What will a COVID normal look like for Australians?

The phrase ‘COVID normal’ has been used a lot in the last few months and has even formed a part of the roadmap out of the lockdown currently in place in Victoria. While we understand what a COVID normal will look like in terms of COVID case numbers, there are so many other factors to consider in the new normal.

A large chunk of the workforce went from working in an office to working from home, practically overnight. When offices begin to gradually re-open, many of these workers will be given a choice to continue working from home. And if not, they’ll be able to make a strong case for it. The decentralisation of business operations could also mean that traditional CBDs will lose their stronghold.

Because more people will continue to work from home, it means workers will centralise their lives more around their neighbourhoods, shopping and socialising more locally. This could mean that neighbourhood wine bars and gift stores will supersede city bars and shopping malls. 

Along with the projected move for consumers to shop locally, e-commerce and online shopping will continue, not only because more people are at home to receive deliveries, but also the safety implications of shopping from home. 

For obvious reasons, the way we travel has completely changed in 2020, with a current restriction on freely leaving and entering the country for leisure travel. When travel resumes, we can expect strict group and crowd control at major attractions, with face masks required.

Some of these changes will be challenging, but the best thing to do is to adapt your business now for these future changes, and get ahead of your competition now. You can do this now be ensuring:

• Your business has all of the safety measures in place to protect your workers and any visitors that come onto your premises. 
• You have tools in place to manage your remote workers.
• Focus on communication with your workers, building relationships and keeping them engaged. 
• Be prepared for any Job Keeper nominations. 
• Implement a health and wellbeing policy to ensure your workers feel looked after.

As a business, we’re preparing ourselves for the new COVID normal, and we’re also helping our clients prepare with Alloc8. Contact our team to find out how we can help you navigate this uncertain period. We’re living through a once in a lifetime event, but with foresight, preparation and determination, we will overcome this.