Organisations value employees who go beyond their boundaries and step up to the occasion when the need arises, explains Steffi Kalluveetil, senior manager (operations), ITM Group of Institutions, Mumbai.
The COVID-19 crisis has provided us a sudden glimpse into a future world, a world of endless digital possibilities.
Who had thought of attending a marriage ceremony online or attending a job interview on a digital platform? Or grocery been ordered online?
It’s clear that the pandemic has cull a lot of outdated practices bringing a shift in preference at a drastic level.
For instance, the shift from cash to digital payments is clearly accelerating. The usage of ATM has already fallen at a high rate with digital and plastic money coming in.
Also, tools such as Zoom, Google meet, Microsoft's Teams, Slack and even the Houseparty app, are supporting millions of personal and corporate interactions every day.
This has led to preference and mind set been changed and altered for self-safety and care.
New adaption has led to bigger growth.
The automation and artificial intelligence has enhance the resilience of supply chains.
To create long-term resilience, the future is likely to see robotic automation and artificial intelligence for supply chains and operations.
These technologies will reduce the manual intervention, cutting the risk of transmission of the virus hence adoption will be high which will led to a reduction in reliance on humans to work face-to-face.
This technological shift also enable production to scale and shrink in response to sudden demand leading to planning the supply well.
The reason of not being up to date with the market has led to severe job losses.
For example, in current times, being a Java developer isn't enough; you need to be a full stack developer to be in the market and draw a good payslip.
Hence, knowledge enhancement and the readiness to learn is most important.
By this we understand that the businesses that use cloud computing, digitisation, artificial intelligence will not come under the pressure of the pandemic.
The industries that have seen a major hit due to the pandemic are the offline retail, travel and tourism, constructions and small time restaurants .
The simple experience of shopping physically has been over taken by 3D experience of finding out the fit of the garment before purchasing it.
But the fact that we will always want to eat out, meet people, go parting, have a physical shopping experience, travel, to be entertained, and to have experiences in person will never change.
Here are some tips for professionals to stay relevant and protect their jobs.
1. Be smart not over confident
We always make the mistake of thinking that as employees who are performing at our jobs, we are the backbone of the organisation.
That's not true at all.
In the present day scenario, it's much easier to find a replacement cause a new employee comes in with more ideas and a fresh thought process.
If you have spent considerable number of years in one role or the same team, you should now be ready to volunteer for new initiatives, ie. offer to help with new projects and be ready to take on more responsibility.
Doing so will only benefit you in your career.
The faster you get out of your comfort zone, the more you will learn and grow.
2. Flexibility is the key
When your presence is needed at odd hours, weekends, in non-favourable situations or when someone is required to change shifts, don't hesitate to put in some overtime, or take on new tasks.
Consider volunteering if you can fit in your personal schedule.
Organisations value employees who go beyond their boundaries and step up to the occasion when the need arises.
3. Boldness and learning
What are the bold digital actions we've hesitated to pursue in the past, even as we've known they would eventually be required?
Strange as it may seem, right now, in a moment of crisis, is precisely the time to boldly advance your digital agenda.
Sign up for new courses and train yourself to acquire those additional skills to stay updated.
4. Focus on growth and development
Strive to learn and learn more.
Invest in self development; not just physical development but mental growth too.
As this time requires immense peace of mind, turn to mediation and yoga to remain focused, to grow and develop in the right way.
5. Don't be a monotonous person
See if what you doing is making you happy.
If it isn't, then there is no point of being on that job.
When you get into a monotonous routine, you are neither effective nor efficient.
If you don't want to be laid off, you need to identify your interests and move in the right direction.
6. Keep yourself updated
Invest some time in understanding the demands of the current scenario, the ups and downs of the market and create a learning graph for yourself.
Brush up your skills and experience to meet the growing demands of the present. At the same time, you must have a clear vision of the future.
7. Analyse before acting
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Invest time and intelligence in analysing the outcomes of your behaviour before reacting on impulse.
Know what to say, how to deal with a situation in the an apt and proficient manner.
8. Stay positive
The idea is to be focused and productive in whatever job you do.
So it's important for you to be hopeful, think positive, and be positive so you can inspire others in your team and around you.
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