Firstly let us take the opportunity to wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year.
The pandemic that we have all endured during 2020 and 2021 and still continue to manage as we enter 2022 is actually the catalyst for the aptly named ‘Great Opportunity’.
Businesses and in turn people have shown resilience. Together they have demonstrated the ability to adapt to change, embrace new technologies and processes and to shift focus accordingly. It has not been easy and will continue to challenge the best businesses and the best people as we progress through this year.
Companies have embraced technology and its integration both internally and externally. Automation and process improvement has replaced manual tasking and over complicated bureaucracy. The employee and the customer have changed habits and shifted expectations. To embrace the opportunity businesses must adapt, improve and reinvent their internal operations as well as their market perception.
However, behind the darkest of clouds, you will find the bluest of skies. ‘The Great Opportunity is upon us’.
Companies are ensuring they offer enriched opportunities for their employees. Hybrid working models and additional non-fiscal benefits are becoming the new normal. Businesses are listening and are adapting to support their employees and attract new hires.
The last two years have shifted the way tasks and projects have been evaluated. Interim professionals (external expertise focused on an outcome) have been embraced and enhanced the pace of change, supporting the business and in turn the permanent employees to achieve strategic initiatives and outcomes in a far more efficient and productive manner.
People are being treated as human beings and not commodities, here sits one of the great opportunities.
Businesses are now focused on the customer experience and reacting accordingly. Understanding the expectations of the consumer, how they want to use the products or services provided and adapting to those needs will render the rewards to all parties. Those that focus on this, will seize the great opportunity that it presents.
If we have gained any benefit from the last two years, our insight will dictate that the pandemic knows how to challenge us. However, we are resilient, we have purpose and we have optimism. Hold on to these thoughts as we progress through the year and ‘The Great Opportunity’ will be achieved for those that focus on achieving it.
Again, we wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year.
