It seems we’ve turned a corner. Things are slowly starting to look like what they looked like before we ever heard of “Covid19” and the concept of “social distancing”. But what does the “Return to Normalish” portend for the near future and the rest of 2021, for your business or your job search? Here are some thoughts about what’s to potentially come.
A New Administration
With a new administration and the smoke clearing from the aftermath of the events in DC, it seems that the American public and American businesses are embracing the idea of stability and relative calm. The new administration’s focus on COVID and advances with the vaccine have seen a growing number of Americans receiving inoculations, thereby beginning the measured process of returning to (modified) group activities. While as of this writing, we’re still in the nascent stages of the recovery/revival, there looks to be a much clearer path toward a COVIDless future as more people adopt measures that former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tom Frieden characterizes as “what we’re doing right: staying apart, wearing masks, not traveling, not mixing with others indoors.”
Stock Market loves stability
Wall Street has embraced the Biden administration resulting in record gains in the stock market, which can be seen as a precursor towards economic recovery, despite a dismal January jobs report. American businesses will continue to undergo radical transformation. Prior to COVID, much business discussion centered around Digital Transformation, with companies discussing how to best adopt digital technology to transform their services and businesses, by replacing non-digital or manual processes with digital processes or replacing older digital technology with newer digital technology.
Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is no longer an “option” for any business. We’ve been advising companies about “breaking into digital” as far back as 2010 (“doing digital before digital was cool” as they say). COVID has necessitated an embrace of a digital/on-line/remote component for almost every business that wasn’t doing so already. This will mean that businesses will have to find and assess a whole new group of talent with a new approach and outlook on “business as usual” and utilize a whole new set of tools by which to find and assess them.
Work from Anywhere
In addition to wholesale digital transformation, the New “Normalish” will see the continuation of “Work from Anywhere”. The COVID crisis has opened the eyes and minds of a large portion of the working public as they realize that much of what was deemed “essential” in-person interactions in daily business have been streamlined as a result of Zoom meetings and better digital communications. Some companies are moving to an entirely remote work force, even after in-person activities resume.
Businesses will need to adapt their talent acquisition strategies to engage and attract talent that are flexible and thrive in both remote and in-person environments.
Welcome Back
Because another aspect of the Return to Normalish that will affect business is the boomerang effect; the very strong contingent of people who are longing for human interaction again. This will compel businesses to look differently at how and whom they hire; Which talent works best remotely? Which talent works best in person in a group? Who can move deftly between both of those environments?
Everywhere at Once
And B to C Businesses will be most affected by the Return to Normalish, as restaurants, bars, sporting events, concerts, and other in-person activities resume in earnest. Some entertainment events may in fact be enhanced by continuing to offer a digital/remote media component as was necessitated during the COVID crisis. Many households have improved their media consumption capabilities to improve their at-home entertainment experience; as movie theaters and concert halls shut down, living room theaters have become more commonplace. First run movies are already available and the touch of a button. Now in addition to selling tickets to a live audience, there’s potential for Broadway or West End plays to offer on-line performances and sell tickets to audiences watching digitally across the globe. Live concert experiences can be broadcast from a theater in Detroit and watched by an audience in Bombay.
There seems to be an understanding that things will never go back to “Normal”, and in some ways that may be for the best. “Normal” wasn’t working for a large part of the populous. Perhaps the “Return to Normalish” will be a step towards a better direction. As divided as people may seem, there’s a genuine desire to reconnect and now a myriad of ways to do so. New ideas will lead to innovation which will lead to growth. Perhaps what we’ve learned from COVID will foreshadow a revival and a renaissance in both business and society. Sperans est Optimus.