Written by Vaania Bhagat, a grade 9 student.

The term ‘New Normal’ was coined nearly two centuries ago when the first pandemic in world history struck South Asia and the Middle East, leading to unalterable changes in behaviour and healthcare and this could be seen by the rapid increase in sanitation, settlements and unification of different races and classes which lasted for over a century.

I believe that over the course of the past year, our perception of the term normal has changed.

The New Normal refers to socio-economic and political changes in our lifestyle which are caused due to an unprecedented crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused several unalterable changes over the course of over a year. While it did bring mayhem and healthcare challenges, one very significant change it brought was a swift shift in gender roles. It had a silver lining for women in the form of flexible working hours and the WFH (work from home) option which offered a level playing field and improved gender diversity at the workplace.

With more people working remotely, companies may open regional hubs or provide access to co-working spaces wherever their workers are concentrated rather than have the majority of their workforce at one central office.

This working model is economically more feasible for organisations as a time-saving and cost-cutting measure as they are saving immensely on infrastructure and travel.

A recent survey conducted by Mc Kinsey reports that with the adaption of every new e-technique, the revenue of many companies has increased in the range of 3-5%, hence implying that these changes are here to stay. Apart from this, it is scientifically proven that the workers are becoming more efficient in many cases.

Research conducted by BBC and IFC has also pointed that the increase in distance learning and vocational education has been shown to take less time and increase retention of information. They are estimated to be adopted by several schools, coaching centres, and universities in the future.

Marketing and security strategies have greatly changed and have helped increase proceedings significantly which shows that they are here to stay. Various interviews with heads of departments point out that these changes attract a larger audience due to the emergence of themes of trust, fun, and security, which have gained great importance during the pandemic and have been easier to portray with the adaption of new online methods.

I would also like to highlight that food services and online shopping portals are expected to contribute the highest revenues to the GDP even post-pandemic due to their increased convenience and easy access.

While there are countless examples and data points to substantiate the claim of the extended stay of the new normal, I would like to conclude by saying that one can never be sure of what the future holds for us, but I am sure that whatever our surroundings might be; we will come out of this crisis- UNITED.

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