Tag: COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll worldwide for both individuals and economies. As a precaution, many countries have implemented strict lockdown measures such as closing schools, restaurants and borders, while mask-wearing in public and social distancing have become a must.

As Shakespeare said: 'all the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.' Today, COVID-19 is the world's dominant player, and it is wreaking havoc.

While the power of face-to-face, physical sessions remains indisputable, COVID-19 has called for a ‘new normal’ where Zoom meetings and WhatsApp calls are the order of the day. All sectors of society have been impacted, including intermediaries who have had to quickly digitally mobilise to be there for their clients in a time when they’re needed most.

The COVID-19 lockdown has battered the already ailing South African economy. Despite the pending lift of the lockdown, companies will likely battle to stay afloat as the full impact of the pandemic plays out. Companies with insufficient liquidity face a high risk of collapse.

The impact of COVID-19 and the lockdown has severely squeezed business cash flows. Surviving the shock is challenging the resilience of enterprises and executives alike. How management adapts will test their agility and resourcefulness. If not enough is done, the very survival of the business will be at stake.

There are plenty of gags out there about how the main driver to fast-tracking digital transformation in business has been COVID-19, rather than the CTO – and , sadly, they’re largely true. The necessity of shifting the majority of global office workforces to a ‘work-from-home’ scenario almost overnight has seen a huge shift in the way businesses function – and forced those who weren’t embracing digital to do so, in a hurry.

Employees returning to work from the COVID-19 lockdown will need to show reasonable justification if they halt work on the basis that they are exposed to the virus. Legal provisions allowing employees to withdraw from a hazardous working situation could, in the context of COVID-19, be open to abuse by unprincipled employees or trades unions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the global economy to its knees, and inevitably many employers will need to contain costs by cutting salaries. Being hit with a salary cut or a retrenchment is something every employee dreads, but it’s important not to panic and to manage the situation as responsibly as possible.

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm, so much so that plunges in global stock markets are making history in terms of the low levels being hit, as well as the speed at which the collapses are occurring. For the first time in history, the US oil prices fell below zero. From travel bans and cancelled sporting events to national lockdowns, COVID-19 has influenced global and personal realities.

With the commencement of Level 3 of COVID-19 lockdown on 01 June, many employers are feeling overwhelmed with their obligations to meet the regulatory requirements and ensure the health and safety of those employees, who have returned to work, and are needing assistance in establishing the various protocols for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace.