Management Perspectives

The dreaded COVID pandemic is hopefully on its way out and everyone is looking forward to getting back to some sort of normalcy in their lives and work. Much has been written, spoken, and discussed about how the pandemic has affected our lives, jobs, education, healthcare infrastructure, businesses, and industry; how it has ruined the economy of most countries and this debate is likely to go on for a long time. Most of us are hoping that the so called ‘New Normal’ will free us from all restrictions—on travel, socialising, work, shopping, entertainment, cultural events, sports et all—and we will once again get back to ‘business as usual’. Sadly, it is not going to be so. We seem to be missing out on one of the crucial factors that has brought us face to face with the cursed infection and no one is sure if that will disappear with the universal vaccination drive. The purpose of this article is to first reflect on that and then to explain the possible scenario of a realistic ‘new normal’.

Sir David Attenborough, world renowned environmentalist and elder brother of the late Sir Richard Attenborough who made the highly acclaimed film Gandhi, has beautifully explained the relationship between the pandemic and another much debated subject ‘climate change’. In an engaging short video, he puts it down to the phenomenon of the human race encroaching upon and appropriating the space meant for animals, birds, reptiles, insects, and other species and how some of these species are getting dangerously close to the human habitats—in a sort of poetic justice to reclaim what was always theirs. Man’s ever-expanding ambition, seemingly insatiable appetite for more, wanton consumerism, and unchecked desire to possess more of everything—greed, to put it crudely—lie at the root of all this.

The 93-year-old naturalist’s recent Netflix documentary A Life On Our Planet has jolted the world from complacency and set people, communities, and countries realising that our planet is dying by our hands; it made them think how to slow down and stop this suicidal act of humanity. This is a scary message coming from a man whose voice is synonymous with so many documentaries on nature. He strikes a balance between the urgency of the situation on the one hand and also offers a sense of hope on the other. He has a vision for the future and tells us how we can ‘right our wrongs’. My own takeaway from the film, very briefly, is ‘we must learn to live with less’.

Before I talk about the corporate world, industry, and the national economy, let me start with our own wardrobes and homes. Have a critical look at the clothes, shoes, and personal accessories like watches, pullovers, ties, cuff links, belts, wallets each one of us owns; how many of these have we not used for, say, one or two years? Perhaps 50 per cent will easily fall in that category. Most of us have become impulsive buyers—we see a friend wearing a nice new shirt or a suit and go rushing to the mall to pick up something similar without giving a thought to whether we need it or not. Once at the stores, a couple of pairs of new shoes/sneakers or a jacket or another shirt catches our eye, and we get back home with several shopping bags.

Of course, women are several steps ahead in this department; they hoard much more than men. How can any self-respecting woman be seen twice in the same outfit in the same crowd? The new acquisitions are worn a couple of times and then consigned to the back of the almirah as soon as one is out for another shopping binge. Why do we do that? Vanity or ‘keeping up with the others’, or retail-therapy for the over-stressed, but certainly not for catering to our needs. Flashy advertisements, fake sales, high voltage promotions by manufacturers, and brand owners only add to our cravings and we give in. The same thing holds good for other personal acquisitions including household goods; we buy them not because the old ones are no longer good, but only because we want to possess the latest offerings in the market, and, of course, it feels great to show these off to family, friends, and the social circle.

Peer pressure is a huge contributor; so, why not? How does it harm anyone? I have the money and every right to splurge. True, but please consider that everything one buys—even just a shirt— uses precious resources like water and energy and leaves a carbon footprint making Mother Earth that much poorer. If only we can become a little more circumspect and buy less, we will cause lesser damage to the planet—our only home in the vast universe.

As a start, I looked into my own hoard sometime in April/May 2020 and took an instant decision to ‘not buy or accept as a gift any clothes, shoes, and accessories at least till end of March 2022’. The way things are going I would perhaps extend this to 2025 barring may be a pair each of slippers and sneakers and some underwear. And, I am very sure, I am not alone in making this resolution. Others are probably giving up bigger comforts and more vanity items.

Even Zandra Lindsey Rhodes, the eighty year old high priestess of Britain’s fashion world, has gone on record, during an interview with an Indian journalist, saying, “Going forward it won’t be spend-spendspend. If we are to keep the world going as we know it, we will have to do it differently. Scaling down the industry is inevitable and desirable.” Coming from such a big designer, it gives us some pointers about the shape of things to come. After all, it is the designer fraternity that creates dreams for the rich and famous and eggs them on to their insatiable spending spree. Let me now move on to business and industry—the corporate world.

COVID and the related lockdowns gave boost to the concept of ‘work from home’ (WFH), and, surprisingly, a lot of companies seem to have discovered its merits. People work flexi hours, they save time spent on commuting—up to four hours in some cases—and the resultant fatigue, they do not have to dress up for office, they can help with household work, spend more time with the family…there is seemingly no downside to this. Barring factories and a few jobs involving ‘essential personal contact’ nearly 25 per cent of all workforce will perhaps continue with WFH even after some sort of ‘herd immunity’ is achieved. Really, a win-win for the employers and employees.

Many corporates have already surrendered large areas of rented office space, those with their own buildings are swelling or renting out. MD of CISCO India recently mentioned in a press interview that his company’s 16,000 employees who were working out of a 25-acre sprawling complex are now operating from 109 towns across the country. Worldwide, CISCO has closed numerous offices and given better tools and technologies to employees so that they can collaborate remotely. They are moving away from the concept of pouring huge amounts of money into real estate.

Of course, there are challenges. WFH means missing out on emotional bonding, team building, creating personal relationships, and trust and companies are suggesting various options to employees for working together virtually on fun things like exercise and book clubs, cooking, board games, and making carepackages for the underprivileged.

Real estate sector is rightly worried, but there is demand for space by the new businesses that have emerged—delivery services, video chat platforms like Zoom, edu-tech firms, technology startups, research labs for healthcare, and other sectors. There is enough opportunity for real estate companies in the national infrastructure building area as well as affordable housing. Green buildings, more efficient HVAC systems, re-imagined packaging to reduce waste and pollution, electric cars, and two wheelers would all help to reduce pressure on the planet. To quote Harsh Goenka, Chairman, RPG Enterprises, “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an urgent need to create sustainable economies. India can take a lead in earth-friendly businesses and consumer strategies. We can’t just continue living as if there was no tomorrow, because there is a tomorrow”. Well said, sir, if only we do not kill that tomorrow with our consumerist culture of always wanting more of everything.

And, to top it all, our drive to change from fossil-based energy to renewable sources-based is already amongst the fastest in the world and must continue and pick up even greater speed. At the same time our agriculture has to transform. We just cannot carry on with the hugely inefficient irrigation systems and water guzzling crops which we do not even need. Environmental degradation and lack of inclusivity are perhaps the two biggest challenges before the world today and it is more than likely that both will be addressed by the corporate world as they move on with life in the post-pandemic era. Our new normal will and should lead us to a better world.