Digest #7: Almost 5-years Post Pandemic:
How’s it going?
February 5, 2025
It's hard to believe almost five years have gone by since those early alarm signals and the eventual global lockdowns that began in March 2020.
It's one of those "I remember where I was..." moments in history when we will never forget the feelings of:
being told to work from home effective immediately.
learning schools were shut down for 2-weeks and then indefinitely, until further notice.
reeling from shelter-in-place orders.
wondering what it would mean for getting basic necessities.
worrying about the unknown variables of the virus itself.
realizing our parents and grandparents were among the most vulnerable.
Ultimately 7M+ people died as a result of COVID-19, with hundreds of millions who suffered globally.
The fear or reality of getting sick was of primary concern, and as a result - to protect ourselves and those most vulnerable - the pandemic changed almost every aspect of work and life. Overnight.
...and, I'd argue we're still grappling with the aftermath.
We never really got a chance to recover. We just kept going.
On one hand, the collective drive to meet the virus head-on showed us the best of humanity.
Forging ahead was what we needed.
From healthcare workers on the front lines, to around-the-clock research to create vaccines, to taking care of our most vulnerable, and so many more acts of resilience, despite the scary chaos.
“It was the human resolve in action”
However, on the other hand - in our attempt to 'get back to normal' we skipped some very necessary steps in healing from the collective trauma.
We rushed back in to all the things. And all the doing.
In environments and with conditions that look very different than they did in 2019.
And now, it feels like we're more maxed out and overwhelmed than ever before.
We are more tech enabled and 'connected' and yet more disconnected than ever before.
For many, we lost primary communities and gathering spaces for a couple of years. Even when they initially reopened, they were different. We're still figuring out new ways of convening since the official pandemic restrictions lifted.
And for many working parents, the demands of raising kids in the midst of busy and demanding work routines have left so many questioning, is it worth it?
I continue to have conversations with folks every day who tell me just stressed out they are.
They know something has to give and yet they feel like there is no end in sight.
As I talk to people across industries and at all levels, there are some major themes that rise to the top when I start to ask about ways of working.
Time is one of the most valuable resources and benefits (often more than salary, bonuses and equity), particularly for working parents who have young children.
Meetings continue to be a source of wasted cycles and lots of frustration. Spending more than half of every day in back to back meetings, with little time to process or complete focused work is impacting individuals' wellbeing and when things aren't getting done - the company's bottom line.
Sandwiched with caregiving responsibilities of children and aging parents, having flexibility and agency over how and when work gets done is crucial.
Burnout cannot be treated as an individuals 'problem' to solve. It's not about asking more of employees - telling folks to set their own boundaries and take their time off. This is table stakes.
All in when talking to people, I've learned that even with the best wellness routines and yes - taking PTO, if the culture is on overdrive...
.... it's hard for any single person to protect themselves against the pressures, demands and potential burnout that may arise, without the right systems and checks in place.
So actually, it's about less.
Doing the things that matter for the business really well, while empowering people to have agency over how it gets done.
Don't get me wrong. There are so many layers to this societal challenge of being oversubscribed and for many, working inside inefficient systems.
→ There is no simple fix or quick hack. I spend almost all of my time thinking about this, and I don't have even a fraction of the answers.
But it's clear, we're at a breaking point with people across industries and locations saying they've had enough. I may not have all the answers, but I'm energized every day by joining more people who are invested in real solutions.