The pandemic was a crazy time for the entire world. Time seemed to come to a halt, which was unwelcome news for businesses everywhere. Due to these crazy times, businesses were forced to change in many different ways. The following list of changes is some of the ways that businesses all over the world have changed due to the pandemic.
1. Working Remote
This was the quick fix for the abruptness of the pandemic. Many businesses shut down due to the pandemic, but others could not afford to shut down for an extended period. This led to individuals having to work remotely, which has been a consistent change throughout many industries.
Working remotely means working outside the office. For many, this means working from home. This was viewed as a downside of the pandemic initially because it made it much harder to get work done. However, as time went on, working remotely turned out to be a positive for most.
The freedom to work from home has improved morale in many individuals. At the beginning of the pandemic, it led to a lot of stress, but it has turned out to positively affect many individuals. As zoom meetings became the norm across many industries, working from home became easier and productivity increased.
2. Much More Reliant on Technology
This was another major consequence of the pandemic in its initial stages. Due to individuals having to work remotely, technology became increasingly important. Various software such as Zoom, Skype, and Microsoft Teams, were the only forms of communication among co-workers.
These forms of communication were used to hold meetings throughout the pandemic since face-to-face meetings were not possible. The first few months with this new software were bumpy, but it became a great tool as the pandemic went on.
Now, as the pandemic is coming to an end, these tools are still being used in everyday business. They have made office communication much easier and more convenient. The reliance on technology may have been frowned upon at the start of the pandemic, but it has allowed for the advancement of many different industries.
3. Much More Health Conscious
This is a change that has been made all over the world, but it is an important one that has been made in businesses everywhere. It should not have taken a worldwide pandemic to force this change upon many businesses, but at least this change has been made.
Many companies are now super aware of the health of their employees. Covid tests are being regularly administered, and companies are encouraging their employees to get vaccinated to prevent any more deaths from the Covid illness. While this concern arose due to the threat of having to shut down business operations, it is good that this shift in the business world has happened.
4. Different Recruiting Measures
Recruiting is not something that is talked about often when it comes to changes in the business. However, recruiting styles have seriously changed due to the pandemic.
Before the pandemic, there were plenty of recruiting fairs that allowed for face-to-face interaction. This allowed for plenty of information to be communicated, and for the recruiters to get a feel for who you are.
With the pandemic, recruiting efforts were forced to shift to an online platform. Fortunately, Zoom and Microsoft Teams have become extremely popular, and many recruiting efforts have taken place on these platforms. However, these platforms make it hard to develop a relationship with a recruiter, which can make it hard to find the right fit.
The inability to develop a relationship with individuals via Zoom has also made the interview process difficult. As the pandemic nears its end, some of these efforts have gone back to normal. However, the online aspect of recruiting is still present in some industries, which has negatively impacted those specific industries.
5. Communication
Communication is a key change that has been made to businesses due to the pandemic. There is an obvious difference in communication within the business, but there is another not-so-obvious change in communication.
Many businesses will travel to their clients to conduct business. The pandemic made this impossible to do. This has damaged relationships for business with certain clients, which has been one of the major downsides of the pandemic.
As things start to ease up, businesses are looking to resume traveling to clients. However, it may be difficult to repair their relationship due to the pandemic.
6. Limit Travel
The second to last item on this list is the change in communication that occurred due to the pandemic. The lack of travel that businesses can conduct has hindered their overall performance.
This travel does not necessarily pertain to their clients, but some businesses have multiple locations. The inability to travel to various locations and check-in with different branches of your business can cause a lot of trouble within the company.
Of course, businesses had to adapt and get used to conducting business without travel, but it hampered many businesses mightily early on during the pandemic.
7. Clocking In
The last change that businesses were forced to make during the pandemic was the move to touchless time clocks. Germs are spread through contact very easily, which is why many businesses are considering the move to touchless time clocks.
These touchless time clocks use facial-recognition software similar to our phones. This allows individuals to clock in without having to touch anything and worry about getting sick. Certain businesses may bring back traditional time clocks once the pandemic is over, but this change was necessary and quite innovative.
Closing Thoughts
There are many other changes that businesses have had to make due to the pandemic. Some changes are specific to certain industries, but these changes apply to all industries. For better or worse, these adaptations were made, and businesses changed all over the world.
