COVID has changed us, but how?

Hopefully, safe, effective vaccines will help us put the worst of COVID-19 in the rearview mirror. However, it has changed us, and I will be curious to see which of those changes prove to be long-lasting and most impactful.

Working from home has been a sea-change for many, though here at Ideba, we have always valued our status as a virtual team. Our longtime success inoculated me against surprise that many organizations saw both productivity and job satisfaction increase after the switch to remote.

I will be curious to see the staying power of remote work. I believe it changes both your feelings about your home (from which you now work) and your work (which you now do at home). The two blend more. They form a braid of what had been parallel strands. How will hybrid in-office/remote schedules work? How many organizations will insist that everyone return to the office? How much resistance will that attract?

While virtual school was a major trial for many parents, some have told me that increased time with the kids—even for those impromptu moments when you pass in the hall and exchange a few words—was enlivening and helped deepen the bond between them. I know a parent who doesn’t want to let go of all of that, and I assume there are others.

You see news articles about the pandemic forcing a lot of American workers to take stock and reconsider their professional and personal lives. It’s a happy coincidence that Iceland recently publicized results from their study of a 4-day week. They found workers to be more productive and happier.

Will the pandemic considerably alter attitudes toward our lives and work? Will this reverse the decades-long pressure to “lean-in” and prioritize work over many other obligations?

I’ll be interested to see…

-Leonce Gaiter, VP of Content and Strategy