Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has been a crazy year for many businesses. Many companies have been forced to close and many have had to adapt to new ways of working through the pandemic. When restaurants were forced to close earlier this year, many had to keep their doors shut whereas others took on new and unfamiliar territory by introducing takeaways.
So far through 2020, businesses have had to cope against the rapid changes in customer demands, working from home, and social distancing. While some companies have been able to adapt, others have not been so lucky. For customers struggling with the tighter lockdown measures earlier this year, there have been many useful guides and articles that have helped them through it. There have been motivational articles on keeping active during lockdown, inspirational posts on how to look after your mental health, and even useful guides highlighting the importance of addressing the issue of problem gambling.
The impact of the change in customer demand
Before the pandemic, there were a lot of things that customers did during their weekly routines. They commuted to work, grabbed a coffee to go, bought petrol for their car, and attended cinema showings. However, as covid-19 arrived in the United Kingdom, these usual routines would start to change. During lockdown, if people were working from home, there were many things that they didn’t need anymore, such as their bus passes and restaurant reservations. As businesses were asked to close their doors, sectors such as the restaurant industry and airlines saw big hits to their usual customer demand. Other businesses were able to operate quite like usual, to accommodate those who were working from home. As people spend more time at home, it’s easy to see how companies like Netflix and Amazon have an increase in subscribers and sales.
Usual business operations disrupted due to social distancing
As social distancing measures were put in place by the government, a lot of businesses started to see a difference. Companies who couldn’t have staff working from home had to reduce shift numbers, acquire PPE, and introduce thorough hand-washing measures. Social distancing measures have also proved difficult since restaurants and shops have started to reopen, as they still cannot operate to their full capacity. There is still going to be a long way back to normality for high streets as footfall still remains quite low after a lot of retail shops have reopened.
Many companies have had employees working from home
Due to the virus, many businesses have allowed workers to work from their homes since March – if it is possible to do so. While there are benefits linked with such a move, the adjustment period has taken some getting used to. For instance, since workers have had to collaborate remotely, there has had to be some effective organisation to ensure good communication. To adjust to working from home, a lot of businesses have had to utilise video-calling resources such as Skype, Zoom, and Microsoft Meetings, to communicate with colleagues. Other online tools such as Slack and Google Drive can prove useful for team communication and collaboration too.
While some workers have enjoyed their new at-home work routine, others have taken some time to properly adjust. As many of us are used to commuting to work and talking to colleagues face-to-face, the transition has been difficult for some. To help people adjust, the NHS has even published a guide on tips that can help employees tackle working from home. It highlights how useful it can be for workers to create a working routine and make a dedicated workspace, as it might be the new working routine for many people for the rest of this year.
