This past year has not been easy for any of us. The pandemic has been extremely hard – people have lost their jobs, businesses have shut down, families have been kept apart, and so much more.
There were some rules and actions that we enacted that some disagree with, but they were for the best. We will not miss the mask wearing and everything being shut down, but there are some things we would like to still do.
Although none of us want this pandemic to last longer than it already has, there are some things that we got from it that should be kept.
Social Distance
Many people now aren’t following the rules, especially in stores, but if you are in line, please stay away. You don’t need to be all up on the person in front of you. That’s just personal space and respect to others around you. You don’t necessarily have to stay six feet away, but keep a wide enough distance so the person doesn’t feel trapped or claustrophobic.
Sanitizing and Cleaning
Before this whole thing started, not many people thought about how much stuff you touch in a day that other people have already touched- door handles, credit card machines, merchandise, etc. After this pandemic is over, hopefully businesses and homes will continue to clean surfaces down and use hand sanitizer and cleaning products as vigorously as they have this past year. Good hygiene will keep sickness away.
Closing Early – Reduced Business Hours
Although it may be an inconvenience to everyone else, some places closed earlier because they had to clean and sanitize after or because of restrictions that were in place. We should definitely keep those early hours because for employees it allows them to get home earlier or decompress after a stressful day.
Incentive Pay
When the world started to open back up a bit and stores were re-opening many places offered incentive or pandemic pay, an extra couple dollars an hour to entice people to come back to work and to show appreciation during this difficult time. However, a few months after people went back to work, companies took that pay away. As long as employees and customers have to wear masks they should still get it. But after all this, companies should still pay their employees higher. People have been struggling enough.
Working from Home
Although some people miss the commute and going into their place of work and getting away from their family, others enjoy working from home. This method of work can allow people to still be home with their young children or have the convenience of wearing more comfortable clothes or even save money on gas. Companies would save too by not having to heat buildings and pay for utilities, bring in food, etc. Everyone would be in a winning situation.
We hopefully don’t have much longer for this whole thing to be over (we said that last March too), but maybe people can also find kindness in their hearts and realize that life is short and nothing should be taken for granted.