Covid Awareness

Working in a pandemic afflicted world

COVID-19, a word that had started out associated with disease has now come to signify an entire period of time in history. Marked with economic upheaval and social turbulence, COVID-19 has not only named an era after itself but left a trail of destruction in its wake, still continuing to do so.

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a plethora of problems. The economic crisis around the globe, social upheavals across all segments of society, political crisis and the eventual scapegoating.

This is not to say that the world was not suffering before the pandemic had sunk its teeth deep; the difference is the nature of this affliction. Due to its rapid contamination rate and relative difficulty of tracing, Corona has affected every individual on the planet. Everybody has felt its impact, but like every other phenomenon its effect has varied in intensity depending on the social strata you belong to.

The macro- micro dynamics remain the same whether at the global level or the village level. Like dominos, societies begin to topple even with the smallest changes in the structure. But here again, even as the paradigms flip and structures adapt some get crushed in the process.

At one end you have people who are embarking on the path of self discovery, learning new skills and finding themselves. On the other you have migrant laborers scrambling to get home, struggling to support their families in these times.

The world is a living paradox and such comparisons only tend to bring out the nihilistic in all of us. But embracing this paradox as a way of life and actively engaging with society to better everyone’s chances helps everybody cope better.

Herein we also talk about individuals being a part of the larger circle of society and their active contribution to it. When the larger set of institutions and systems undergo major changes due to change in the new ‘normal’, individuals are bound to be affected by it. Major changes in either of the two’s working patterns due to the pandemic, will set off a chain of reactions for the other and this will lead to lowered work productivity, decreased profits for the institutions and individuals, and goals at all levels will not be met satisfactorily. On a personal level, it induces distress, stress, anxiety, decreased motivation, and hopelessness. But first, let’s first discuss what exactly encompasses work and how has it been affected due to the pandemic.

The new normal is being actively advocated by those of us who still have access to the internet and the time to tweet about such matters. Big corporate and government institutions are coming up with new working patterns and policies. The focus is also expanding towards maintaining social distancing, highlighting aspects of health, hygiene and general wellbeing as well.

All of this will be coming with a lot of backing, most of it rooted in the times that we are working now. All of these shifts will be significantly different to the work patterns we’re accustomed to and will take considerable compromises and adjustments on both ends.

It is this monumental change in working style that is leading to a rising uncertainty and unwariness for both individuals and the institutions they belong to. This newly established structure could work for people for whom it means more time with family, flexible working hours and job security.

For a whole other strata of people it means unemployment with no institution to turn to and no leader to hold accountable. It means staying within toxic environments struggling for the most basic facilities.

Due to the vast and dynamic nature of this problem the solutions to it are also general in nature:

●     Effective coping is possible only through effective communication both with yourself and the ones you live with. Maintaining this communication bridge is of utmost importance to be able to voice your concerns to others and also to understand the situation within yourself.

●     Learning how to manage time, breaking down work into chunks and working in shifts can also help out here.

●     Staying in touch with the outside world whether through measured doses of social media or news is also important in order to stay connected to the reality our world is in.

All in all, developing resilience will take us a long way, not only for these times but further on in the post pandemic world.