(Newswire.net — April 30, 2020) —
When news started to leak out of China at the start of 2020 of a new virus that had the potential to cause havoc with our health, much of the planet failed to respond correctly. Failing to prepare for the pandemic predicted by many healthcare professionals led to nations around the world struggling to come to terms with the potential for disease and death arriving in the shape of COVID-19 or Coronavirus. Along with the failure to prepare properly for the healthcare crisis caused by the virus, most nations around the world have failed to prepare for the economic crisis that has followed.
There is no longer a doubt about the medical and social effect of the Coronavirus on almost every nation it has touched. The closure of schools, businesses, and leisure options has been unprecedented with no sector untouched by furloughs, unemployment, or reduced hours. Johns Hopkins University reports around 22 million U.S. citizens have filed for unemployment since the middle of March when school and business closures began. Laying off staff and allowing others to work from home has shown industry leaders there are other ways to conduct business than the traditional options always followed.
This scale of unemployment will undoubtedly have an impact on the way business and work is completed in the future. One of the major changes predicted by Forbes is the way a company will care for its employees in the future. The workforce will enjoy a higher level of support from employers, in most cases with the continuing use of health protection programs developed for fighting against COVID-19. Along with caring for the overall health of employees, the arrival of mental health programs will expand to help employees deal with the changes to everyday life that will become the new normal as time moves on.
Support for the mental health of individuals will be needed because the fear of infection will linger for many beyond the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lingering fear of infection with COVID-19 or another new virus will spread throughout the workforce as flying for business trips will be limited for several reasons. Firstly, business leaders will see the use of video meetings as an important part of the new direction of the workforce meaning the fear of infection while flying limits the opportunities to travel overseas. The millions of dollars saved by no longer flying to various parts of the world for business will be reflected in the potential for more job stability with lower overheads.
The greatest number of the workforce in the U.S. will see little difference in their lives as the 2008 financial crash did little to change the lives of millions of working-class Americans. Even ten years after the 2008 financial crash, the impact of this event is still being felt by American workers whose lives have not changed particularly over the last few years. Many American workers will simply continue to move through their lives living paycheck to paycheck without much hope of moving forward in life or achieving a greater level of success.
The main area where an individual in the U.S. can achieve more than before the COVID-19 outbreak is by working in an industry that could benefit from the pandemic. It is yet unknown whether healthcare professionals will see a higher level of pay for their important roles, but an influx of workers could arrive in the sector in the coming years. The healthcare sector could be one that provides higher levels of success for workers with an understanding of what goes into working as a first responder or healthcare specialist growing among the general public.
Those who work in the private sector and have seen their companies flourish or be unaffected by the COVID-19 crisis will find themselves in a position of strength in the U.S. workforce. The ability to see greater levels of financial success and even stock in a company will be on offer as the development of these industries continues apace.Workers should consult attorneys if need assistance on how to handle any employment issues that might arise due to the pandemic.