It has been almost two years since the pandemic hit, and a lot of industries have faced challenges but also good change that has benefited their growth. As companies and other businesses were forced to work remotely, they looked for means that would help them keep in contact with their clients and be able to give out the same services they were offering before the pandemic, thanks to technology they kept on operating. We can’t say that the adoption of technology only happened during the pandemic, technology was used even before. But the pandemic accelerated its usage; businesses and companies were forced to look into its adoption and it has immensely benefited them and helped accelerate digital transformation. However, how are companies faring with the changes? Have employees and employers fully adapted to this migration? Are they trained enough to adapt to the work changes that are likely to happen in the future? Kevin Kayisire the co-founder of KAYKO, a mobile application that helps SMEs to simplify their bookkeeping and operations, says that even though their company was conceived during the pandemic, they were also forced to abide by the changes. “We learned from the get-go what it means to adapt to circumstances that require our team to work remotely. And as a young and tech-savvy team, we are already accustomed to digital collaborative tools to get our work done and we make sure every new member is properly on-boarded on all the platforms and methodologies we use,” he explains. As a person who works remotely, David Asifiwe sees this new form of working as a stepping stone in changing the work structure. “When you wrap your head around the idea of being able to attend several meetings online, sharing google docs and google sheets simultaneously with your co-workers, sending invoices, and receiving payments all done online through these digital platforms, it shows you that things are changing for good and there’s no going back.” Are we trained enough to adapt to these changes? Asifiwe believes that proper training of employees and employers will require the provision of all materials and knowledge needed to adapt. Kayisire says work is changing fast and employers need to understand that the rapid changes will not end with the pandemic. “To future-proof our businesses, we have to set up context-appropriate systems and methodologies for teams to be productive regardless of the environment while maintaining a healthy work-life balance,” he adds. Martine Munyana who works as a marketing manager for a local cleaning company, believes that with the right effort, everyone in the workplace should be ready for the changes. “As a cleaning company, you might ask yourself how we managed to adapt while most of our services require us to be on-site. Well, we had to put in more effort in training our employees and employers to know how to use technology in serving our clients; applying for cleaners online, requesting for services online, we also trained ourselves that digitalisation can work for all companies.”
