As we enter the official one year mark for the COVID invasion of North America, I’m going to go out on a limb and make some predictions about how things are going to change as we emerge from this crazy year. Here is what life after COVID is going to look like. Predictions are in no particular order:
Predictions for our personal lives
- COVID is going to end faster than predicted. As we leave cold and flu season, the weather will warm up and COVID will dry up, just like it did last summer. Vaccinations will begin to take effect. COVID will always be with us, but it will slide into the background along with all the other risks we take every day
- Travel will go berserk. Book your cruise for the fall now or you won’t find an available spot
- People will rethink their commitments. Not having to go to every event offered will be appealing to a lot of people. Many will opt for Zoom meetings rather than go to large family events and live through hectic holiday seasons
- Many people will continue to wear masks and refuse to shake hands long after this is over
- Teens will need help sharpening the social skills that have been stunted over the past 12 months
- Governments will become more authoritarian now that they’ve had a taste of power. They’ll raise our taxes too
- Many people will move to the suburbs and more remote communities rather than fight traffic and pay exorbitant parking rates. Teleconferencing will make this possible
- The majority of people will forget there ever was a COVID and will be eager to re-engage in the world. Ask yourself how much the world changed after the 2008 financial crisis. Did banks soberly review and change lending policies? Did Wall Street firms shake their heads and realize they have a moral responsibility to the world? Some things will change, but a lot will go right back to normal
- And the best result of COVID for our society will be:
Finally EVERYONE will wash their hands after using the bathroom and before shaking your hand!
Predictions for our work lives
- 20% of every business will change the way they do things. Not 20% of businesses, but 20% of every business
- Consumer spending will be unleashed. People are sitting on an unprecedented amount of cash and will pour it out to restaurants, travel options, and other experience-related products
- Business travel will be permanently reduced. People will think hard before they agree to go through the hassle of sitting on a plane for a face-to-face meeting. We’ve discovered that teleconferencing can be pretty effective
- Teleconferencing tools will get much better than they already are, making face-to-face meetings even less necessary than they are today
- Businesses will re-evaluate their product and service offerings. For instance, now that a restaurant knows that it can do killer take-away business and increase margin by having lower labor costs, they’ll think twice before layering on extra services
- Many businesses will offer a remote work option permanently. It doesn’t work for everyone, but space can be saved, and higher caliber people who value working from home can be attracted. A hybrid model will be most popular, i.e. work from home for 3 days, in the office for 2
- More products and services will be purchased online, and the retail outlets that flourish will offer amazing experiences, not just products. People will want a reason to go to a brick and mortar store beyond its product offering
- Amazing people will be in more demand than ever, and the organizations with the best culture will land them. Best people are attracted, not recruited
The important thing to focus on
We’ll always face uncertain times and unexpected events. This time it’s COVID. Next time it’s? No one knows. All we know is that next time is coming! As always, businesses led by excited, competitive leaders will flourish. They’ll emerge sharper and better than before. Life after COVID will be great for them just like life before COVID was! Make sure yours is one of them!
Trevor Throness is a speaker, consultant, and author of “The Power of People Skills.” He is also co-founder and senior instructor at www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/
Find more about “The Power of People Skills” here: https://www.amazon.com/Power-People-Skills-Dramatically-Performance/dp/1632651068
