Themes for 2021 - Sundar Kondur

2020 brutally tested our resilience, played havoc with our emotional and physical wellbeing and saw us scrambling to make changes to the way we had hitherto lived our personal and professional lives. Almost overnight, there was a tectonic shift in the way we perceived life, did business and engaged with people, both personally and professionally, so much so that things can never go back to the "old normal". Hopefully, now that we are over the jagged edge of the pandemic, things will shake down and start finding their new levels.

A neo-normal world that we face in the short-term future could be a very different one, now that we have experienced a vastly different and possibly an easier way to operate. Some of these practises may have arisen out of convenience while others have been tried and tested to be better.

This, according to me, is a set of broad themes or trends that we will see this year, and maybe even beyond

Geography is history

We have all embraced the concept of WFH. We’ve been at it for the last 9 months, and now it is a given. Location is no longer an advantage or a disadvantage for most jobs. Thus, geography is slowly becoming history for most jobs.

3-2-2

Dr Ashley Williams has patterned a new working style for the new normal which she labels 3-2-2. The numbers stand for working 3 days from the office, 2 days from home followed by a 2 day break every week. This is already a reality for many and corporates and employees are embracing this

Home buying

Purchase/up-gradation of houses are already on the rise, and I foresee an increased demand for the same. People have realised that everyone needs their space to effectively do ‘their own thing’ within the closed eco-bubble of the home; Parents to WFH and children to study. Since entertainment is also largely homebound, everyone needs their own defined private space to work at their optimal levels

Cities to expand

Cities will expand even more. While there will always be a demand for space in the CBD, properties on the outskirts of the cities will also get a hefty boost as people who crave bigger homes and larger personal spaces won’t mind going the extra distance for the same. This combined with “geography becoming history”, it will be the ideal model to follow

Cloud Kitchens

Cloud kitchens did well during the lockdown and will continue to do well as a lot of people are still wary about venturing out to eat. Thanks to low operating costs, cloud kitchens are here to stay, and the future is bound to see the mushrooming of many more

Traffic Management

Traffic management in urban cities will go through a change due to the changes in working styles. This is the time when the local bodies and the police can engage with corporates to come up with an optimal plan to ease traffic woes and the resultant congestion

New ideas; Innovations

All tectonic shake-ups that pave the way for a new world order only gains momentum from new ideas and doing things differently. Archetypally, we wouldn’t see any reason to challenge the normal. Why fix it when it ain’t broke is not true anymore…..most things need fixing to fit into the new world order

Technology: my new BFF

The importance of technology can never be undermined as it was only technology that allowed people to connect while working remotely and kept companies afloat. The pandemic catalysed a sudden spurt in technology adoption. The newer emerging tech is certain to help both businesses and individuals in their professional and personal life. 

Entrepreneur/Intrapreneur

Job losses due to downsizing coupled with the inherent need of people for security through self-reliance will lubricate the momentum of new ideas and innovations leading to the emergence of a new class of innovators and entrepreneurs 

The Gig economy

An acceptable form of work culture that was gaining ground will suddenly gain impetus as there are millions of appointment ready aspirants on one side and companies who are looking to reduce their cost structure on the other side. Specific jobs will therefore start chasing specific skills sets more closely

Social Capital

When we go through prodigious change and are not in a position to accurately predict the way businesses will graph, our biggest assets will be our people. Good people can help transform and pivot business when the environment is volatile. While employers will try and ringfence their best, the same employees are also likely to be headhunted and lassoed the most.

Online buying

Online buying will definitely get a boost for its underlying features of convenience and safety. While online and offline will continue to co-exist, offline retail will need to reinvent practises to keep safety as the paramount driver but still ensure a great shopping experience

Revenge shopping

Retail, like water, will definitely find its level once we are done with revenge shopping. While the emphasis on essential shopping will reign supreme, brands will have to come up with a different pitch to entice shoppers to buy ‘non-essentials. The demand for ‘Need to have’ products will continue to see an upward graph, while the demand for ‘Nice to have products’ will be muted and will need a different marketing approach

Revenge travelling

I see personal travel clocking close to their past numbers, once we are done with revenge travelling. Domestic travel will witness an upward curve while international travel might take a while to recover and will be largely dependent on the rules and regulations of the destination country and the safety standards prescribed by them. Business travel will be restrained as technology will be used to drive business remotely.

Democratising education

The aura of campus life and the premium charged for an ivy league school/college will take a temporary dip. Online classes, tutors and skill-based learning will gain ground. Only a small percentage of the population will be willing to take the chance of moving to a different location/country to pursue education. The risk/returns of a high fee structure coupled with the fear of safety when moving cities/continents will play a major role while deciding on higher studies

Globalisation will take a backseat

Covid 19 has taught all of us to be largely self-reliant with an added emphasis on being ‘atmanirbhar’. The previously witnessed accelerated pace of globalisation will abate. The accent will now be on localisation and self-reliance

Health is the new wealth

“If health is expensive, try illness”, is the present-day mantra. This has increasingly resulted in the intake of healthy, largely home-cooked food and the paramount desire to be fit at all times

More vegetarians

There is a largescale movement towards vegetarianism due to the fear of contracting a zoonotic virus from an animal. There is also an increased accent on healthy living

Selfie with Vaccine

On a lighter note, this will be the most trending posts/photo on social media. I am sure there will be memes and new names coined for this important social action