We have all defined a new normal is the past seven weeks of quarantine and social distancing. We have focused heavily on and grieved our collective and individual losses as they have seemed to pile up like trash. However, in now thinking about a re-opening, could we have possibly come out of this stronger?
The Good, Bad and Ugly
We have watched countless white house briefings, schooled our children, suffered the loss of contact with friends and family all while trying to maintain a “normal” work day from make-shift offices with less than ideal tools. Bad, right? Maybe not!
Rainbows and Unicorns
If in thinking of the prospect of going back to frenetic paces, alarms and stress, you find yourself actually finding value in this forced slow-down, you aren’t alone. Lindsay McCarthy, LMFT, is seeing lots of that. “I think people first saw negatives and then got comfortable and now they are being asked to transition once again into something that they know is not going to look like what they had two months ago,” McCarthy comments. “People have found comfort.”
The gift in all of this may be a forced evaluation of work, school, home, and time management. “I think we have the opportunity to evaluate this once again—to take it in and see what the take-aways may be and where we need to put change in place,” McCarthy said.
Also, it seems that many companies are now re-evaluating hefty office costs and are more open than ever to satellite office opportunities that shorten commutes and increase productivity – often at a much lower rent expense. Employees have proven their remote work capabilities and employers are embracing the new virtual officing capabilities.
The Newer Normal
Our newer normal might not be so bad. Chances are we have learned how to have balance in our work and get things done in non-traditional office environments, which will benefit us in the future.