1). Digital Adoption and Transformation Is Not Going Away 

2020’s global shutdown led to many businesses and services having to operate digitally with organisations having to accelerate their adoption of digital processes. Shifting from in-person to remote communication. 

From a strategic perspective, it gave many businesses a firm message that digital processes and systems were critical for their long-term success.  

Juliana Vida, Chief Technical Advisor at Data Management Platform Splunk stated that the pandemic was “a real-world proof of concept that cloud and other modernization strategies are now a mission-critical priority”.  

2). A Shift To Community First 

The media focus on localised infection rates and damage to local businesses has paved the way for consumers and society in general to really pay attention to the areas they live in and how different scenarios impact them.  

In our Christmas blog, we reported that 71% of Brits stated they were more likely to spend money locally when buying presents over the festive season. This offers a great opportunity for businesses to focus on their local communities and build up a greater understanding of the value they can bring to them and how they can profit from this opportunity. 

3). We’re Closer To Our Environment 

Lockdown and severe travel restrictions have forced us all to spend more time in our local environments and also appreciate the areas and landscapes in which we live.  

Tarcus Eco Trends Report claimed that 66% of Brits were planning to make more eco-conscious choices leading to a more sustainable life after lockdown.  

And this isn’t just reflected in consumer choices, 63% of UK business owners viewed sustainability as the top priority for their business moving forward.  

4). Remote Working Is Well Established..But Needs Improvement 

In last April we asked businesses ‘Is now the perfect time to fully embrace remote working?’ I think it’s fair to remote working has been forcibly embraced by many of us, but that doesn’t mean we want to go back to a full office culture.  

Many employee surveys are stating that workers are looking for a mixed balance between social interaction in the office and working at home. 

 Now is the right time for businesses to invest time and effort into what works best for their business and employees moving forward, and constantly test and review this to find the most productive working environment.  

5). The Jobs Market Is Getting Tougher  

With many businesses forced to close, this has led to a higher unemployment rate especially amongst younger workers, and puts a greater strain on those entering the jobs market for the first time.  

You may think this is a good sign, but it also means that your business needs to invest greater energy into building clearer recruitment channels to make sure you get the best candidates out there. Remember it’s never too late to invest in skills development programmes such as our very own Higher Level Skills Match to help you achieve that.  

Want to gain more knowledge to help you innovate throughout 2021? Find out how our Knowledge Transfer Partnership opportunities can help.