The New Normal

“A previously unfamiliar or atypical situation that has become standard, usual, or expected.”

—Oxford University Press

Lots of people are using the term “The New Normal” amid the coronavirus pandemic and our various efforts to mitigate the health crisis. But what exactly is “the new normal”and what will it look like?


How we work


The coronavirus pandemic has had an undeniable negative effect on lives, jobs, and the global economy. However, as world leaders are pointing out, this won’t be forever and eventually we will all be transitioning into a “new normal”. But what is this new normal?


The crisis has made companies realise that there are many lessons to be learnt in making the workplace more efficient, digital, and inclusive. This, in turn, is also reshaping recruitment, roles and is unlocking a whole new workforce. So whilst we may have previously ‘worked from home’ on occasions, organisations are now going to have to learn how to run with a remote workforce. But one of the biggest tests is whether organisations have the technology and supporting processes to support home working.


And what about preparing for the post-pandemic environment? Could productivity soar if the daily commute is no longer required? Might we find we have more time for re-skilling if we’re not in endless face-to-face meetings?


Organisational resilience & flexibility


We are also going to see how resilient certain businesses and business models are. Who is fragile and who can bend and re-shape to respond to the unfolding challenges? Those who have steadfastly refused to change at the pace digital technologies have demanded, will find that irrelevance comes fast. Those who can understand and anticipate needs and then build and execute at speed, with quality and at an acceptable price are going to thrive.


Despite government support, there can be no doubt redundancies will happen and businesses will close. A survey of various companies found that 1 in 10 were expecting to lose between 11% and 49% of the workforce. Economists predict unemployment will spike and will rise by about 5 million by the end of May, taking the unemployment rate from 3.9% to 21%!


Remote working


As anti-social becomes the new social, the office becomes just another room at home and living digitally takes hold, we are going to see unprecedented levels of innovation and invention. We will be forced to make virtual living and relationships intimate and enriching. The “new normal” is going to be here much sooner than we thought.


Send us your thoughts on “the new normal” and what you are putting in place to support employees and your organisation during this period. If you need any support during this time please get in touch!

Cover photo courtesy Adi Goldstein via Unsplash