With the emergence of COVID, almost all daily activities have suffered major setbacks. Due to the lack of physical contact and health-mandated quarantines, proper socializing seems to have become a thing of the past.
Moreover, extracurricular activities are now even harder to come by without the interaction and communication required.
This ripple effect can be seen through several large-scale industries, all of which have struggled to remain relevant during the last two years, such as contact sports leagues, television talk shows, and even localized events such as celebrating weddings or birthdays.
Even after tweaks and officials made changes to policies in various sectors to accommodate those struggling due to the pandemic, it has not been able to overcome the devastating losses people have had to bear, whether in terms of their businesses or the lives of their loved ones.
Effect of COVID on Businesses
This pandemic has taken a massive toll on the business sector, corporate giants, and up-and-coming startups alike.
Smaller businesses have taken most of the brunt of the hit as they didn’t have significant capital to fall back on and had not yet established a solid client base. In contrast, well-established companies were able to reduce their workforce and balance out losses with revenue.
This led to a rise in uncertainty and desperation amongst small business owners, many of which were forced to close down, at least until the effects of the pandemic blew over.
A research study showed that most micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises faced severe issues such as delayed orders, decrease in demand, and customer dissatisfaction, among others.
Out of 184 MSMEs, two-thirds showed a lack of confidence in the government. They stated they would not be able to sustain themselves if the lockdown proceeded for over two months, giving us a glimpse of just how dire the situation has become for these business owners.
How COVID Delayed Some Routine Activities
Besides worsening the already-devastating economic crisis most countries are faced with, the pandemic also took away several recreational and extra-curricular activities, one of the primary ways people would often blow off steam.
With another outlet of stress closed, the situation seems to be continuously deteriorating.
Olympics
The Olympics, a series of games held on an international level with participants from all over the world, were also delayed, unfortunately.
Requiring large-scale planning and significant investment, the postponement of the Olympics left a major dent financially as well as in people’s hearts.
Sports Leagues
No matter your geolocation, age, or other socioeconomic factors, everyone has a particular sport they’re fond of.
And that is why the cancellation of sports leagues across the board was a complex idea to digest.
With the pandemic spreading and coronavirus cases rising by the day, sports such as cricket, football, basketball, even several esports delayed their latest seasons to ensure the health of their athletes and play their part in stopping the spread.
Domestic (School-Level) Functions
Coming down from large-scale, international tournaments to localized children’s functions, COVID left nothing untouched.
Due to no available vaccines at the moment and parents’ concerns for their children’s health, a large majority of schools were forced to shut down and move to online teaching.
Aside from the difficulties faced by teachers in adopting this new mode of information sharing, this also meant no school activities could be carried out for the remainder of the lockdown, leaving kids at home wondering when they’d be able to go back again.
Industry Recognition – What You Need to Know
In every industry or company, there are always specialized awards and ceremonies to recognize and commemorate the hard work of everyone putting in their time to boost efficiency. Industry recognition is the acknowledgment of workers who go above and beyond and achieve various accomplishments.
This can be seen almost everywhere you go.
The journalism industry honors the top journalists with the Pulitzer award, the army bestows a medal of honor upon courageous soldiers, and the best example is in the field of philanthropy which hands out the Nobel Peace Prize to one influential individual who made a difference in the world and left their mark.
How Did COVID Affect It?
Seeing how COVID took its toll on everything, the recognition industry was no exception. Struggling with concerns such as material shortages and following government-mandated SOPs, recognizing efforts became a difficult task in itself.
Material Shortages
To honor an individual’s efforts, you require a token of appreciation or gratitude. A trophy, a medal, or even monetary bonuses if you’re working for a company.
These became extremely hard to produce due to the lack of material shortages and funding. A disruption in the supply chain led to severe disorganization, and the recognition industry fell short.
In terms of monetary bonuses, companies were forced to reassess the amount of capital they could spend on acknowledgment grants. As business was already declining, extra funding provided to someone could take away necessary funding needed elsewhere.
Following SOPs
Officials enforced a number of SOPs as countries realized the horrendous effects of COVID around the world. From social distancing to wearing masks and gloves whenever in public, the change in routine was not always met with cooperation.
In an industry that is based primarily on handing tokens of appreciation to hard-working individuals, industry recognition took a big hit.
Guests were not able to greet or award participants and were required to remain a set distance away from each other. Not only did this lead to a lack of motivation, but it also took away the excitement and thrill many viewers got while having their favorite athlete or player crowned victoriously.
The Takeaway
The effects of COVID and the pandemic have been devastating indeed.
Stopping many activities in their tracks and removing the joy people got from watching the remaining ones have people worried about the future, praying the coronavirus is dealt with soon before the effects become irreversible.
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