2020 has changed so much of our world that the one thing we can be certain of is that we won’t be going back to life ‘as normal’.

A common theme for much of this change is that ‘what we do’ has not changed – one iota – it is the way that we do it has changed completely. Arriving at ‘new normals’ will involve adjusting and adapting on such a scale that whole industries will evolve. Here are a few observations to get you thinking:

Presenteeism, and being paid for just showing up will go as video conferencing enables many more of us to work from anywhere. This will change the daily commute for thousands as only those who really need to be in the office will attend. Payment will be by results – being paid for what you do rather than the hours you spend. Logically the money the Government was planning to spend on improving the road network should be re-directed to 5G, 6G, 7G and beyond as more of our world becomes digital.

Travel will evolve as we move beyond the old two-week package holiday. Our ‘wanderlust’ will return, but in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. Exploring the world we live in will remain a ‘must’, but not in two week windows, this time round travel will be an immersive experience. Ask anyone currently sitting out the pandemic in digitally connected Barbados will agree.

Until the pandemic recedes we are all likely to start these travels on our own doorsteps – just look at recent property sales in our home grown holiday resorts.

Maintaining relationships is set for re-invention. We may have started lockdown with Zoom quizzes to keep us connected with friends but we soon realised that distance was no barrier. Under the ‘old normal’ we used to visit distant friends and relatives once or twice if we were lucky – lengthy trips or special occasions – now distance is no longer a barrier to staying in contact.

EML clients often focus on what they will do between ‘now’ and ‘the time they are no longer around’. Suddenly they have a raft of new options to consider!