What is a Pandemic?
A pandemic is usually a disease spread throughout a region or localization that are often easily and highly communicable between humans and animals alike. If this pandemic is uncontrolled, it leads to a widespread epidemic beyond bounds to the entire world, it then becomes a pandemic. Therefore a pandemic can correctly be said to be a global widespread disease, which affects the whole world.
There have been according to many tales of history, the occurrence of pandemics causing a lot of catastrophes on lives, properties and especially the various economy balance of nations of the world. Pandemics causes a widespread high mortality rate in a very short time after awareness, it also causes havoc on the economy especially, impeding any form of economic growth and induces fear among masses forcing people to stay away from workplaces, schools, or social functions, bringing this level distress in the minds of people and sharks tension especially in a politically stable state or nation.
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This mandatory lockdown has brought about the close of many enterprises and businesses, introducing a work from home method for many employees of various companies that could easily adopt and adapt to the new reality the world is challenged with. Though there are basic things one must know on how to find a remote job.
- One must understand the job market, popular jobs and hiring companies
- Make your search for remote jobs easier and faster (make research) one may suggest LinkedIn, flexjob, Jobberman, etc
- Draft a resume that will attract any employer that receives your application
- Review and practice your interview skills to impress an employer
Impact of the Global Pandemic
- Economic Collapse
A global outbreak such as the current coronavirus pandemic always carries a consequential impact on the global economy, according to recent researches that have been conducted, the global economy was at a fragile verge due to uncertainty of policies and financial market conflicts, at the uncontrollable spread of this pandemic, many businesses and companies had to shut down due to the government imposed and mandatory lockdown throughout many countries, causing more damage to the economy. It presents a more unstable economy too fragile nations who are on the verge of collapse. Some counties, unlike their other world counterparts, do not have sustainable contingency plans to salvage the economic retrogression they are faced with hence, they are at the mercy of donations and large loans from the world bank, IMF, and so on.
- Unemployment
This is one of the greatest impacts a global pandemic can cause to the world. Unemployment becomes a gradual and inevitable reality that helps salvage the fiscal budget of private companies, in order to meet up to survive. As much as companies are concerned about the global pandemic and would contribute their quota in national resolution, they are also at the same time generating mass unemployment in order to slim weight their organization and rearrange their payroll so as for the company not to go under or suffer bankruptcy.
According to statistics for the United States as an example, there has been skyrocketing unemployment claims and rates of about 6.6 million people who have suffered this after the first few months the pandemic began. Furloughing staff and agents of a business becomes a necessity still in the light to slim weight company employees, which simply means placing staff on leave without pay, letting some of them go and all of these would always likely be an indefinite action, which amount to more hands being forced back into the labour market, breaking the rule of division of labour and making the work more cumbersome for the essential few workers left behind.
Automation is at this point more encouraged, which means robots are automated to take over a man’s job, helping the company save more money in salaries and at the same time providing more unemployed people who are back to the labour market which keeps on growing at a wide speed.
- High Crime Rate
This is a sad reality especially for third world countries like the African countries. As sad as it may be the new reality calls for the government action to enact a lockdown rule and which sometimes is a total lockdown for more than 14 days even up to a month, without the acclaimed palliatives for the daily survival of its citizens. Many citizens lose their jobs and livelihood at the same time during this period and use the little from their savings to fend for themselves and their dependents, while some are daily workers that receive wages and without their jobs are forced to stay hungry. At this point, the pandemic presents an opportunity for a high crime rate than has ever been experienced before now. As much as it is a loathsome behaviour but it is indirectly encouraged by the economic collapse faced by people during this period of lockdown and global pandemic.
- Inflation
As it is known that inflation is an activity whereby prices of goods and services are increase and the value of the currency falls below normal. This new reality sets the stage for some private businesses and companies which now take the advantage to increase the prices of goods and services rendered especially on edible goods and food which is more patronized at this period because more people buy and stocked their houses. It is a selfish and senseless increase but almost unstoppable making the measures in controlling the disease more difficult.
- Delay in Educational System
Due to the global pandemic, all school children at all levels from basic to tertiary schools have all being laid back on their studies. The delay continues as no one knows when the various governments of the world who approve their students going back to their education. Those students who were all intended to write external exams have all being pushed back and are told to wait till it is considered safe. This global pandemic has made all things slow and behind schedule for most students.
How the Global Pandemic is Shaping the Future Job
With the advent of this global pandemic, the world has taken another shape with so many things put on hold, and movements also restricted. The future is now uncertain as most things out in place have to be rearranged and planned again before most things can go back to how it used to be before now. Below are outlined some of the ways in which the global pandemic is going to shape the future jobs.
- Working from home or remotely
this is the topmost way in which the future of jobs is going to take up. In today’s world, it has over time gradually started adopting the remote-friendly or work from the home perspective of working, which means employees are allowed or can work remotely from the comfort of their homes or any other place aside from the physical office space or the company’s building.
This method or choice of working has to be accompanied by the enabling power of the company, which means there are certain basic set up for this kind of working environment in order to function properly. For example, some companies in the United States provided allowance as much as $1000 to help kick start a work from home environment, some companies provided perks like tables, chairs, couch and various equipment that will enable and comfort employees to work in a better, convenient and smarter way. This for some businesses and organizations has become an indefinite option and while most will adopt it after now as a permanent way of working.
- Regional hubs
as the pandemic gradually falls under substantial control with the daily report and searches for a vaccine, the lockdown procedures are slowly being removed so then offices are allowed to open within some stipulated period of time. Some companies may for the best interest open regional hubs for their employees, instead of the whole workforce commuting to the headquarters like before the pandemic, they will be able to gather at hubs geographically close to their homes or within their living area for an easy commute. The headquarter would likely be a symbol to represent the business and help converge conferences or important physical meetings when needed.
- Learning to work agile
physical meetings will not have to be suspended entirely but be integrated into technology by means of emails, video conferencing, instant messaging apps, or basic phone calls. Tech companies around the globe are not listed to be learning because they have the best practices and are already involved with the scope but the other sphere of the labour force is now expected to learn and use this medium for the effective productivity of their businesses. Emails may already be statutory to so many companies but with the other features that help set up meeting calendars and reminders are to be learned and quickly put into practice. In also learning to work agile, business travelling costs will be cut and telecommunication will become norms in setting up meetings especially the video conference mediums which will be the means of conferences, conventions, and workshops. It is interesting to know that seminars are already been organized as webinars
- Strengthen interpersonal relationships
the pandemic has made colleagues realize how much they appreciate the daily physical interactions and regret inaction or neglect pre-pandemic. The aftermath of the pandemic would not only have an adverse effect on people but also accompanied by a new light of basic relationship skills. Although there should be limitations to touching each other like handshakes and hugs, improvements in smiling, nodding, waving, and other friendly gestures at their disposal. Relationships that are formed during the lockdown and isolation period are going to be seeds that will germinate, blossom, and flourish.
- Flexibility in work hours
the routine 9-5 work hours at offices and headquarters would also be significantly affected by a new order of schedules and work methods. It would be more like a stipulated 40 hours of work per week and tasks are assigned to members of a company, the rationale will be likely based on deliverables and tasks completed. A time convenient for employees to carry out assignment are flexed personally, especially working remotely, this helps to foster stronger bonds with your family, and having more family time than ever before, enabling discoveries about individual family members significantly with peculiar traits. A stable mental and emotional health is plausible for a focused mind on the job or task at hand, and this in turn for itself gives wonderful results.
- Fashionable Face masks an office accessory
the post-pandemic era will not only bring about an adverse effect as previously cited above, but it will also throw some opportunity for textile business owners, fashion designers and every other person involved in the fashion business enabling them to leverage on the mass production face mask as a starter to bounce back to business and normal day to day activities of the world. It is important to acknowledge that a new office wear accessory is going to be added, of course, which is the nose mask, everyone else is required to as wear a face mask but a cloth face mask is highly recommended as people would be able to access that easily and it would be in abundant circulation.
Offices, private businesses and organizations that are gradually opening back to business after the lockdown period have mandated wearing of a cloth face mask, also most places would request the use of a face mask before you can be granted access to the premises. Hence, it will be fashionable to wear a matching outfit with a face mask, for example, a man in a black suit can also wear a fashionable though recommended black cloth face mask hence it compliments the outfit he is wearing. The office wears fashion is about to go another direction for the first time in the history of fashion
- Testing workers at offices
for employees to resume duty quickly, there is some basic but compulsory screening exercise that will be set in place to enable screening of workers’ antibodies or temperature also, every public place or eateries would make use of the temperature checkers before admitting people into their premises. Hand sanitizers, hand washbasins, and soaps are readily provided by many opening offices and businesses to help curb the transmission of the disease.
Social distancing measures will not also stop, it is also one of the first measures in helping to prevent the disease. Countries like the united state Concord that it is legal for an employer to check employees’ health status during this period as far as if there is no discrimination in selecting who gets checked or not. This will be one of the usual practices and norms for a long time, till almost at the disappearance of this dreadful disease, it will be formed and part of our daily culture gradually.
- Available jobs are going to be remote-friendly
with the exodus of people into the reality of unemployment and the welcome grapple of the labour market, the people are scouting seriously for jobs, and at this time most available jobs are remote-friendly. Reports from different surveys taken show that remote jobs are spread throughout the I.T industry, customer service roles, health, education, e-commerce and finance industries. Below are some firms with a high employment application surge; LiveOps (a customer service remote job), Oracle (an I.T firm that requires the expertise of Linux engineers etc.), Amazon and the likes.
These are just to mention a few, there are thousands of opportunities working remotely as many jobs have gone almost totally digital already. The good news about working remotely is one can change from one field to another, because the growing opportunities online may sometime not be in some particular fields, though remote jobs are sprouting daily, and anyone willing to change field should be ready to make research and studies that will help propel motives. The trick of getting remote jobs these days are with proof of experiences especially in the field applied for, this may also be another stumbling block for some people but as earlier discussed, there is a large possibility to switch field of expertise by taking online courses and certification courses as well. According to futurists the job-hunting as we know it may not be what it seems anymore.
- Acceptance of women equity in the workforce
this could also be a time when more women would be seen on jobs and not minding the former torn decision of raising a family or career since most remote jobs come with a conform of flexibility and give time for more physical family time and bonding. Women protest for equity and equality will be likely to be at a reduced rate because this global post-pandemic will be creating and shaping the future jobs indiscriminate gender, race or geography.
Finally, finding a total remote or remote-friendly job has now become a new scope of horizon or trend for many job seekers in the labour market today. Job seekers should be advised on how to start taking certain steps to conform to this new dawn of remote-friendly jobs and learn the ropes because the method of operation is always quite different from an onsite or physical job, starting from an interview till when the appointment is made. There are various online classes to help shape one’s mind into these remote-jobs because that basically is the future job of the world.
