How might the coronavirus crisis permanently change our lives?

Much of the public are waiting for normality resume, and the realisation that that might take some time is beginning to set in, but, there are ways in which the coronavirus crisis might permanently change our lives.

In order to flatten the curve of the outbreak, people are being instructed to take radical social distancing measures.

The coronavirus outbreak has had a significant impact on the lives of Britons over the past several weeks, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson implementing a lockdown, and much of the nation being forced to remain at home.

It is presumed that all these measures to combat the virus will be temporary, and that at some point life and business will be back to normal.

This may be true, to some extent. But many changes could be permanent.

Social systems usually resist radical change, and instead follow a path which more often than not is triggered by a small event or historical accident.

But sometimes, in times of fundamental crisis, opportunities for change do open up.

Coronavirus may well fundamentally reshape some areas of how we life our live.

One example is business travel, often considered critical for the effectiveness of building organisations and relationships.

Now that businesses and other organisations are being forced to radically cut down or stop business travel, they may realise that it’s not so essential after all – as long as they find working substitutes.

Now that employees have to rely on video calls, as opposed to global travel, they may realise that virtual conferencing is a good alternative.

Employers, meanwhile, will see the possibility for drastic cost-cutting. So in the future, we may see significantly lower levels of business travel.

A similar theory can be applied to the portion of the country who are now working from home.

But now that working remotely is a necessity, both employers and employees will have to build competencies and work out how to do it effectively.

This might then emerge as a viable alternative to working in offices. And, one that is more flexible and family-friendly.

Prior to the outbreak, many industries were already undergoing significant disruption.

Now, the necessity of streaming and distribution services, such as Amazon, for example, threaten the business model of established commercial businesses.

An increasing number of people will start using these services, and start liking them, and becoming loyal customers. Therefore, meaning that the nature of the demand and supply necessitated by the “stay-at-home-economy” may drastically accelerate a shift in consumerism, and established businesses may fail.

Contact Gi National
Email us: news@gi-media.co.uk