Coronavirus forced a brutal shift from ‘on the fence’ to ‘fully embracing’ the idea of remote working for many businesses – big and small. Companies who were reluctant to consider allowing staff to work from home pre-pandemic, had no choice in light of government policies. But has 2020 forever changed how we work?
The work from home shift
Of course, coronavirus didn’t start the work from home shift. A lot of people have been seeking a more flexible working model for a few years. A great number of people already enjoy the benefits it brings – and manage the potential problems.
Due to the pandemic and the stay at home advice, other companies who weren’t so enthusiastic had no choice.
It’s interesting that many businesses are now saying there won’t be a return to the old working practices. They’ve realised that often, working from home is a good thing for the business and the employee. For a start, it reduces the need for large expensive office space.
The online shopping boom
Another big switch that affects how we work is the online shopping boom. During lockdown, if you needed something, you didn’t have many options other than to shop online. So even people who had previously been reluctant online shoppers, got used to clicking for their products rather than shopping in-person.
Click and collect has quickly become a favourite. Businesses who are set up with a strong online presence can get all the items you selected via a website ready for you to collect. It’s like having a personal shopper, only you get to choose everything!
While many people are returning to the shops, there’s little doubt that the online shopping habit has become firmly entrenched in the UK shopper. This changes the lives of people working in retail as well as their customers.
How we can help
Here at SBS Printing, we’ve seen the changes from the viewpoint of a shop owner and it has been a roller coaster. We have more customers needing work from home supplies, and all-important printing, scanning and binding services. Many people soon discovered that their home printer can’t produce quality copies quite like their office machines. We’ve been happy to help, receiving documents by email, contacting customers to discuss costs and requirements and getting top quality copies ready for collection.
We also started our own click and collect service and due to the success of this, will soon be launching our online shop. That means in addition to emailing us, our customers will be able to order online and arrange a convenient time to collect their purchases.
From people starting their own business to home-based workers needing essential supplies, we are here to help you cope with the changes that 2020 has brought to our working lives. Contact us at studio@sbsprinters.co.uk for more information.