Corporations Compassion Culture

Chapter 4Evolution of Companies Post-COVID-19

Business environments constantly evolve in response to changes in customer demands, supply availability, and various other market forces. But the COVID-19 pandemic was more than just a minor adjustment; it shook and changed the global business culture in ways that no one anticipated. Without warning, business environments were forced to evolve swiftly simply to remain operational.

Late March 2020 looked like a whole new world. Those of us working in offices had abandoned our daily commutes. Symbols and images of traditional, structured organizations disappeared—for example, there were no more massive executive offices separated from rows of employee cubicles. Hallway sounds of rolling luggage bags carrying suits for jet-setting salespeople ended abruptly. Lunch and coffee break cliques disbanded.

Among white collar workers, working from home became the norm. With fewer in-person communications, “meeting before the meeting” networking, and watercooler talks, a different dynamic emerged between leaders and employees. Hierarchies flattened. Information was less siloed, and differences between leading and managing became more defined.

For blue collar workers, employment insecurity became a glaring reality as millions of people lost their jobs within a matter of weeks during the spring of 2020. Our definition of “frontline workers” changed almost overnight, as grocery clerks, Amazon warehouse workers, and food delivery people, along ...