The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a state of upheaval to all our lives, the scale of which most of us have never experienced in our lifetime. For businesses, it has brought a host of new challenges. As lockdown measures are gradually eased we move into the next phase, or a ‘new normal’ as it has been coined. The term alludes to an atypical situation which becomes the accepted norm for the foreseeable future.
Until there is a vaccine or in the event the virus dies away of its own accord, the ‘new normal’ is something to which businesses will need to adjust. Planning, communication and flexibility will be key for any business moving forward. Minimising the risk of exposure from the virus to staff and any visiting customers will be paramount to all decision making. Social distancing, increased hygiene measures and the supply of personal protection measures will be mainstays of the workplace for the foreseeable future.
Will More Employees Work Remotely?
Remote working had been on the increase prior to covid-19, but lockdown made it a necessity for many businesses. Where possible remote working will continue to be encouraged and could end up becoming permanent for some employees. For those who need to use public transport to commute, there will remain a reluctance to travel until it feels safer to do so. For businesses looking for ways to socially distance their workplaces, fewer employees travelling in will make the task more manageable.
Some studies show employees working from home are more productive as they feel an improvement in their work-life balance. However, remote work throws up challenges of communication and security. For remote working to be an effective long-term solution businesses will need to carefully review their working IT practices and digital capacity. Cyber crime is an increasing menace and more remote working will require structural changes as data is less centrally controlled. Employees will need to be diligent in their security procedures, with a strong oversight process in place.
The lockdown saw families take to video conferencing to stay in touch with loved ones. Communication will be vital in the ‘new normal’ and secure video conferencing facilities will be required to keep key staff involved while working remotely. It will also be key for communicating with customers and suppliers while we are being asked to avoid unnecessary travel. For some businesses this may mean a significant update to their IT systems, but at least they will be better prepared if there is another lockdown at some point.
What Will the Workplace Look Like?
Regardless of whether the business involves an office, retail space, factories or a construction site, safety of staff and customers will dictate how the workplace will look in the ‘new normal’. Central to this will be social distancing and the need to redesign a workplace layout to minimise the chance of an employee or customer passing the virus on to another. We have seen how retailers have limited the amount of people in to a shop at one time, before asking customers to follow a designated route around the store.
Workplaces will also need to conform to this thinking before they can reopen. In offices this is likely to mean reduced capacity as desks are moved in a way in which they will not be in close proximity to other desks, perhaps facing away from the nearest desks to them too. Safe walkways will be required through out the workplace to allow employees to move without having to pass too close to others. Company canteens and water stations will most likely be a thing of the past for now.
Hygiene throughout the work place will be crucial, ensuring there is ample access to facilities for frequent hand washing. Similarly a business will need to make sure they provide any required personal protection equipment before they open. This could include masks, gloves, aprons and protective screens where staff need a safe environment in a customer facing role.
To cater for a reduced workplace capacity businesses may have to allow for more flexibility on staff working hours, particularly if remote working is not an option. By adopting flexible shifts a business could ensure minimal staff numbers in a workplace at any one time. Until schools are back full time businesses will also have to be flexible with working parents and arrange their hours around child care needs.
Will Covid-19 See E-Commerce Increase Further?
E-commerce was already an increasingly dominant factor in many industries and will only continue to rise while customers lack confidence in their safety among crowds. Even with all the correct measures in place it will be tough for businesses to persuade customers to come back and visit them, not just their websites. The pandemic may well see future plans to innovate and upgrade a company’s online store brought forward to try and offset the fall in visitors to physical stores.
During the lockdown people were encouraged to use contactless payments rather than cash to try to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Those who previously avoided contactless payment due to reasons such as security fears may now stick with this method going forward. Ensuring the facilities and capacity to handle more contactless payments are in place will be another consideration for businesses used to taking cash.
Ultimately the covid-19 pandemic has been devastating for the health and the economic outlook of countries across the world. For business it has meant facing unforeseen challenges and dealing with them rapidly. Changes to working practices and IT systems have probably been completed on a timescale which would have been waved away as unrealistic in normal times.
However, these are the ‘new normal’ times and some businesses may come to benefit from the enforced changes to working practices. Some will have moved away from traditional practices and found they can work well if not better in different ways. They may have surprised themselves at the speed of the change they have administered and the innovation they have introduced.
Nobody knows how long the threat of this virus will hang over us and therefore the changes to business practices could see the ‘new normal’ becoming standard practice. Adapting to change has always been vital to success and this pandemic may change how we view our workplaces forever.
