The current COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a challenge for most nations around the globe. Both economic and social realities people became used to changed, affecting the stability and livelihood of millions. While many have become desensitized to the idea of living amidst a global health crisis, it is impossible to understate the influence these events have had on people’s lives. On a more global scale, pandemic can be viewed as a catalyst for change. Comparing COVID-19 to previous infectious disease outbreaks, it is possible to see the occurrence as a start of a cultural shift, one capable of taking humanity in either a better or a worse future. It is currently impossible to draw a full conclusion on the effects of the pandemic, as its effects are multi-layered.
First, the pandemic presents an opportunity for change in medical and professional spheres. Looking at major historical outbreaks, like the Black Death of the Middle Ages, it is possible to argue that people learned invaluable lessons from the experience. The four humour theory of medicine fell out of fashion, and the early roots of germ theory were set during this time, allowing humans to develop a more useful and accurate view of health. Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic offers invaluable data on the spread of functionality of infectious disease, effects of policy and containment measures, as well as a multitude of other factors. While strained, the medical community has had the ability to obtain priceless information in this period.
Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the pandemic as an agent of social upheaval. Most organizations have had to transition to remote work, or adjust the way they operate to stay in business. For companies themselves, this meant learning to take risks and adapt to changing circumstances. As for the workers, the introduction of work-from-home policies has expanded the potential range of employment opportunities. Many can finally regain a sense of control over their lives, and work in more comfortable conditions. After getting a feel for how work could be organized, it is unlikely that most workers would want to return to jobs that put them under constant avoidable pressure, or could be done remotely. As a result, a hopeful outlook predicts a transformation of jobs that will empower the working class.
In a more pessimistic outlook, however, it is also possible to consider the enormous level of corporate selfishness and massive layoffs that happened during the pandemic. Many organizations simply chose to cut costs by reducing their staff, or endangered individuals by forcing them to come into work despite associated risks. Regardless of the immoral nature of these acts, most organizations that survived the pandemic currently enjoy record profits, which only reinforces these anti-employee types of behaviors. Then, it is possible to argue that the pandemic set an uncomfortable precedent for mistreating employees on a systematic level.