The “Wuhan virus”, the “Kent strain”, the “Delta variant”, the “Omicron variant” have been unwelcome visitors with us for months and months now and it looks as if there is no going away from it. The new “C-word” has brought misery across the world, but this is the New Year and a time of reflection. We want to think about the silver linings this lingering cloud has also brought us, and there are a few.
Work life balance
I have heard of “work life balance” for decades but finally it seems that both employers and employees are taking it seriously. Flexible working hours, and flexible working places, are now the norm and it looks like this is here to stay. This can only be a positive development in everyone’s lives, to be able to focus on work, but also pay our families and our well-being the full attention they deserve.
Informal meetings
Not everyone likes online-meetings (Zoom, Meet, Teams, etc) but they are also here to stay. And what they did bring us is a more relaxed expectation when it comes to presentation and delivery. As an “alien in London” (I still like music from The Police!), I used to perceive UK meeting etiquette as quite stringent (the British are, after all, quite attached to their customs and traditions). This is now largely a thing of the past: meetings can be more informal, children and spouses can walk in the background or interrupt, pets can walk on the keyboard. What used to be seen as a terrible faux-pas is now routinely shrugged off, and either ignored or used to lighten the mood of the meeting.
Positivity for mental health
Talk of mental health is no longer taboo. It’s OK for everyone to feel less than 100%, even at work. Not having that pressure to pretend to be OK all the time is, in itself, a help towards a stronger mental attitude (and if your workplace still runs you ragged every day, you should consider finding another!)
As much as everyone despises the pandemic: the uncertainty and anxiety that it keeps bringing and in too many cases, the sorrow, I think it also did bring lasting, positive societal changes.
2020 was terrible, 2021 was not much better. 2022 is not starting up in the best way, but a year is a long time (yes, it is!) and we better days will return.
We have huge hopes and ambitions at Lares Digital for the coming year. Our pilot is going strong, our software is going from strength to strength and our pipeline is looking healthier than ever. With a number of exciting sales meetings booked for January, there’s no doubt in our minds that we have hit upon a real solution to a real problem, and that our Digital Receptionist service comes at the perfect time, when work processes and workplace environments are being closely looked at.