How COVID-19 has been Instrumental in unleashing Innovation?

If you had read this title a couple of years ago, I bet many of you wouldn’t have believed that COVID-19 would take innovation to an unprecedented level. Such was the impact of the pandemic that people were only scared and wanted it to end. However, if you look at the other side of the coin, you will find that the pandemic, depsite its ill-effects, has fostered innovation in many ways.

In this article, we will go through how COVID-19 has paved a way for a world that is only getting more tech-savvy with time. 

1. The Rise of Remote Work

Remote work, or work from home as we say, has probably been the biggest change brought about by the pandemic. When the pandemic hit, many feared to lose their jobs as companies were required to be shut physically. While this was actually the case with some companies, predominantly in the manufacturing sector, many companies adopted a new way of working, i.e. remote work. 

Like any other change, remote working was also hard to implement initially as companies were not used to the concept. There were hardly any tools available to track the employees’ productivity. It was also hard for employees who were used to working in an office environment to keep themselves motivated all the time. However, it all changed with time. Gradually, companies started implementing several methods to track the efficiency of the employees and keep the team engaged and together. 

The rise of employee monitoring tools like Teramind, DeskTime, Controlio, etc. also came to rise. The concept of remote work, which started out of necessity, soon became a norm. And even after the pandemic restrictions were lifted, many companies allowed their employees to keep working from home. Many also employed a hybrid working policy, which gave employees the flexibility to work from home for 2-3 days and go to office the rest of the week. For companies, this saved a lot of time and resources. And this trend is expected to continue for a long period of time. 

2. Advancements in Healthcare and Biotechnology

Healthcare was amongst the most impacted sectors during the pandemic. The increased demand for vaccines as well as general healthcare treatments did increase the workload on the existing healthcare systems. However, like other sectors, the healthcare industry also responded to the change with a flurry of innovations. 

Before the pandemic, telemedicine and telehealth were predominantly seen as future concepts that have a lot of potential. However, during COVID-19, we saw increased adoption and implementation of telemedicine and telehealth. More patients started opting for remote treatments rather than risking their lives by going out. As the demand for telemedicine surged, newer innovations in the industry came to fruition, giving rise to increased competition among healthcare service providers. 

Along with healthcare, the biotechnology sector also witnessed numerous innovations during the shift. Due to the COVID-19 virus, the research to find antibodies and vaccines against similar viruses became more extensive. Several countries found their own ways of combating the virus, while many countries are now focusing on strengthening their biotechnology labs to manage if a similar kind of situation arises in the future.  

3. Changes in Education

Typically, education is not among the leading industries that are leveraging the benefits of technology to their fullest. The pandemic, however, has turned the education sector upside down. The rise of e-learning and numerous other innovations in the industry are a testament to this. The traditional methods of education, i.e. classroom learning, laboratories, practicals were replaced by virtual methods during COVID-19.

The changed methods certainly gave more flexibility to students, however, it posed challenges for teachers, especially to the older ones who were not well-versed with technology. It took some time for them to adjust to the new normal and set their teaching routine. And if you look at the situation today, you will find that a lot of schools and universities are adopting distance learning as one of the primary methods of offering education, especially for international students. 

This new normal in education is attracting more students and is expected to stay for a long period of time. Thanks to the pandemic and its aftereffects, innovations in the field of education have been taken to another level. 

4. The Realization of “Sustainability”

Reviving nature to its original form is another thing pandemic did successfully. As countries were shut during the lockdown, the pollution levels decreased by a considerable amount. The closure of industries during this period meant reduced carbon emissions, which further enhanced the air quality index and purified the environment, to say the least.

During this period, we saw a lot of innovations in terms of eco-friendly products and practices. Realizing the amount of pollution we had before the pandemic, countries introduced numerous new policies to drive sustainability and conserve the environment. The rise of numerous tree plantation movements is a testament to this trend. 

Alongside traditional measures, technology is also playing a vital role in ensuring sustainability. Inspired to drive change, several new tech startups are emerging to solve the sustainability crisis. In the long run, these innovations will surely play an instrumental role as we look towards a greener future. 

5. Updated Government Policies

In the past couple of years, the need for innovation has increased more than ever. And the governments are also aware of this. To foster innovation and encourage new startups, they are introducing newer policies while also simplifying the existing ones. As a result, more entrepreneurs are showing interest in starting on their own and coming up with something new, something helpful.

These updated government policies, if continued for a longer period, can be instrumental in the growth of individuals as well as economies. All thanks to COVID-19, this is becoming a reality soon.

Conclusion: Towards an Innovation driven Future!

Innovation is the need of the hour and it would be fair to say that it took a whole pandemic for us to realize this. We hope that the impact of this much-necessary push stays longer and we can grow further in a world that is faster, smarter, and better!