COMMENT Is anyone else getting a serious case of “new normal” fatigue? It is not a phrase I came across much pre-pandemic. And why would I? Back in the footloose days of Brexit and intense political squabbling there wasn’t much call for it. Now I can barely get through a day without hearing it.
What is frustrating is how often this now much-uttered phrase is being used in the wrong context. To be clear, the new normal is not the situation we are all living through now. There is nothing normal about swathes of the global workforce being separated from their teams and colleagues for up to, and in some cases over, a year. There is nothing normal about having to wave to elderly relatives through windows. There is nothing normal about spending months on end looking at the same four walls. And there is definitely nothing normal about weighing up whether or not we deem it safe enough to break free from some of these confines when we are technically allowed to do so but have all been made aware of the risks.
As we tentatively return to an open-air meeting or socially distanced coffee, it is becoming even more obvious just how far from normal our lives have been for the past four months. We are social animals with an intrinsic need for more out of our days than a computer screen on the kitchen table.
That does not mean that we should all flout the guidance. Nor should we go against our instincts in terms of what feels safe before we are ready. But it is worth recognising that the situation we are currently in is not one we should be considering as the new status quo. It is an uncomfortable transition into a post-pandemic world. A world that will have been irreversibly altered. That’s where our new normal lies. And while it is still shrouded in uncertainty, it will be a far more positive place than where we are now.
It will be a world where that computer on the kitchen table set-up is an acceptable, tried-and-tested approach to working. Not in forced isolation but as part of a new, more flexible way of life. It will be a world where in-person events and conferences can be enhanced by a sophisticated online model to give them wider reach and more in-depth, on-demand content. It will be a world where workforces will be more global as companies look for talent far and wide rather than from within the confines of their immediate geographical locations.
The new normal is something we must all aspire to, not a situation we should simply accept as a necessary given. And real estate tech has a huge part to play in getting everyone through this transition period and out the other side.
In this week’s focus on EG’s tech and innovation content we spoke to three global tech bosses at Oxford Properties, CBRE and Prologis to find out how they are preparing for life and work post-pandemic. We also spoke to EDGE about how it managed to get its staff back into the office in record time thanks to building data. And in case you missed it last week, we have considered some of the benefits exclusive to online events and question how this could compliment the in-person experience when the time eventually comes to embrace, you guessed it, the new normal.
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