Our lives will never be the same now, and the impact of COVID-19 will take forever to settle down. With the number of deaths happening every day, the loss is irrevocable. Although, there has been a bright side to the pandemic as well which will be more visible and favorable in the long run. This is the time to retrospect and understand how the virus has changed our lives for the better.

While the fight with the virus continues, let’s reflect on the positives and the negatives this global pandemic has brought.

The Negative Impact

Brought Global Economy on its Knees
If anything has been affected drastically, it’s a global economy. Almost every country is facing an economic crash and loss in the business world due to the pandemic. Different nations will recover at different momentum depending on their monetary conditions and existing economy.

Adversely Impacted Mental Health
Earlier, the mental health conversation was made less frequently and usually considered as trivial. Now due to social distancing being the crucial step to contain the spread of COVID-19, it’s taking a staggering toll on people’s emotional and psychological state.

Issues like anxiety, hypertension, and stress are becoming common among people and not being able to meet their loved ones is only aggravating these mental health problems. Connect with our wellbeing experts to support your employees during these uncertain times.

Increased Unemployment
Due to economic slowdown and businesses being shut for a prolonged period, the unemployment rate in India has increased from 6.6% in January’ 2020 to 24% in May’ 2020. And as we’re still fighting with the deadly virus, the graph is bound to go higher in the coming days.

Two of the major reasons behind the shrink in the workforce are – a decrease in demand and the inability to operate some processes from home.

The Positive Side

Cleaner & Healthy Environment
Something which has acted as a ray of light in these dark days is – a clean and healthy environment like never before. The lack of movement and travel activities has allowed our planet to breathe and heal.

However, the shutdown of factories and industries is surely not good news from a business perspective, but it has made us feel the fresh air, live under the bluer sky, and hear the birds chirping louder than ever before.

Improved Work-life Balance
Everyone used to talk about work-life balance, but nobody cared to bring it into life until now. While people are now working from home for over a period of three months, it’ s visible that they can effectively manage both work and life without compromising on productivity.

Also, the business leaders and employers are predominantly focusing on encouraging flexibility and work-life balance among the workforce.

Reconnect & Help Others
Although we have seen cases where people have been self-centred and unkind to others during this time, there’s another set of people who took it as an opportunity to bond and help others. The time has brought various fears and uncertainties but also given us a moment to reflect and value each other deeply.