Businesses and jobs in the post-covid world
WE are now on our fourth week of lockdown and there are mixed feelings among us whether this will be extended or not. For most of those who want the lockdown to be lifted, the reason most cited is financial. Businesses have to run and people have to earn their livelihood, otherwise you end up with nothing to feed your family. Though I am for extension of the lockdown, I understand the predicament that our government and the business decision makers need to address. It is not an easy decision to make, and whatever that decision may be, there will always be a positive and a negative factor to consider. Such is the uncertainty that this pandemic has brought, and we just need to be thankful that our numbers are not as bad as in other countries. hopefully, it will stay that way.
But lifting the lockdown doesn’t mean we can go back to our normal lives again. No sir—it will be a different world that we will get out to. A lot of adjustments need to be made. Harsh realities will need to be addressed, and the sooner the better.
Life will definitely stabilize—and we thank modern technology for doing this in a hastened manner; unlike the plagues of old that took decades or centuries before the virility of humankind was developed. But life as we know it will not be the same
again. So, the sooner we say that to ourselves, the better.
One thing that we should ponder on while we are locked down in our homes is this—will our pre-lockdown livelihoods be still relevant in the post-covid world? It may be good right now to do a self-assessment and have a reality check. How will I fare? Will my current job continue to feed my family? How can I adjust?
One thing is for certain—any work or profession that requires excessive human contact or social gatherings
The good thing is we humans are social creatures. We won’t allow ourselves to be totally remote, and neither will we consign our lives to virtual existence on the Internet. These “richly human contact” businesses and professions will never disappear, but they will need to adjust and so do we, as patrons.
will be affected. Examples of this would be food service firms like restaurants, assembled entertainment like cinemas and live sports events, and even barbershops and beauty parlors.
The good thing is we humans are social creatures. We won’t allow ourselves to be totally remote, and neither will we consign our lives to virtual existence on the Internet. These “richly human contact” businesses and professions will never disappear, but they will need to adjust and so do we, as patrons.
The new world will call for a lot of caution and a lot of priming up to make sure that we have a safe environment. Venues must be disinfected regularly. Utensils and equipment cleaned as well. Those involved in the food handling business will have to include processes that ensure extra safeguard on hygiene and freshness. Those in the transport business will have to guarantee social distancing.
This will, of course, put a stress on costs to make it viable for the business owner. And there will be a time that these businesses will suffer. Hopefully, during the said time, the government will help and subsidize these industries and their workers. But this won’t be for long. New technology innovations will emerge, definitely to bring down costs, and new enhancements in one’s profession will evolve.
One good thing among nations: There will be no monopoly of ideas on how to address the challenges of the “new world.” Yes, scientifically, the MIT’S and Yale’s will have to be given the pole position in coming out with medical solutions; but on preserving our livelihood and adjusting to the new environment, solutions will come from everywhere. And that will be a good thing. Imagine, billions of minds collectively working to address and adjust our lives to the new normal.
Yes, we will survive and human kind will prosper. It is the humanness in us that will help us adjust to whatever adversity that comes our way.