This pandemic has been and remains an eye-opener.
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As someone who is almost self-isolated it does allow time for some early reflection.
Our prayers and thoughts are with those directly affected.
Our huge thanks to anyone in the medical field, your service is so appreciated.
Our sincere thanks to the Prime Minister and Premiers for their patriotic support to Australia and its duties.
I also have no doubt that us brilliant humans will find all the cures and solutions.
On reflection I think that a number of significant changes will occur in the way we work and play in future. We know some of these are negative, but the quicker we adapt to new opportunities the better.
- The insanity of people travelling nonstop all over the world for conferences and meetings has been illuminated. This travelling is an insane loss of productivity and takes a toll on people's health.
- Conferences are going to be greatly reduced, as the internet has allowed new solutions and will continue to evolve.
- Travelling less for business will mean reaching out more on the internet.
- Work will become quite different in future. We will be amazed at how much can be done without 'going to the office'.
- Restaurants without a 'pick-up and delivery system' may suffer in future.
- The way we value employees at the lower end of the economic ladder will change...they are important for us all.
- We know tourism will be affected and we will need to innovative to bring people to Ballarat.
- As a manufacturing hub Ballarat can be a real leader in being a great place for returning manufacturing facilities from China/Asia...which rapidly needs to happen in key sectors.
- Maybe our 'toxic workplace' will become a greatly reduced problem as more and more people/organisations will find working from home can work.
- The flip-side is for us to be very discerning about the internet...there is business and work, and then there is social media. Keep them well separated.
- A recent Harvard article states "Remote companies have well-established processes where people are socialising and no one is feeling isolated and falling through the cracks".
- Businesses may be able to learn how to move faster, acting in more agile ways.
It will require strong directed action based thought leadership. Let's do it.
Nick Beale is an advocate for Ballarat
