What a year 2022 has been! With the post-pandemic life emerging, we have seen organizations recover from the global crisis and at the same time seek local support to ensure their businesses can stay afloat. Individuals have also learned to choose the physical activities they go to, with options to participate online also made available and accessible. This arrangement has made individuals’ behavior more flexible and more mindful. There is a sense of empowerment that digital has provided in the course of our daily lives and we have also seen organizations adapt to this in order to keep up with the customer experience.
There are two areas that are highlighted this year, too, among many others, and as organizations or business owners it is encouraged to think about these and how 2023 can take advantage of such ideas.
Boundaries. Gone are the days when employees silently churn in work for overtime or even during the holiday period. Nowadays, people are more mindful of maintaining boundaries in order to focus on the other aspects of their lives such as family and friends, given how the pandemic limited these during its peak. Quiet quitting came up, simply because boundaries were not observed, and it’s important to consider respecting boundaries moving forward whether in work or in our personal lives. Maintaining boundaries results in creating more time for other things, and this inevitably creates opportunities in many areas — whether in leisure, pursuit of hobby, among others. In addition, establishing boundaries also saw how the freelance economy gig expanded to cater to individuals doing freelance work in their free time, even if it means working at night.
Core memory. Everything is now experiential, and businesses latch into this rather than simply selling standalone products or services. As an example, revenge travel came about, and many business establishments took advantage of this by offering accommodation for WFH (work-from-home) arrangements, or cheaper travel fares in order to experience life in the countryside or elsewhere. Food has been a great part of this core memory buildup and it is noticeable how DIY (do-it-yourself) food experiences came about, such as ramen kits, cocktail kits and many others. In doing so, core memories are created, something that may have been scant during the height of the pandemic. This is what people are looking for, and a great opportunity to address.
The year 2022 also gave us hope that family relations can be nurtured the traditional way with many establishments opening up, and therefore providing opportunities for get togethers and the like. It is a balancing act in ensuring that relationships can continue to be nurtured while observing safe protocols at a time when our health can be easily compromised. This mindset changed the way we behave, and the two areas — boundaries and core memory creation — are but by-products of such a mindset that companies, organizations and business establishments can mull over as we cross over to 2023.
Wishing everyone a prosperous 2023! Attraversiamo.
Kay Calpo Lugtu is the Chief Operating Officer of Hungry Workhorse, a digital and culture transformation firm. Her advocacies include food innovation, nation-building and sustainability. The author may be reached at kay.lugtu@hungryworkhorse.com.
Source: https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/12/29/business/top-business/learnings-from-2022/1871977/