A lot of companies want to
drag workers back to the office or insist that consumers revert to their
pre-pandemic behavior. They’d better understand that it’s not going to
happen.
EXPERT OPINION BY HOWARD TULLMAN, GENERAL MANAGING PARTNER, G2T3V
AND CHICAGO HIGH TECH INVESTORS @HOWARDTULLMAN1
OCT 22, 2024
“We’re not going back.”
That phrase has grown beyond a
political message chanted at Democratic party gatherings to become a
post-pandemic rallying cry for millions of people whose prior behaviors have
been irrevocably altered. And not only by the health, travel and security requirements
imposed during the COVID-19 crisis but by the growing awareness that they, as
individuals, have far more agency and control over the way they go about their
lives than they had ever imagined.
All kinds of “time taxes” are now
being challenged; commuting for no good reason; waiting in long lines for
civic and government services; in person visits to businesses, pharmacies, or
doctors’ offices; spending countless hours trying to cancel useless
subscriptions; or attending meetings and performances that can be easily
accessed from anywhere. There are few credible justifications for these
impositions and inconveniences, and smart government agencies and businesses
are responding with new digital solutions.
As an example, Illinois Secretary of
State Alexi Giannoulias has been a national leader in digitizing state
licensing services and just recently began installing kiosks in supermarkets to provide many
auto registration and renewal services onsite in a matter of minutes.
Amazon has launched, and continues to expand, its own online pharmacy
along with drone delivery services, as more and more consumers prefer to let
their fingers do their walking and shopping.
Change or Pay the Price
The adverse effect of not adapting and
quickly reacting to the changing norms and behaviors is also becoming clear.
Walgreens and CVS are closing thousands of locations, which unfortunately
will create more and more drug deserts in already underserved urban areas. I
happen to believe that these pharmacies are closing many outlets just as much
in reaction to the unbelievable levels of retail theft that they
continue to experience as they are because of reduced traffic and sales
volumes.
Whether it was where they shopped, how
they worked, what media they consumed, or how they connected with friends,
family and the outside world, the fact is that millions of people abruptly
“woke up” post-pandemic in ways that they believed were good for themselves and
their families. This vast awakening is changing how various businesses operate
and what choices employers will be required to offer their team members to
accommodate new and growing demands for flexibility. It’s also
determining which types of businesses and entities may not survive in the long
run by precipitating more and more challenging and uncomfortable conversations.
WFH Is Here To Stay
In terms of the whole work from home
(WFH) situation, the battle lines are already forming, and many companies are
taking no prisoners. CEOs such as Amazon Web Services head Matt Garman took a
very aggressive stance and insisted that all staff return to the office for a
five-day work week. Don’t like the policy? Then quit or be fired. In other
cases, firms such as WFMT in Chicago have fired long-serving employees and
triggered discrimination complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act after
negotiations about accommodations regarding hours and commuting fell through.
It’s clear that there are no simple
answers for what reasonable accommodation should be that will ever fit the
varying employment circumstances and arrangements that now exist. And, as
you might sadly expect, it’s going to be another field day for the legal
profession.
Another hard-hit industry with no
clear way back is movie theaters, which were quickly ostracized during COVID-19
as perilous petri dishes and which had already been turned – largely by cell
phone users of all ages – from large-screen entertainment venues into
boisterous and boorish performance spaces for talkers, texters, sing-along
Swifties, babysitters, and eaters of all manner of crackly, crispy, and crunchy
foodstuffs. Streaming was just the final nail in the coffin. It’s really hard
to see any adults having even the slightest interest in visiting what few
multiplexes remain open.
What used to be a movie night for
millions of Americans is now a rocky horror show, where the last thing that
actually matters is what’s showing on the screen. We won’t be back.