Life After the Pandemic

[kyle]

for instance, people will start to see the cost-value when doing things ... a typical question might be, "do I go to my local beach and spend $50 or drive 200 kms to a bigger beach and spend $300" .. "what can I do to support my local business" etc etc ... or "I don't think I should go out today, I feel a bit under the weather, may be I will stay indoors today"

As a business professional, cost benefit analysis is always part of the deal. I would have thought more people would have got this in them

 

[kyle]

sometimes, I found out that people just don't work .... for instance they choose to watch Netflix on the work machine, in a different window. But what they didn't realise is that when they move out of the VM, it will change the status to Away on their MS Teams.

Think your team members are not smart enough to use methods to override this behaviour.

 

[Ade]

Think your team members are not smart enough to use methods to override this behaviour.

I don't think they do. Even if they did, it won't work in our machines. I tried using it on my office machine/laptop, with no luck. It's a security thing

 

[jakeseven7]

Now is the time for businesses to really think about what they really do and why they're in business. If they rely on the CBD office set up with customers walking by, then time to rethink your business model. When people start to go back to the office they'll seriously consider every cent they spend.

As with everything market forces will dictate what happens. If all employers offer a level of flexibility and high grade talent demand it then it will happen.

I suspect most will end up in a hybrid solution with % presence required in the office which ultimately might mean even more diversity of companies and people in our CBDs as more spaces open up which would be great!

 

[Ade]

As with everything market forces will dictate what happens. If all employers offer a level of flexibility and high grade talent demand it then it will happen.

I suspect most will end up in a hybrid solution with % presence required in the office which ultimately might mean even more diversity of companies and people in our CBDs as more spaces open up which would be great!

Also, W.R.T to industries that employ workers from overseas, from what I have seen/experienced before, there might be a model that relies more on the working from office type scenario. This is good in a way that, there will be more economic activity in the CBD - from apartment lease/rentals, coffee shops, lunch takeaways, public transport ticket fares, etc

 

[Hvr]

This is good in a way that, there will be more economic activity in the CBD - from apartment lease/rentals, coffee shops, lunch takeaways, public transport ticket fares, etc

So forced spending to prop up CBD businesses? At the expense of suburban businesses who have adapted to the new circumstances?

 

[Ade]

So forced spending to prop up CBD businesses? At the expense of suburban businesses who have adapted to the new circumstances?

OMG! Oh, no .. that's not what I meant ... It's just that in my experience, personally, there is an implicit need to be located near work - to do on-call support during any hour of the day, to be able to come in to work at very short notice. Often times, on-call happens when there is a critical issue and sometimes it needs to be dealt with under 1 hour ... I have worked in this role for over 11 years now and I have ALWAYS lived in the CBD, one or two streets away from my workplace ... I have walked down the street to my office at 3 AM too many times that I lost count.

So I meant that, when overseas workers relocate to AU for these roles (which they definitely will once borders open), it is highly likely that they will live in the CBD and boost the CBD's economy (without any force, just happens naturally), so to speak

 

[Must...Fly!]

So forced spending to prop up CBD businesses? At the expense of suburban businesses who have adapted to the new circumstances?

There are a lot of economic benefits to having people work at an office. I can understand you don't want to do that, but if your current employer decides to mandate it then I'm sure there are plenty of others that won't.

 

[Seat0B]

As someone who has been WFH essentially since April 2020 I love it. I changed roles a couple of times and had to quickly learn new skills and we've done it well.

My current role has lots of cogitating and writing so peace and quiet is essential. I meet my KPIs as does virtually everybody in the team. Those who don't are dealt with by their boss.

I live alone and have a dedicated work setup that is better than many office setups I've worked in.

However, post pandemic I can see businesses demanding that governments (state and federal) force their employees back to the office so they'll spend money in the CBD. I refused to spend a cent in the city last time we were back for a few days, as did several colleagues.who were also upset at the forced return.

Now is the time for businesses to really think about what they really do and why they're in business. If they rely on the CBD office set up with customers walking by, then time to rethink your business model. When people start to go back to the office they'll seriously consider every cent they spend.

Many people now realise just how fragile their finances are and will reconsider discretionary spending. Sadly, many people are in debt and will not have any discretionary spending for many years.

For businesses that rely on overseas visitors then seriously consider broadening your customer base because no-one's coming here soon.

There will be opportunities but too many people will miss them, because, 'we've never done that before' or similar excuses.

This is an opportunity to rethink and decide what is truly important and what was 'make work' to fill in time.

And of course the health issues, physical and mental, will need to be properly identified and treated.

The opportunity is there for a visionary leader to step up and make the world, even just our little bit, a much better place.

But, I suspect the carpetbaggers will swoop in, make their riches and exploit people. for their own nefarious purposes.

Sad to say I already have supporting evidence that employers (in this case the federal and ACT governments) are already forcing people into offices - although the ACT govt has been the most flexible bout that.

I do feel sorry for businesses in the CBD who used to thrive (like coffee shops) and now are in a ghost town. By comparison though, the local coffee shops are booming here in the suburbs. Some new ones have opened up as well. A well known pie shop here in Canberra has closed its city shopfront and now operates from Tuggeranong and Woden shopping centres instead. They have seen that the CBD model is maybe changing.

I have worked from home for many years now. I accept that it does not suit everyone- but for those it suits, why not allow it as a valid option. It doesn’t have to be full time work from home, just a few days a week could really be helpful for some people.

 

[Seat0B]

Here’s another thing I would like to see reviewed after the pandemic. Just who is an essential worker? And how should their value to society be reflected in their pay and conditions?

For example, we all know medical, paramedical, fire, police etc. But what about the supermarket staff who keep working every day, allowing us to buy food? And toilet paper . Or the truckies that deliver that food? Or the others in logistics chains that supply food, medicines etc. What about teachers and early childhood workers? Seems like parents can’t work very effectively if they have to supervise home learning or mind small children. I’m sure there are others that I have missed. These people make major contributions to our society, and are not at all well paid. Compare that to pampered footy players, or even CEOs of most businesses.

I’m not arguing for socialism with everyone paid the same regardless but the disparity is pretty big, especially given how we rely on people in roles that we never even thought of as essential before.

How could we make better child care arrangements so parents can work? Like 0-2 support to stay home. 2 year olds 2 days in care, 3 year olds 3 days in care and so on until school starts. And care is free to parents - funded like schools are.

 

[jakeseven7]

For example, we all know medical, paramedical, fire, police etc. But what about the supermarket staff who keep working every day, allowing us to buy food? And toilet paper . Or the truckies that deliver that food? Or the others in logistics chains that supply food, medicines etc.

Excluding teachers for a second, yes we rely on these people absolutely but ultimately the skill set required to complete a lot (NOT ALL ) of these tasks is relatively low, could be done by many people and therefore the wage relates to this. I can train someone up on basic retail POS and have them serving customers in less than a day.... I'm not arguing they shouldn't be looked after more (I totally agree) but I suspect the pure market forces will just dictate this moving forward.

 

[Ade]

roles that we never even thought of as essential before.

What we thought was a "choice" pre-CoVID is now "essential" ...

As I mentioned previously, I try my hands at various part-time/casual gigs to keep myself active/engaged/busy/stop binge watching Netflix etc. When I told my mates, pre-CoVID, that I'm trying to get a job in a local convenience store, they were not very supportive of my decision. My family & friends mentioned that it was my "choice" to work at a local store or a local supermarket. I still went ahead and took the role. Now, I'm an essential working with a major chain that provides people with services, during lockdowns/curfews etc.

 

[Seat0B]

Exclduing teachers for a second, yes we rely on these people absolutely but ultimately the skill set required to complete a lot (NOT ALL ) of these tasks is relatively low, could be done by many people and therefore the wage relates to this. I can train someone up on basic retail POS and have them serving customers in less than a day.... I'm not arguing they shouldn't be looked after more (I totally agree) but I suspect the pure market forces will just dictate this moving forward.

Yes I understand and agree with all that. I just think there should be some sort of recognition for them financially - like an “essential to community” loading. Or even just an increase in the minimum wage/award. Not all entry level jobs/low skilled jobs are essential, but many really are.

 

[jakeseven7]

Yes I understand and agree with all that. I just think there should be some sort of recognition for them financially - like an “essential to community” loading. Or even just an increase in the minimum wage/award. Not all entry level jobs/low skilled jobs are essential, but many really are.

Don't disagree.... But will never happen.

 

[Seat0B]

Western economies can’t return to ‘business as usual’ after the pandemic | Michael Jacobs

Today’s challenges demand radical action. The old orthodoxy of free markets and hands-off government won’t cut it, says political economist Michael Jacobs

www.theguardian.com

here‘s another interesting conversation starter.

 

[jakeseven7]

Western economies can’t return to ‘business as usual’ after the pandemic | Michael Jacobs

Today’s challenges demand radical action. The old orthodoxy of free markets and hands-off government won’t cut it, says political economist Michael Jacobs

www.theguardian.com

here‘s another interesting conversation starter.

I really love all these articles but people just don't get how quickly people forget.

In 1-2 years all of this will be like 'whatever, history' and there will be the biggest snap back.

 

[Seat0B]

I really love all these articles but people just don't get how quickly people forget.

In 1-2 years all of this will be like 'whatever, history' and there will be the biggest snap back.

Certainly that’s the lesson of history.

But just sometimes, something sticks and carries forward - and I hope for that this time.

 

[Ade]

In 1-2 years all of this will be like 'whatever, history' and there will be the biggest snap back.

This reminds me, in the past 3 weeks, every news agency/outlet in AU & perhaps the world, was covering what was happening in Afghanistan. And if one can notice, the frequency of the news out of Afghanistan started to reduce once AU forces finished their work and now, there is only traces of news out of Afghanistan after US finished yesterday.

Granted, not an apple to apple comparison. But how quickly things get forgotten

 

[drron]

We also have forgotten people here.This came up on my twitter feed today.

 

[Seat0B]

My mum feels the same @drron.

I'd like to see the pandemic result in changes to the aged care system so that staff are better paid and residents have a better life. But I guess if a Royal Commission can't do that, the pandemic probably won't change too much.

Surely they could make a vaxxed wing and a non-vaxxed wing for residents so that those willing to "risk" seeing their families can. That seesm a relatively easy fix for me.