Time To Renew Zoom!
So many reminders that the pandemic has been part of our lives for just over one year . . . . . .
- I received my Zoom ‘Standard Pro’ annual auto-renewal notice yesterday. (Zoom was a ‘baby technology’ one year ago.)
- Harvard Business School posted an article by Danielle Kost – You’re Right! We Are Working Longer and Attending More Meetings (see https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/you-re-right-you-are-working-longer-and-attending-more-meetings)
- On March 16th, I remembered that it was one year since we told our Abeln, Magy, Underberg & Associates team to work from home for a few weeks. (The next time I saw a coworker in the office was 21 weeks later).
- I ran into Senator Rudy Boschwitz in the office hallway earlier this week. His Family Office is right next to our office. As I greeted him, he stated that he had been away from the office for 54 weeks.
Our Work Life Has Changed
Not all changes are negative. Change is just . . . . . change – different from the past. The Harvard article referenced above did however list some shocking statistics:
- Employees sent 5.2% more emails a day.
- Emails had 2.9% more recipients.
- About 8.3% more emails were sent after business hours.
- People attended 13% more meetings.
- Each meeting was 12 minutes (20%) shorter.
And then there is Zoom Fatigue – referenced in an article by Jeanette Settembre (see https://www.wdrb.com/news/national/zoom-fatigue-is-real-research-suggests-and-its-leading-to-burnout/article_16a27fcc-787c-11eb-a97c-2f38003a1c7f.html).
There Is Good News
As of March 23rd, 13.7% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated. Employees are (slowly) returning to their workplace with safety being the number one focus. Work and life are now more integrated; employers are becoming more flexible. While the above referenced statistics can be viewed as alarming (and Zoom Fatigue is real), we are not working constantly during all of the hours inferred above. We are more integrated. Employers are more flexible as to where we work as well as when we work.
Business Is Moving Forward
I won’t focus on the pandemic in future posts (unless I can declare it is truly in our past). Businesses are expanding and reigniting initiatives. Succession planning is again a more vibrant topic and need. All of these business matters are happening with different rules and a more understanding groups of leaders and coworkers. We have learned we are agile and can push ahead through tough times.
Let’s hope that the toughest of times are behind us – and that our flexibility and compassion for others stays with us as we move further into 2021 and beyond.