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David DeLong Writer of Workforce Issues

There are many things to lament about the COVID-19 crisis and the global recession we now face. Those problems and new threats are described endlessly in the news media. But what’s going to get us through this major economic downturn is innovative solutions – at every level – and a focus on what’s working and what we can actually do. Not what has been lost.

Here are a dozen promising things my recent research suggests will come out of this crisis. Of course, there are flip sides to all these positive trends, but focusing on good things and what we can do is much more productive right now. See if these trends help you put a more positive frame on opportunities for your business.

1. First, a warm and fuzzy one. For a variety of reasons, the COVID-19 shut down has led to an explosion in pet adoptions. There have been stories in the media of animal shelters that are empty for the first time. Long term, this should be good news for veterinarians who will have more customers in the years ahead. How can you identify potential new customers who are likely to have new needs you can fill in the future? (I’ve always wanted an excuse to include a picture of our dog Bella in my blog! Tell me she isn’t cute!)

2. Everyone who ever taught anything – schools, training companies, consultants, etc. – is now having to figure out how to teach online. With so many resources invested in web-based learning, the quality of these programs has to improve dramatically in the next few years. And anyone teaching this way will have to up their game. The bar will be raised substantially for online learning, which should make it both more appealing and more effective. Specifically, how can your business improve its productivity with enhanced online learning programs?

3. Before this recession, a lot of industries were having serious trouble recruiting and retaining young talent because these businesses were seen as too boring, e.g. insurance, funeral homes. I’ve heard executives speculate that attracting good talent from the huge pool of unemployed people may become easier now. And retention may improve as workers decide stable and secure is more important than sexy. How can your business improve performance by hiring from the greatly expanded pool of unemployed talent available during this recession?

4. We’re learning that a huge set of “essential” jobs are, in fact, not “quality” jobs. Certified nursing assistants, day care workers and delivery drivers struggle to make a living, even as we claim they’re indispensable. This should lead us to rethink the value of these roles, and the work of people like MIT’s Zeynep Ton, who has studied the economic benefits of creating “quality jobs,” will get more serious attention. How can your firm turn essential, low-paying roles into sustainable, quality jobs?

5. In recent years, employers and consultants have increasingly preached the concept of continuous learning which, frankly, has been much more hype than reality. But forced to stay home, online training opportunities suddenly look a lot more appealing. Enrollment has jumped substantially as people realize they can learn without leaving home. How can your company use the new familiarity with online learning to boost ongoing skill development among your employees?

6. Most manufacturing and distribution workplaces have preached safety for years. The concept of a safety culture is normal for employees in these settings, which is going to help as workers must adapt to the new safety demands created by the coronavirus. But one manufacturing CEO pointed out that his office workers now must pay serious attention to safety. So the concept of a safety culture has come to the white collar world, which isn’t a bad thing. How can your leadership team communicate safety best practices used in one part of your business to other units who need to change their behaviors?

7. In some cases, firms that had resisted virtual work, which can be a plus for recruiting and retention, have been forced to try it and find it more productive than expected. Managers are being forced to learn how to motivate and supervise a remote workforce. How can you capture and share lessons learned to improve the performance of your virtual teams?

8. Resilient careers in fields like IT, healthcare, accounting, and education are going to get much more attention, as unemployment numbers mount. This may help attract more high quality talent to these sectors. How can you interest your kids in learning more about relatively recession-proof long-term careers?

9. Reskilling and upskilling efforts needed to make workers productive and employable in the future are getting renewed attention and resources, as their effectiveness becomes essential for company survival. These can no longer be back burner HR programs. How can we launch reskilling or upskilling initiatives that will make a measurable difference in our company’s performance?

10. Smaller cities and rural areas will start to look more attractive to younger workers who grow tired of social distancing in dense urban settings, such as New York, Seattle and New Orleans. This could be a great boost to the workforce needs in less populated regions of the country. Given our more rural location, how can we take advantage of the virus-lockdown fatigue in some hard-hit big cities to recruit talent to our region?

11. The COVID-19 shutdown is creating an unprecedented opportunity to change behaviors around commuting. There are immediate opportunities to reduce air pollution in cities with innovative approaches to opening back up. Milan is a leading example, along with Paris, of cities trying to learn from the experiences of dramatically reduced traffic during the shutdown. How can we use the changes caused by the COVID-19 shutdown to encourage employees to rethink their commuting habits?

12. We’ll never take hugs for granted again! How can we get enough of them when “safe distancing” becomes a memory?

Contact me if you’d like to set up a free consultation to explore how I can help you leverage many of these opportunities to grow your workforce and your business.