You’ve probably heard this term quite a lot recently and may be worried, sad, scared or even happy to have a change from what it was like before. But what impact is/has Covid-19 had on our business and personal lives?
Travel/Home Working
Working from home definitely has its perks. Working in your PJ’s, no travel time from bed to your desk, coffee and snacks on tap plus being in your own home comforts is pretty nice.
However, on the other side of this is the multitude of Zoom calls, webinars and other virtual and online communication/learning which can be completely overwhelming at times. Also, if you have kids, trying to work from home in the current situation reminds us of a “brushing your teeth while eating Oreo’s” kind of moment!
Some questions to ask yourself, your boss or consider for your own business after the pandemic:
- Can you continue to work from home productively?
- Are your staff happier and more productive working from home?
- Is it saving you money for your business having more people working from home?
- Do we really need this meeting? Can we catch up via Zoom/FaceTime instead for 10-20 minutes?
FaceTime/Zoom
A fantastic part of the lockdown has been that families and friends have made extra time for video calls, quiz nights and catch up drinks all via Zoom or FaceTime. It has been a wonderful experience having the technology to be able to do this. Imagine if this pandemic had happened in the 90’s, what would we have done? Some people (usually the older generation) are not up to date with the technology but this has been a steep learning curve and most of us would’ve learned new skills in lockdown (even if it is just how to use FaceTime).
Hygiene/Cleanliness
We can probably all agree that we are much more aware about personal hygiene, hand washing and making sure we are not spreading any germs. Some of us are getting really paranoid, washing products and packaging when we come back from the supermarket or when it has been delivered. We are scared to be close to loved ones in case we pass anything to them and are being extra vigilant and bossy with the kids, if they touch a lamp post or pick up a stick!! Hopefully some of these ways will continue but with any luck we will be able to relax a little.
Social/Community Awareness
We’ve pulled together, we’ve clapped every Thursday at 8pm for our wonderful NHS and keyworkers, we’ve set up community help groups on Facebook, we’ve been more aware of our neighbours and their needs. We’ve offered our services of nipping to the pharmacy/shop for those who can’t go because of shielding. There is a sense of community again and this is something we should hold on to even when this horrible pandemic is long over.
Shopping Local
The convenience of the supermarket is always going to be there, they supply pretty much everything you need in one place. However, during this pandemic local business has suffered greatly and again the communities have come together to support them. Now having the time to shop from various places (butchers, fish van, farms, etc) and these businesses offering an online facility to order and deliver, many local people are jumping at the chance to be able to support them and get organic, fresh and wholesome food. The new normal will hopefully be filled with more people shopping local and less focus on the supermarkets.
Parents
The 7 week summer holiday is usually a scary time for parents, ‘how will be keep them entertained’, ‘what will they eat’, ‘we need to book a holiday’, ‘we need to take day trips’, ‘where will we go today’ or ‘what will we do today’. It’s usually a constant journey of trying to please them. What the pandemic has shown us is that they are absolutely fine (if not better) being at home with their family enjoying crafts, playing with their toys (including digital means), walking in nature and being able to do schoolwork from home. We will never fear the summer holidays again after 5 months of having the kids at home!
Fast Food/Take Away
Many of us were guilty for eating out more than we should or getting that cheeky McDonald’s because we couldn’t be bothered cooking or just because we were so busy. Lockdown has forced us to cook from scratch again and make the most out of the food we have at home. Saving money in the process. Perhaps save those fast food and take away places for a special occasion or a treat rather than a weekly thing.
Preparation
We have become much more organised and prepared, we are creating meal plans, homework plans, work plans, cleaning plans and the whole family is involved. Working partners are seeing what their stay at home counterparts are dealing with on a daily basis and it’s been eye opening for them. We are saving more money, because we were only allowed to visit the supermarket once a week. We didn’t have the luxury of going in for a pint of milk and spending £98 on stuff we didn’t even need!
The Unknown
Everyday seems to have a different development or a new issue and it can be really scary, even if you are safe at home. Different people and businesses have no idea when they will get back to work or if they can get back to work. Kids were only going back to school part time until yesterday (23rd June 2020) when it was announced that Scottish schools will all be going back full time. Until it changes again. Which is no dig at the government or education establishments because they probably know just as much as us and every day is a learning curve. It’s not easy living a life like this though and it’s starting to take its toll on many of us and our mental health.
Covid-19
It has been horrendous, many people have died, many people have been ill and survived but are still suffering health problems, many NHS workers have died and those of us who have not contracted it or have and been asymptomatic are the lucky ones. It’s scary, and at the height of the peak it was terrifying watching the news every day and seeing that between 700-900 people were dying in the UK per day!
We all hope we never see anything like this again, we hope there will be a cure or a vaccine soon and we hope to get back to ‘normal’ life as soon as possible but perhaps we have learned that the ‘new normal’ may be a good future to move forward into.
What do you think?
Let us know in the comments below or engage with our Facebook or LinkedIn posts.
With thanks to Alison, Claire, Callum and Melissa for their suggestions and comments to help me (Jen) write this blog.
Completely agree Jen. While lockdown has been horrendous for lots of different reasons, there are also many positives that I’ll be taking forward like shopping local (I love my weekly fruit & veg deliveries), not needing so many ‘material’ things & spending more time with loved ones. Thank you for taking the time to write this x
Thanks for commenting Gemma, It has been hard going and there have been days I have struggled massively but I think we all needed the reminder to slow down a bit and appreciate what we have around us. Jen
Hi Jen, I totally agree Jen. This has been such a difficult time for so many but I have to admit I have kind of liked it! Cocooning my family and us all being home together for almost 100 days – granted I don’t have little ones so haven’t had to worry about home schooling! Whilst my holistic therapy business has been closed my other business has flourished and this has kept me on my toes and it’s been great fun! Something which relied so much on people contact and visiting people in their own homes is now a virtual business and I am not sure I will revert back entirely when we are allowed! I have loved cooking, and baking bread – things I had got out of the way of doing so much! I definitely like this slower pace of life which I would like to be my “new normal”!! Thank you so much for this great blog – it really made me think x
Thank you for your comment Fiona. Yeah it has definitely been challenging and at times scary but there are many positives that I will take forward long after this crisis is over and I hope we will all appreciate things a little more and not get too wrapped up in work!
Hi Jen,
You’ve hit the nail on the head. Some people have been hit really hard during the last few months, others have been fairly sheltered from the impact.
As we come out of Lockdown we should hold on to the good things we’ve discovered about ourselves & our local communities.
Now’s definitely the time to be grateful for what you have, and reach out to support those who have suffered the most.
It will be interesting to look back in a few months and see how the landscape has changed; fingers crossed we’re not regretting a wasted opportunity to change things for the better.
Thanks Joanne, I think we do need to hold onto the good parts of the lockdown and although it has been difficult it has been an opportunity to stop and think about personal and business situations.
Stay strong and stay positive.
Good article Jen. I’ve been fortunate enough to be safe at home with the luxury of a garden to escape to and a house with enough space to not annoy each other in. My business has actually flourished during this time due to massive support from HQ but I’m not taking it for granted and appreciate that it could change if a recession hits. I’ve enjoyed discovering and utilising local businesses and will continue to support them- I’ve always been a great believer in promoting friends and local business and this has been a chance to really do that. The new normal is a bit daunting but hopefully we can find our way through it together.
I agree Wendy, many opportunities and a feeling of community again. Hopefully this pandemic will be the making of us all.