Seven Positive Changes Brought by Corona

What we have longed for and considered absolutely necessary for progress has finally happened, albeit under duress. The much-discussed but underutilized comprehensive digitalization has been brought to us by the dreaded corona. It locked us in our homes, disrupted social life, caused fear and panic that resulted in anti-epidemic measures destroying the economy, but it made one positive quantum leap – everything can be done through digital channels!

Many knew this before, but now everyone had to become aware. It is crucial that when the pandemic passes (eventually, we hope), we do not return to the old ways and that everything that can be done online continues to be done that way. This is especially important for the public sector, which has resisted digitalization the most, claiming that everything that is now done in two clicks simply cannot be done.

However, digitalization of everything, from public administration, any industry to small family farms, is not the only positive thing that corona has brought us. In the latest issue of Lider, we have listed seven positive changes brought by corona:

1. Quantum leap in the digitalization of the private and public sectors
2. Growth of online shopping and delivery of everything to the doorstep
3. Widely accepted remote work and flexible working hours
4. Focus on local producers and increased purchasing from family farms
5. Contactless payment becomes the standard
6. Utilization of telemedicine advantages
7. Virtualization of events and meetings

Among the positives brought by the corona crisis, business transformation expert Vedran Antoljak particularly highlights three. Firstly, after so many years of writing about the importance of digital transformation in business, companies are (finally!) accepting remote work as a productive and sustainable way to manage the workforce and perform business tasks. Many employees, especially younger ones, demanded the opportunity to work from home or to be more mobile.

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– Only a few employers and managers supported working from home before the crisis, but many resisted changes, as did the existing Labor Law, which has yet to recognize that we are in the 21st century and that freelancing and similar forms of employment are on the rise worldwide, including in Croatia. It seems that remote work and other similar forms of performing work tasks will become completely normal. Technology has proven itself in the crisis, employees are responsible even when working from home, and all work is completed on time. It is also evident that this will encourage entrepreneurs and managers to implement all other aspects of digital transformation in business, which will strengthen existing traditional businesses and improve the agility of companies in preparing for and combating future crises. Both employers and employees will realize that their way of life has permanently changed for the better. So, thank you coronavirus for finally helping us understand this! – says Antoljak.

The second important lesson that the coronavirus has taught us, in his opinion, is that we can no longer rely solely on one supplier of raw materials (foreign or domestic), but that we must have secured reserves necessary for the company’s products. The third positive thing that will arise from the coronavirus crisis is the increased attention of entrepreneurs and managers to the fact that ‘cash is king’, and good times never last forever, and that it is extremely important for business sustainability to accumulate mandatory reserves in cash.

– When you have money in the bank, entrepreneurs and managers make smarter decisions and invest better because they can negotiate from a stronger financial position – emphasizes Antoljak.

The biggest leap occurred in the digitalization of public services, which until yesterday could not function without physically visiting counters and stamps, and now everything can be done online. This is also the greatest positive thing that corona has brought to citizens and entrepreneurs who have been suffocated by unnecessary bureaucratic demands. There is a fear that after the pandemic ends, everything will return to the old ways and that with the lifting of epidemiological measures, everything will again need to be delivered in physical form. Entrepreneurs hope that Fina’s announcement that the delivery of documentation for its services via the internet is only temporarily enabled is not a sign of such regression. In business, this leap in digitalization will likely remain much more deeply rooted.

Co-founder of Gideon Brothers, Milan Račić, believes that this two-month experience of quarantine, illness, and death has redirected our collective attention to higher and more important goals such as family, home, and true friends instead of chasing material things that are not necessary for us. Moreover, it has shown us that we can live without stamps and paperwork.

– Why should we return to wasting precious time on useless bureaucracy? Why should we waste the time of talented civil servants on pointless tasks when they could be doing much more useful work? Croats are notoriously ‘resistant’ to adaptation, but when the water comes up to our necks, we adapt quite quickly to a new way of working and living. We demonstrated this in the Homeland War and confirmed it in this crisis. Why stop there? Why not capitalize on this burst of activity and make some necessary and positive changes in society? – says Račić, adding that the corona crisis has undoubtedly shown us that the Croatian economy is too exposed to tourism and that no one from the outside will save us, be it the European Union or the World Health Organization, and that we are responsible for our own future.

– This is an event that happens once in a century and that we could use to draw a line in the sand – the beginning of a new Croatia. This is an experience we could tell our grandchildren about: that we were caught by a crisis, but that we used it to catapult Croatia forward. We should emerge from this experience with stronger families, communities, companies, and industries. This will not happen overnight, but it will happen if we wisely seize this opportunity – emphasizes Račić.

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