Permanent changes to "normal" because of the pandemic

[SiteWolf]

I've thought about starting this thread before, but a post in another thread about working remotely triggered me to do it now.

Distance learning, remote work- two more terms used rarely before that are now just part of our vocabulary....both of which can have ripple effects across a lot of areas.

Extended distance learning: are kids actually learning during this time? My brother feels like his 5 yr old is regressing some, with no social interaction or the same structure in his day. Are most kids losing ground because, instead of going from class to class, they're really only doing a couple hours of homework then playing video games?

Remote work- I did that for a couple years on a previous job. When people asked, I'd say something like 'a good thing about working from home is, well, you're home...a bad thing about working from home is, well, you're home' ...for me meaning it was great to not have to take as much time to get ready in the morning, not have to think about making a drive in subzero temps in the winter, not have to think about dealing with that obnoxious guy in the office, have the flexibility to take breaks even run errands you couldn't if you were in the office.

But it also meant you were continually testing your discipline, maybe confusing your child when you say 'sorry, I can't, daddy's working' when, to them, working looks the same as any other time. Or, for me, I'd use the same mentality as I'd done in the past when I built web sites or created graphics for hire- there's a difference between hours and billable hours. If 8 hours passed and I didn't feel I accomplished 8 hours of work, my day wasn't done until I did.

So now, with more and more people working remotely, at least for the time being, what other implications arise from that?

Obviously those are just TWO topics I think of in relation to changes that have occurred over these past months that are quite likely to have lasting effects on what we used to view as normal. What are your thoughts on these....and what others do you have?

[GGGGG-Men]

There’s been so many additional covid threads that could be merged and haven’t been, but this is a good one so thanks for that.

I really hope my company looks at remote working for the future. The extra time with the family without having to commute has been great. or get stuck in one of those 5pm conversations or the “I just need to finish one more thing”.

I hope we can be done with handshaking. A high five to someone who is a buddy is great, but the whole going around the room shaking hands with people who just got off a 15 hour international flight....blah.

That’s another one. Travel. I love traveling for work. I love having time to myself at the airport and on the plane with a drink and taking a timeout. Seeing new cities and hotels, etc. That said, we haven’t gotten on a plane in almost a year now and have not missed a beat. It’s so unnecessary.


I also wonder about mask wearing. They’ve done it for years in Japan for travel or when someone is sick they wear it to avoid spreading what they have. Wonder if that hangs around longer.

[SiteWolf]

These days most of what I see is fist bumping or air high fives or even shared thumbs ups (thumb ups? thumbs up?)....and I never really understood all the handshaking in the first place

I don't travel for work, but I've been spending the holidays (my gosh, almost said Christmas...whoops, there it is) with my brother in Hawaii for years and bought my tickets for this year months ago....now here that is under a month away and I'm not sure of the logic...or logistics.

If we haven't been able to get certain parts of the population to wear a mask now, a much larger part of the population would refuse once vaccinations start happening en masse. I'm sure it'll be MORE frequent that some continue, but less prevelant than now IMO.

Remote work has raised a ton of questions. I've had conversations with people about this before, but if you were to truly be honest with yourself, do you feel you get less work, just as much work, or more work donw while working from home vs being on site?

[Crovash]

Big picture: there will be no return to normal.

The pandemic merely accelerated our journey towards a new order, which was coming no matter what, and the principal aspect of that order will be general economic and political policy dictated even more than now by a very few (silicon valley), very rich individuals.

[SiteWolf]

Big picture: there will be no return to normal.

The pandemic merely accelerated our journey towards a new order, which was coming no matter what, and the principal aspect of that order will be general economic and political policy dictated even more than now by a very few (silicon valley), very rich individuals.

well now, if that doesn't make me feel like we're in a dystopian movie

I agree on normal, which is why the title includes "normal" because we know whatever it is, it won't be what it was

[benny01]

well now, if that doesn't make me feel like we're in a dystopian movie

I agree on normal, which is why the title includes "normal" because we know whatever it is, it won't be what it was

I think in a few years it will be a fun story for the kids. We will all settle back into our old routines pretty quick, and nothing much will change.

[Crovash]

well now, if that doesn't make me feel like we're in a dystopian movie

I agree on normal, which is why the title includes "normal" because we know whatever it is, it won't be what it was

I always thought that the climate upheaval would be the catalyst for this, but Covid-19 has pushed the agenda.

We have arrived more quockly than we would have at a world where labor will be largely sub-contracted, massive amounts of information and will be in the hands of an exclusive few, and likewise wealth will be even more highly concentrated in those few.

They will call the shots. The rest of us will become modern-day serfs.

[blams]

Maybe 'Murcans will be respectful and wear a mask if they must go out while not feeling well?

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[statquo]

Big picture: there will be no return to normal.

The pandemic merely accelerated our journey towards a new order, which was coming no matter what, and the principal aspect of that order will be general economic and political policy dictated even more than now by a very few (silicon valley), very rich individuals.

More of a journey to a new social contract.

[flips333]

There’s been so many additional covid threads that could be merged and haven’t been, but this is a good one so thanks for that.

I really hope my company looks at remote working for the future. The extra time with the family without having to commute has been great. or get stuck in one of those 5pm conversations or the “I just need to finish one more thing”.

I hope we can be done with handshaking. A high five to someone who is a buddy is great, but the whole going around the room shaking hands with people who just got off a 15 hour international flight....blah.

That’s another one. Travel. I love traveling for work. I love having time to myself at the airport and on the plane with a drink and taking a timeout. Seeing new cities and hotels, etc. That said, we haven’t gotten on a plane in almost a year now and have not missed a beat. It’s so unnecessary.


I also wonder about mask wearing. They’ve done it for years in Japan for travel or when someone is sick they wear it to avoid spreading what they have. Wonder if that hangs around longer.

I for one will most certainly start wearing it when I am traveling. Who wants to spend thousands of dollars to go somewhere then get sick?

[brett05]

Remote work has raised a ton of questions. I've had conversations with people about this before, but if you were to truly be honest with yourself, do you feel you get less work, just as much work, or more work donw while working from home vs being on site?

More work done easily. I eliminate 4-4.5 hours of daily travel and have the ability to work even more with that time saved as needed.

[dbroncsinmo]

I think in a few years it will be a fun story for the kids. We will all settle back into our old routines pretty quick, and nothing much will change.

I agree that things will go back to exactly how they were with the exception of masks. They will take some time to fade away for a small percentage of the population.

I do disagree with your timeline though. By 2022, things will be like they were in 2019.

[catman]

Big picture: there will be no return to normal.

The pandemic merely accelerated our journey towards a new order, which was coming no matter what, and the principal aspect of that order will be general economic and political policy dictated even more than now by a very few (silicon valley), very rich individuals.

I disagree. Fauci says we can return to pre-covid normal (or close to it) once vaccinations are in place and everyone takes one. We can eradicate Covid like we eradicated measles,whooping cough, polio, etc.
Some industries will be just as well off with people working from home, but others require in-person work. Its hard for nurses to do their jobs from home.

[spliff(TONE)]

Maybe 'Murcans will be respectful and wear a mask if they must go out while not feeling well?

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

Dream on.

[SiteWolf]

I think in a few years it will be a fun story for the kids. We will all settle back into our old routines pretty quick, and nothing much will change.

Well here's some changes that appear may continue on to become more the norm

We have already seen many companies allowing more employees to work from home, with a lot of them already making that a permanent option. This change alone has already caused and will continue to cause more people to move AWAY from cities- after all, if your choice of where to live is no longer tied to where you work, do you choose to live in an urban area or choose not to?

This summer I was 'browsing' for lake lots I might be interested in, for me thinking lot vs home because a lot could be built on if I decide to live there in retirement, enjoyed as is until then, or sold assumedly for a profit if I decide to retire elsewhere. At a lake an hour or so away I was looking at lots in a development and was told that most of the lots purchased recently...were by people from Minneapolis, 4 hours away, who planned to live there full time and work from home.

Additionally, my company relies on construction happening; no construction equals no sale. The pandemic hasn't just SLOWED some construction, it has actually KILLED some projects while delaying others while they rework plans. Why? Well, if more people are working from home permanently, companies need less space at the office. So they may scale down the space they build or plan to lease.