Up until March 2020, the world was a hybrid. Marcus Trevisani remembers it like everyone else; we used tech but we weren’t quite over the line married to it. Then came the COVID pandemic and everything fundamentally changed. With the social distancing requirements, tech suddenly became a necessity. Digital meetings turned into bread and butter communication tools, email and texting ran day and night, documents fully became digital because no one wanted to touch paper more than normal, and offices became kitchen tables or desks in bedrooms with home computers.
No surprise, tech went everywhere in the shortest amount of time possible. Marcus Trevisani notes the demand for computers and laptops spiked so fast, it suddenly became impossible to find one easily unless it was an expensive model. Backlogs grew quickly, and the typical PC delivery suddenly took about as long as toilet paper to show up in the related panic.
Everything is Going to Be Alright, Right?
Now, Marcus Trevisani notes, with COVID starting to become a bit controllable and eventually herd immunity kicking in, many can be forgiven for assuming things will go back to a sense of normalcy. However, Marcus Trevisani expects that the tech and all of its applications are here to stay.
First off, the great social experiment of 2020 showed companies what was actually possible with a full immersion of tech in every business activity. And, despite the fears of less control creating greater risks, Marcus Trevisani states productivity went up. Across industries, regardless of work type, productivity increased dramatically.
Second, technology has proved extremely useful in getting past the distance and geographic barrier problem. It had already been in use heavily by companies that traveled a lot and worked extensively with remote teams, but multiple industries found themselves having to do the same, which was a whole new frontier for many. The crash course, per Marcus Trevisani, was worth it. People learned in real time how tech worked for their businesses in the most effective manner. And with a bit of tuning, and plenty of hiccups, companies adapted.
Third, employees got to enjoy the benefit of remote working, and they liked it, which has now become a bit of a problem for companies who want to retain their good staff at a time when suddenly there aren’t enough workers to go around. Marcus Trevisani expects companies will have to incorporate remote work as a norm now because employees will expect it.
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore
As a result, tech isn’t going anywhere. Marcus Travisani expects that not only will the demand for the equipment, software and technology be sustained, it may actually increase even further. Change has happened at multiple levels in terms of how the work world operates, and we’re not going backwards after this kind of a transition. Marcus Trevisani says that while there will be a bit of a rebound for face-to-face connections, which is to be expected; the change in tech reliance is both subtle and profound. Management can expect more because it’s been proven doable, and employees can expect more flexibility in how and where they work because the control risks are generally proven false.
As Marcus Trevisani sums it all, the work world grew up and evolved.
