The new norm has taken its toll on business as we know it. The pandemic has caused sweeping changes within every industry we have from aerospace to the Worldwide web. Companies worldwide have scrambled to stay afloat by rearranging people, procedures, and budgets. Some employees are working full-time from home and taking care of their kids at the same time. Other employees no longer do what they used to do. They now have new jobs involving pick-up and delivery service. So, what can businesses do to make ends meet?
Effects on People
It is no longer feasible for people to work together in one physical location. So, many businesses figured out ways that their employees could telecommute. Offices have become empty shells. with equipment, files, and even plants, transported to residential locations. Some employees had to juggle working from home with children underfoot.
Social distancing and quarantine became the new norm. Teams got together by videoconferencing and conference calls. Colleagues had to expand their perspectives in order to collaborate in this new way. Some workers, such as those in the medical field and other 1st responders, have risked their own health by serving their communities. Still others filed for unemployment, perhaps for the first time ever, because businesses had to close their doors. Because of this new norm, people had to scramble to make ends meet.
Effects on Procedures
Whenever a procedure goes against social distancing, substitutions have been created. For instance, many doctor visits are now done by phone or computer. Churches hold services using teleconferencing platforms, such as Zoom. Libraries are closed, so people rely on online research for academic work and audio and hard-bound books for pleasure reading. People must now make appointments for simple bank transactions.
Hair salons must limit exposure by spacing out their clients and scrubbing down everything between appointments. Restaurant-goers are seated in clumps away from each other. The servers wear masks. Processes that cannot be done without face-to-face encounters are no longer offered since interaction cannot be adapted to social distancing protocol. Because of this new norm, how businesses provide products and services has been dramatically altered.
Effects on Budgets
Most companies can’t afford to stop doing business as usual for very long. Some businesses just can’t switch to a tele-mode. The aviation industry, for example, now has more aircraft on land than in the air. Colleges and universities closed their doors on campus, hoping to move over to online education. Concerts, cruises, and movie theaters seem like things from a distant past. Inflation has collapsed around the world because of this new norm, the results of the coronavirus pandemic. Unemployment is at record highs.
In the United States, stimulus checks were sent out to encourage consumer spending. The American government provided forgivable loans and disaster relief resources in hope that small businesses could keep their employees on the payroll. Because of this new norm, companies must tighten their belts to stay afloat.
Effects on You
We now live in a world where people stay indoors and do not socialize. As a result, the computer has become an important way to conduct business. Students log in to complete a class and earn their credits. Families have reunions using teleconferencing platforms. Buyers click here and there, and packages arrive with the goods they need or want.
Because of this new norm, now is the time to launch your business online. We’ve got a tool for you that will help you to make this transition. Use the Business Glu mobile app to deliver training and messaging to your team. Add and deliver content 24/7 to your prospects and to your team. Check on progress, gain accountability, and train on the go from the palm of your hand. Use Business Glu to hold everything together and to make ends meet.
