We can all agree that 2020 is a year that a lot of us are going to remember for a very long time. The global pandemic has had a huge effect in every of our lives both positively and negatively. Regardless of what end of the spectrum we find ourselves, the year has made most of us realize a few of the points stated below:
You can work from home productively: As at January 2020, it never crossed people’s mind that it would be possible to work from home especially in a place like Nigeria. Most employers believed that employees may not be productive and put in their best from the comfort of their homes but the pandemic has proven this to be untrue. Not only are most people able to work productively, they achieve this in addition to taking care of kids and keeping them engaged.
Investment in commercial real estate may decline: most employees now working from home, some companies are now reconsidering if it is necessary to have a huge office space or cut back on the large amount of money used in running an office space. For instance, twitter has given its employees the liberty to work from home forever. If most of the employees end up taking this option, there may not be a need for the company to retain a large office space. This is positive for residential properties, implying that residential demand will rise, whereas demand for commercial properties may decline.
Jeff Bezos is not going broke soon: Jeff Bezos added a staggering $73 billion to his net worth in 2020 alone! That’s more money than most people at the bottom end of the wealth spectrum will probably ever spend in their lifetime.
No condition is truly permanent: Most people often blot out this saying without much thought but the pandemic has helped to reinforce its authenticity. Some people have gone from having stable jobs in a stable industry to literally struggling to put food on the table while some have gone from earning enough to get by to becoming millionaires. Not that there has never been a shift in people’s lives but the effects of the pandemic made it more obvious.
Digital Operations has come to stay: If you were skeptical in embracing technology, it is time you have a rethink. Due to social distancing measures observed worldwide, a lot of businesses that required physical interaction struggled with their daily operations. The fortunate ones were able to move their business onto the digital space while others had to shut down.
Physical Interaction has been unappreciated: The fact that we cannot freely give hugs or handshakes has been extremely unsettling especially for people who like physical contact.
Health Workers are truly Heroes: Doctors, Nurses, paramedics and other workers in the health industry have been on the frontlines risking their lives to save others. If that is not a heroic act, then what is?
