How Did 2020 Change The Way We Work?
In March of 2020, work as we knew it instantly changed. We were used to an office environment where physical office space was the norm. Virtual meetings were the exception and were primarily used when clients were distant and travel was impossible. Although more and more companies had made working virtually more acceptable, the trend was merely beginning. The global pandemic of COVID-19 changed all of this. Many will look back on this year and remember it as a disaster. However, because of the challenging world pandemic, technology quickly evolved and was adopted faster than would have ever happened.
Before COVID-19, the world had started to move towards more and more virtual employees. At that time, though, businesses had no valid method of “work from home” (WFH) that had been entirely accepted. In addition, the technology was not where it needed to be to be conducive to all employees working from home. Then COVID-19 happened, and we were all sent home. If you were lucky, your company chose to transition to working virtually rather than closing. Working virtually saved your job, and virtual meetings were quite fun. We all changed our backgrounds, wore sweats, and managed our naked toddlers running through meetings. Soon, we realized this pandemic was not going away, and our current technology was not conducive to making WFH a long term solution.
Technology companies realized the advancements they were hoping to create over the coming years needed to happen much faster. Leaders in virtual meetings like Microsoft and Zoom stepped up to the plate. They devoted their time to developing new tools to create collaborative meetings that allowed for genuine interaction without being physically face-to-face. They dedicated their resources to speed up the process and were successful in delivering the necessary tools. In addition to the incredibly rapid advancement of WFH technology, the adoption rate of said technology was also astronomically higher than what would have happened in a typical year. With the adoption rate as high as it was due to utter necessity in our new found WFH environment, we not only adapted but learned to embrace and excel as organizations in entirely new environments. The brick and mortar structures became less critical, whereas striving to connect and learn to collaborate in a virtual environment became the common goal. We didn’t have time to question the change; instead, we worked together to embrace the change, pull our resources, and choose the best method to help our businesses excel.
Although we can all agree that 2020 was an odd and challenging year, it also brought significant advancements in the way we work. Undoubtedly, we are all ready to move on to 2021, but we also need to appreciate the greatness that came out of the challenge. To learn more about how our Pendello team rose to the challenge in a time of complete uncertainty and helped keep our clients continue working safely and securely from home, reach out to our Pendello team today. There will undoubtely come new challenges in the coming years so let's learn all we can from 2020.
At Pendello Solutions, we turn technology hurdles into powerful assets. Our technology solutions fuel growth, productivity, and efficiency, through continuous innovation and strategic solutions, empowering your business beyond the imaginable. Contact us today to discover the Pendello Method.