Someone asked me the other day if I thought things would ever go back to being the same, the same of course being gathering together as families, working in normal work spaces, flying around the country (or world) without concerns, sitting in restaurants and movie theatres and large events like concerts and live theatre without a care…..I frankly could not imagine that these things will not be forever changed because of this pandemic.

In thinking about this, and if they are forever changed I began to wonder what should we be doing? An article in the USA Today, 9-23-2020 asked that same question. Tim Stock, Co-founder at ScenarioDNA, a consulting firm that analyses trends and uses social science to gain insight on the future for clients, stated this: ” Eventually, the desire for clean air will migrate to building systems that we take for granted. It will be expected in schools, homes, stores and workplaces.” Restaurant businesses has really been affected by Covid-19 simply because sitting in close, confined spaces create a prime way to become infected with the virus. Stock states “Because of capacity limits, indoor dining will need to be smaller, more intimate experiences and more fluid in their offerings.”

One of the biggest changes has been the workplace. Jason Schenker, founder of Prestige Economics, an economic forecasting firm in Austin, Texas, forecasts that people will continue to work in their homes. He states, “We might not be able to wind the clock back now that people have realized there’s a significant convenience in lifestyle by working, studying or shopping from home.” He also discussed artificial intelligence as a factor because of increased automation in manufacturing jobs. Even delivery driver jobs with the rise of driver-less transportation. “The list of which jobs will be taken over by AL is growing fast,” Stock said. “The work of the future will be about creativity and analysis, very acute human skills. Which brings us full circle to how do we teach to that? On Zoom?

Zoom has become a household name these days. So many of us are using it, for work, for social interaction, for school, for worship. When I was first introduced to Zoom it never dawned on me that we would soon be so consumed by it. But times have changed. I am grateful that there is a platform that all of these things can occur in spite of the pandemic.

I did not face leaving a workspace when Covid 19 began. I was fortunate enough to have found a business that allowed me to work at home so using a platform such as Zoom was familiar to me. As a woman, I am very grateful that I am still employed, as 865,000 women have dropped out of the workforce, compared with 216,000 men. Retail and hospitality jobs have been particularly hit ~ the ongoing dissolution of the child care industry has left many working mothers without options. Women are more than 3 times as likely to be responsible for the majority of the housework and child care during the pandemic, according to a report published by Lean In that studied 317 companies and more than 40,000 employees. At least a decade of women’s progress in the labor force has been wiped out by the recession with long term ramifications.

When I began my business at home, all of my children were grown. Many of my constituents, however, were in this position and have been able to have thriving businesses and be there for their children as well. Looking back, I never would have imagined we would be facing a world where working at home would become the norm.

If you find yourself at this time one of the many individuals forced out of the workplace I would like to introduce you to something which I investigated several years ago and found to be a great fit. Just go here and check out a simple way to work from home. I would love to connect with you and perhaps change your future.

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