(3 minute read – post pandemic)
It’s been a pretty busy couple of weeks for the whole team as we’ve promoted a new training AND signed on a bunch of new accounting clients. We’ve also been active in promoting government initiatives like World Investor Week and the Super Saturday Mass Vaccination event. As a responsible business in Aotearoa, we do our best to support government initiatives that align with our values.
But that also means that I haven’t had the time to come up with new and instructive content. Which means it’s time for another ‘Sam Says’ column!!!
What happens after the pandemic?
..Is a question worth asking.
The pandemic will (hopefully) come to an end by the end of 2022 – with the last vestiges of the virus slowly dying out or becoming less harmful/infectious. Which means that life will return to normal. Or will it?
The pandemic has brought with it many new learnings. Learnings that many businesses and individuals around the world are starting to adopt as the ‘new normal’. So based on my observations today, I’m going to share with you what life will look like post-pandemic
Working from home is socially acceptable post pandemic
Let’s look back at 2019, when working from home was a privilege that only the hippest, most ‘progressive’ companies provided as an option for their team. Even then, such privilege was only reserved for the non-bread winner parent who had to stay home and look after the children.
Fast forward to 2021, workers are starting to treat the option of working from home as a basic employment right. The pandemic has forced companies all around the world to acknowledge that – yes, the team can STILL FUNCTION even if they are not within spitting distance of each other (and they can’t physically spit at each other as well – a bonus). This has serious repercussions for commercial office spaces as companies realise that they don’t actually need that much floorspace to accommodate their workforce – since they can work from home.
That being said, some individuals will still prefer working in an office setting, but it is harder for employers to say no to employees who want to work from home.
With that also comes a redefining of how we pay our employees. Do we still charge them on an hourly rate and expect them to be online from 9am to 5pm? Or do we pay them instead for the value they bring to the team? I’ve always been of the opinion that the hourly wage rate is flawed, because I pay my team for their contribution and expertise, not their hours. I don’t expect this attitude to change post-pandemic. But it certainly will create the grounds for healthy debate on the matter.
Greater debate about employment rights post pandemic
The advent of the vaccines have brought with it some interesting debate over the kind of oversight that employers have over employee’s choices. Granted, healthcare workers and those at high risk should ALWAYS be up to date on their vaccines. But what about retail workers, construction workers and restaurant workers? Should employers be allowed to make their employment conditional on getting the vaccine?
Obviously, this is a debate that can spill over into other health choices the employee makes. That being said, many workplaces already make employment conditional on passing drug tests. Perhaps vaccination proofs are not that far behind now. Where do we draw the line on employee’s personal health rights VS the viability/brand image of the business?
In our team, even though we all work online, we strongly encourage everyone in the team to get vaccinated – but we respect that it is their personal choice. We also understand that not all businesses are in the privileged position to be able to take that stance. So what works for us, may not work for you.
A bigger shift to online business models post pandemic
Online business models have been around for a long time. The infrastructure to run businesses online have been there well before the pandemic even started. But the pandemic has definitely forced businesses to adopt online business models in order to survive.
Increasingly restaurants are offering online takeaway options. Physical game stores are opening up online shops. Even accounting firms are moving to become fully online. Businesses which have traditionally been thought of having a physical presence are looking at ways to move their services online. With this shift to digital based services, businesses are made to think of their business as not a geographically bound one, but one that is accessible internationally.
Over here at The Comic Accountant, this means that while we write with a distinctively kiwi flavor, we’re still creating content for our readers all across the world. This also informs our decision about the types of business training that we run through our corporate arm, SH Advisory. We’re always thinking of ways to engage with a larger, global population, instead of focusing only on the Aotearoa NZ market.
Well, that’s all the thoughts I have to share today. Next week we’ll talk about some exciting tax and finance stuff. I promise!
In the meantime,
Stay positive!