LETTERS: Covid-19 has caused chaos worldwide and we are now witnessing an uncharted series of events that none of us has experienced before. The way we socialise, the way we work, the way we learn and the way we live our lives is changing – leaving many to wonder when things might revert to normal.
While everyone is very anxious to go back to their normal life, there is one thing that most people have not realised – many things will never be the same again. Covid-19 could transform the world at work, the businesses we use and the way public transport systems operate.
So, what will the world look like after Covid-19? What might be the new normal? And most importantly, are we ready for post-Covid-19 world? The handshake for instance, which has been the traditional mode of greeting in most societies for centuries might be squeezed out to reduce the spread of the viruses from one person to another.
In this new world, mingling with people who we do not know intimately could be the greatest comfort of life. Simply put, this would mark a profound change in human behaviour. Also, postponing and reducing mass gatherings that bring people together and have the potential to amplify the disease are much required at the moment, as it increases the risk of transmission of the virus due to the large numbers of people in close contact for extended periods.
In the wake of that, the holy month of Ramadan which is celebrated by Muslims from all over the world that falls between late April and late May has raised concerns among the health experts and government as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cancelling social and religious gatherings should be seriously considered and instead, virtual alternatives using platforms such as television, video conference and social media can be used to substitute the old traditional activities.
This is very important to reassure them that they can still perform spiritual reflection, prayer and breaking fast with families and friends – but from a healthy distance. We must remind ourselves that we are facing a global pandemic, thus, unprecedented measures have to be put in place to ensure the well-being of everyone.
As workers from all over the world have been asked to work remotely in a bid to slow the spread of the outbreak, the new norm has seen homes turning to temporary workplaces and many business activities are shifting online. Thanks to the advancements in technology, the work from home option is made possible for jobs across myriad industries such as writer, programmer, data analyst and many more as they have turned to digital tools to support this new way of working.
For business leaders, this new working pattern would likely be adopted permanently especially for the white-collar workers who work at a desk and eschew physical labour. While for the jobs that are impractical to work from homes such as those involving front-line operations or fieldwork in construction sites, staggered working hours can be implemented to increase the physical distance between employees.
In brief, staggered working hours is a system of working in which the employees of an organisation do not all arrive and leave at the same time. It can be implemented in several ways, for example, a team of employees may come to the office every other week, every other day or at different start times within the same day.
According to the experts, staggered working hours is not only effective to avoid traffic congestion but also practical to curb the spread of coronavirus on the overburdened public transport at certain peak hours.
Today's crisis marks an extreme epoch in our modern history with a huge social upheaval and an economic ripple effect.
Nurafifah Mohammad Suhaimi
EMIR Research
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times