that new. I also think business travel will rebound faster than anticipated. There will be a period of time after the pandemic where someone will have a competitive footing by meeting in-person and as a result they'll will win business. Once too many deals are lost in this unbalanced competition...well you can probably see the rest coming.

Personally I think the changes that will endure from the pandemic will lie in the reduction, if not elimination, of Presenteeism. Thanks to the pandemic we have all become hyper-aware of people around us who are ill and the adverse effects that can happen when someone contagious feels the need to be physically present. I see a continuing embrace of work life integration instead of balance. Work is something we do, not somewhere we go, and the combination of UCaaS solutions with mobile advancements (such as 5G) will increase work/life integration.

What do you think? Am I way off-base? Let me know in the comments below.