Will we reset, or build back better, or ...

The pandemic is not a short term event. The virus has remained a part of our society for much longer than anyone thought ('U' or 'V' shaped recoveries, anyone?). The vaccines have arrived. As with any large scale, complex production and supply chain process, there will be challenges in the distribution and rollout. Things will not go as intended; although that doesn't absolve the need for a robust plan operating to a strong central hypothesis.

The human and social impact of COVID has been immense. I know of organisations that have a COVID death rate in their business, such is the size of their workforce. It is almost impossible to imagine. The hospitality, tourism and travel sectors have been devastated.  

Most people walking the streets or in my neighbouring parks wear a mask. Much has been written about the great work-from-home transformation. There are much more fundamental changes then the shift towards home working – and yes, we will have to find the right balance, having yinged from always being in the office to the yang of always working from home. The future of our cities and towns will be different to how they had been envisioned. The pandemic has breathed life back into towns and villages around the country and removed congestion from the city centres. The decarbonisation of our public and private transport networks has been accelerated. The rate of adoption of technology and move to digital has been exponential. 

We have changed how we interact, communicate and trade in ways and over a timeframe we didn't think was possible, under conditions we all find incredibly difficult. The long term mental health impact of the pandemic, in particular on the vulnerable, but increasingly across all of our society must not be underestimated.

The virus wasn't on anyone's risk register. Yet we now have a vaccine. We have hope. We have an emerging plan to navigate us out of this crisis together. We will return to a functioning economy and society –albeit one that operates to a new set of norms – a reset in where, as a society, we live and work, and in how we commute. 

Imagine if the scenario we faced couldn't be solved with a vaccine – a shot. That there was no path to immunisation. That no-one could create a credible plan where we remain in our homes and that our economy and society would eventually return. That scenario exists and is well documented. It lives on our risk register and is known as the climate crisis, closely followed by the biodiversity crisis. 

We first saw earth as a vulnerable planet in December 1968 through pictures taken by Apollo 8. Since then we have listened to the experts, the science and the advocates as to just how vulnerable it is. As an economy and a society we need stop just listening and take action. The pandemic has illustrated how business can positively influence society when the incentives are right: we will have access to multiple vaccines in a record amount of time.

As business leaders, we need to prepare our organisations, our people and contribute to the preparation of our society to be more resilient. Deloitte has surveyed more than 2,200 executives in 21 countries to examine their attitude towards, and ability to be resilient, in the face of future shocks. 62% of those surveyed believe we could see disruptions of this scale in the future; three out of four of them believe that the climate crisis poses at least as great a threat as the pandemic. 

During the pandemic we have learnt of our incredible adaptability towards change. We should recognise that the changes forced upon us by COVID pale in comparison to what lies in store for us absent our action. The pandemic was a massive and large-scale test of our collective resilience. We were caught unawares but have responded incredibly well. As we emerge from the effects of the pandemic, let us reset how we use our scarce natural resources and build back better – for our economy, our society, our communities and our planet.