Crisis within a Crisis: Corona & Job Evaporation
Well, can we ever plan enough, can we ever forecast enough? Finance plan, expansion plan, feasibility plan, HR Plan, safety plan, and all the various ‘what if “plans, yes! We had all of them, but, a pandemic plan that hit our faces and made us feel miserably punch-drunk.
Mike Tyson once said that “everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face”, this is so relevant in today’s Crisis within a crisis set of circumstances that we are confronted with, with this punch of Covid-19 all our plans have gone for a toss just like the mouthguard of a boxer fly’s-off with a punch. This crisis has hit all the sector of Industries and all sections of society and as I am writing this piece the infection rate is getting denser, threatening and claiming lives and livelihoods.
Large number of workers have taken salary cuts, many have lost their jobs and scores of businesses have closed and as the pandemic mounts many businesses will curl up.
With the evaporation of jobs many migrant and expat workers have returned to their homes and thousands will be reaching soon, these influxes will have problems settling down in places where they went once in a couple of years and many would be returning after a decade or so. They may get initial graceful and accommodating behavior of their extended families but what about their earnings and the slightest bit of possible integration into the local workforce. Indeed, it is no brainer to think that the integration of thousands of returning workers is just not possible.
Clearly, the returning workers will carry with them the learnings they had in their previous jobs, their skills and mastery of certain trades, business & product ideas. We can also expect some of them to have pretty decent savings to invest, but, how many of them will have the nerve to put in their money largely depends on the encouragement from the government agencies. Half of 2020 has already gone profoundly paralyzed with bereavements & uncertainties and serious business disruptions. The drive ahead is indeed a tunnel of uncertainties, I can’t help but contemplate the vanity of human life and its vagaries. Nevertheless, we have to remain spirited and level headed.
Once these returning workers start settling down and try placing their lives on track, stresses, trapdoors of various hues will be at their welcome. There are a lot of issues that will crop up, which can be sketchily placed as Social Stress, Financial Stress and Emotional Stress.
Social Stress; the fear that the returning people are or might be the carriers of Corona Virus, the number of cases has shot up after the relaxations in lockdown revealing the pathetic state of hospitals and how rabid are the health infrastructures. The fear that people with superior skills will take up our jobs and some may even set up a similar shop is adding up to the stress.
Financial Stress; drying up of jobs and salary cuts have resulted in lowering of remittance to the families and dependents, with this disturbance they will be digging into their savings. Once the savings start depleting it will show a pronounced impact on the treatment of diseases and education. Compromises on lifestyle will be inevitable as the household budget gets tighter.
Emotional Stress; the treacherous concoction of Social, financial stresses with all its negativities, confusion, ambiguities, and apprehensions one can’t escape the emotional upheavals. Getting of the pandemic and its upshots will take time.
Some countries are in the midst of different phases of the human trial of the corona vaccine, it is worth remembering and if history is any guide we have defeated many diseases and overcame many wars and economic crisis, so soon corona shall also be part of history. We cannot be curled further, with some amount of self-convincing, knowledge sharing and resilience this ordeal will soon end.
From India , Mumbai
Well, can we ever plan enough, can we ever forecast enough? Finance plan, expansion plan, feasibility plan, HR Plan, safety plan, and all the various ‘what if “plans, yes! We had all of them, but, a pandemic plan that hit our faces and made us feel miserably punch-drunk.
Mike Tyson once said that “everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face”, this is so relevant in today’s Crisis within a crisis set of circumstances that we are confronted with, with this punch of Covid-19 all our plans have gone for a toss just like the mouthguard of a boxer fly’s-off with a punch. This crisis has hit all the sector of Industries and all sections of society and as I am writing this piece the infection rate is getting denser, threatening and claiming lives and livelihoods.
Large number of workers have taken salary cuts, many have lost their jobs and scores of businesses have closed and as the pandemic mounts many businesses will curl up.
With the evaporation of jobs many migrant and expat workers have returned to their homes and thousands will be reaching soon, these influxes will have problems settling down in places where they went once in a couple of years and many would be returning after a decade or so. They may get initial graceful and accommodating behavior of their extended families but what about their earnings and the slightest bit of possible integration into the local workforce. Indeed, it is no brainer to think that the integration of thousands of returning workers is just not possible.
Clearly, the returning workers will carry with them the learnings they had in their previous jobs, their skills and mastery of certain trades, business & product ideas. We can also expect some of them to have pretty decent savings to invest, but, how many of them will have the nerve to put in their money largely depends on the encouragement from the government agencies. Half of 2020 has already gone profoundly paralyzed with bereavements & uncertainties and serious business disruptions. The drive ahead is indeed a tunnel of uncertainties, I can’t help but contemplate the vanity of human life and its vagaries. Nevertheless, we have to remain spirited and level headed.
Once these returning workers start settling down and try placing their lives on track, stresses, trapdoors of various hues will be at their welcome. There are a lot of issues that will crop up, which can be sketchily placed as Social Stress, Financial Stress and Emotional Stress.
Social Stress; the fear that the returning people are or might be the carriers of Corona Virus, the number of cases has shot up after the relaxations in lockdown revealing the pathetic state of hospitals and how rabid are the health infrastructures. The fear that people with superior skills will take up our jobs and some may even set up a similar shop is adding up to the stress.
Financial Stress; drying up of jobs and salary cuts have resulted in lowering of remittance to the families and dependents, with this disturbance they will be digging into their savings. Once the savings start depleting it will show a pronounced impact on the treatment of diseases and education. Compromises on lifestyle will be inevitable as the household budget gets tighter.
Emotional Stress; the treacherous concoction of Social, financial stresses with all its negativities, confusion, ambiguities, and apprehensions one can’t escape the emotional upheavals. Getting of the pandemic and its upshots will take time.
Some countries are in the midst of different phases of the human trial of the corona vaccine, it is worth remembering and if history is any guide we have defeated many diseases and overcame many wars and economic crisis, so soon corona shall also be part of history. We cannot be curled further, with some amount of self-convincing, knowledge sharing and resilience this ordeal will soon end.
From India , Mumbai
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