What To Expect of the Post-Pandemic New "Normal”
By: Kasey Limón
While many companies, institutions, and individuals, may have found the transition to a socially distanced existence difficult or sub-par to business-as-usual pre-pandemic, there are undoubtedly some benefits in the universal remote expansion of things. Will institutions and businesses completely abandon the work that they have done to function remotely?
In the case of public education, the expectation of returning to normal after the pandemic is unrealistic. According to the Brookings Institute, coronavirus interruptions in schools are expected to continue into 2024.
The article states:
“Forward-looking districts are using this moment to develop creative new possibilities, such as expanding access to their most-effective teachers via remote learning, building new learning communities to serve small groups of students in person, and expanding access to services like tutoring, mentoring, counseling, and enrichment.”
What began as a major inconvenience and strain on the public school system may very well play a bigger part in the reinvention of it. Information collected through a survey by the American School District Panel states that 1 out of 5 school districts have or plan to adopt a fully online school platform going forward. Despite the trials of the online-learning transformation, there are ways that students and teachers stand to benefit rom schedule flexibility to expanded options in course-plan customization.
Many colleges plan to evolve with their adaptions into the post-pandemic era as well. The forced distance functionality dealt with by schools across the college spectrum has highlighted not only the convenience of a flexible learning schedule to students but an increase in admissions within certain programs. Schools stand to benefit financially as well with the reduced costs of online learning in comparison to the traditional model.
The outlook for jobs and businesses has been impacted on a long-term basis just as much as education and schools. The San Bernardino County Telework Program, for example, is expected to continue offering remote work opportunities to county employees after their offices are fully opened for returning to work. County employees will be offered options that include working 2-3 days a week remotely, only coming into the office between 1-2 days a week.
The workforce revolution sparked by the pandemic has set new parameters for what hiring employers are expected to offer in terms of hiring perks and benefits. Other than the remote or hybrid option, employers have started a trend in their perks packages which include benefits such as mental health support and rainy-day funds. The events over the past year brought certain aspects of workers’ financial and overall security into the forefront of their attention.
According to a Prudential article:
- 55% of workers realized they are not financially secure because of the pandemic.
- 46% lost sleep due to financial concerns.
- The most common changes made to worker benefits since the pandemic include: increase or start of retirement plan, upgrade in health insurance, and enrollment in life insurance.
Regardless of the specific ways that people have had to adjust and adapt since the start of the pandemic, the common theme experienced by everyone is that of adaptability.
To move forward from our current place some are looking to the post-war economic reform after WWII, according to McKinsey and Company,
“One lesson of the postwar era, then, is that enabling the efficient functioning of the private sector—with an emphasis on resilience, innovation, entrepreneurship, and competition (and today, environmental excellence)—can bring positive results.”
Over the past year, everyone has had to modify their methods and routines in order to survive. Businesses and institutions have innovated and evolved their systems and procedures to meet the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Society has adapted its platforms and interactions, making the best of this "new normal". The knowledge gained through this experience, however, can provide opportunities for growth going forward. Through the process of surviving a pandemic, society is now equipt with more tools that may be used in the future in order to thrive.