Recalibrate, take measures, to get things right: it will be the year in which, despite this "universal flood" that has rained on us, we will also try to make ourselves more comfortable.
Whether change scares us or not, it becomes a secondary problem when there is no alternative. And if the first year was an upheaval, now we will begin to recalibrate our habits and improve our adaptation.
One of the things that many of us have had to recalibrate: the office workplace. I've talked about this often on this blog: Before 2020, it was a big deal for a company to give to employees the opportunity to work from home 1-2 days a week. Now companies like MasterCard, Intuit, Shopify, Siemens and others seem to be busy recalibrating a different balance, one that predominantly sees work from home for most resources. This trend will continue long into the future.
Recalibrate personal priorities
Along with this, our priorities change. Due to the transition to work from home, we are seeing a shift in personal priorities. Lives will not be organized around work. It will be exactly the opposite: work will take second place, under personal commitments and pleasure.
Over time, this will lead to a deeper sense of purpose, in other areas as well.
From a management point of view, the advent of remote working has meant that companies have had to recalibrate on results. This, as they say, is making time count rather than simply counting it.
This kind of trust and empowerment makes people everywhere much more productive.
Recalibrate travel and business travel
We have learned that we can also be efficient and effective with virtual meetings. Even when physically returning to the office, face-to-face connections with out-of-town customers will happen over a distance rather than face-to-face.
Sure, physical conferences and off-site meetings, for the most part, will pick up and take place in person. None of us have ever gotten used to virtual one-day sessions or online happy hours. In any case, recalibrating this component will still mean a overall decline in business travelthe. A long-term trend, much to the chagrin of the airline and hospitality industries.
Review energy sources
Finally, we will have even more evidence of the recent and rapid decline of the oil industry and gas due to the dramatic drop in demand worldwide.
Yes, we were already gradually moving towards battery-powered cars and alternative energy sources, but this trend has had to be recalibrated and has accelerated significantly. As a result, the global economic collapse triggered oil and gas sector downturns. A free fall destined to continue.
Health and Wellness
Finally, we will need to recalibrate our lives by placing greater emphasis on health and well-being, both personally and professionally.
Flu and cold season will now be flu, cold and COVID season: new variants of these viruses will appear and/or reappear every year.
Masks will become standard in clothing and much more common during the fall and winter months.
Family leave policies will be more liberal and generous, especially if companies want to keep mothers in their workforce. This will be a long-term recalibration.
Recalibrate and move on
More than anything, however, let's all get on with life as soon as possible in 2021. We forget the return to how we were, but we look to the future as a blank page, with the desire to be better, and to do better things. And those of us who also work with the future have extraordinary years ahead, which will see the world recalibrate its trends with AI, robots, flying drones and who knows what else.
