What will a post covid-19 world look like?

[Karbon]

hopefully, stronger labor class unity.

 

[rodr]

We had an absolutely lovely dinner party last night with some very good friends, people who we love dearly but are scattered across three states, and getting everybody together in person is nearly impossible. It was incredibly refreshing, and although the first hour was mostly spent figuring out how to use Zoom on our various devices, we stayed online until almost 11pm laughing and telling stories like we were all in the same room. Definitely want to continue doing that.

What a cool idea!

 

[Climber]

hopefully, stronger labor class unity.

With high unemployment, it will be a buyers market, and we've already seen how corporations exploit that kind of situation a decade ago.

 

[WoodsChick]

Had a conversation about "Essential vs. Non-essential" and what I'm taking away from this is exactly this.

My life before was always looking at the time, rushing... stressed. Constantly looking at my calendar full of meetings and appointments and family obligations. Teaching martial arts on Monday... but also looking at my phone for work related stuff and missing phone calls and more rushing and sitting in traffic...

And boom. It all stopped.

I have had one of the most successful and productive months in my career, all working from home. My wife and my step son are doing art and home schooling. I've mastered the portable, DIY, boxing/martial arts workout I take to a secluded area of a local park away from everyone. I get to watch TV for hours with the wife at night, and we aren't stressed about having to wake up at the crack of dawn to be rushed to our business affairs.

We've been cooking at home - beautiful meals - and our bank account has barely moved, since we both aren't buying gas for business related travel. My wife told me this morning she's saving a ton of money not having to get her hair and nails done - this was part of dressing up for her business. No need right now.

My clients are happy with video conferencing, and they appreciate it. When we meet, we are quick and pragmatic and right to business. It feels oddly organic and personable.

My wife and I have been able to break down the essential aspects of our life - what really is needed to live, thrive and be happy. I've discovered, it doesn't require me to sit in 2 hours of traffic, stressed, drinking huge amounts of caffeine because I'm so exhausted from the rat race. It didn't require us to be always looking at the clock, and syncing calendars of who is going to pick up the boy from school that day and conflicting meetings and appointments...

We've narrowed down to what is important and essential, and scrubbed away what wasn't. We didn't need to live that rat race - to live.

I hope others have experienced this.

I do miss my parents (who I call nearly everyday) and I miss my karate students and martial arts training partners. This is part of the whole thing that has made me kinda sad.

This is it exactly! This is kind of where I'm at. I have a feeling, at least I hope, that people grow and learn from this experience, and find that things they thought were important before really aren't that important now.

 

[Karbon]

With high unemployment, it will be a buyers market, and we've already seen how corporations exploit that kind of situation a decade ago.

indeed, all the more reason to organize. Hopefully there will be a shift in the culture/zeitgest and people will be more open and educated to stronger safety nets.

 

[OldMadBrit]

With high unemployment, it will be a buyers market, and we've already seen how corporations exploit that kind of situation a decade ago.

Pandemics tend to have a disproportionate impact on the poorest in society - who also happen to be the workers who make and harvest stuff. So post pandemic societies tend to have a surplus of slave masters but a shortage of galley slaves.

After the great plagues of the dark ages, it quickly became a supplier's market as the supply of food and trade goods dried up. That ended the feudal system, bankrupted the European aristocracy and opened up land ownership for the common man.

The Spanish flu possibly had a similar effect. It certainly ended WWI and the combined labor shortages of both contributed to a boom for the survivors in the roaring 20's.

 

[Climber]

Pandemics tend to have a disproportionate impact on the poorest in society - who also happen to be the workers who make and harvest stuff. So post pandemic societies tend to have a surplus of slave masters but a shortage of galley slaves.

After the great plagues of the dark ages, it quickly became a supplier's market as the supply of food and trade goods dried up. That ended the feudal system, bankrupted the European aristocracy and opened up land ownership for the common man.

The Spanish flu possibly had a similar effect. It certainly ended WWI and the combined labor shortages of both contributed to a boom for the survivors in the roaring 20's.

Don't forget what happened at the end of the 20's.

 

[Kornholio]

What I've found interesting is that with all the shops that have laid off mechanics, we're not getting an influx of applications to our open mechanic and supervisor positions. Either mechanics that need work either don't realize we're still open and working normally (unlikely), or they're afraid of working on our equipment. :laughing

 

[Eldritch]

Don't forget what happened at the end of the 20's.

The end of Prohibition? :teeth

 

[Climber]

What I've found interesting is that with all the shops that have laid off mechanics, we're not getting an influx of applications to our open mechanic and supervisor positions. Either mechanics that need work either don't realize we're still open and working normally (unlikely), or they're afraid of working on our equipment. :laughing

Or they're counting on 4 months of full pay through unemployment....they might be a long time waiting for it.

 

[TheRobSJ]

What I've found interesting is that with all the shops that have laid off mechanics, we're not getting an influx of applications to our open mechanic and supervisor positions. Either mechanics that need work either don't realize we're still open and working normally (unlikely), or they're afraid of working on our equipment. :laughing

I’m furloughed for the month. Maybe more...who knows. I was actually doing some interviews for a few places and was ready for the next stage in the gauntlet with all those companies, then the shutdown happened. Now everything is frozen.

I’ve already filed for the UI. If the federal bump gets it up to $1050 a week, that ain’t bad. It’s still less than what I get normally but it’s good enough and honestly, I am fine no matter what on that front. But $1050 to some of the guys in my crew? That’s more than they make now. So I don’t see them rushing out to find another job anytime soon. I was thinking about quitting anyways, but I want to get a new job on my terms. Six weeks ago, I had recruiters wooing me, and I had some leverage. I feel like now I’d get bent over a barrel to just try and get a job anywhere.

So long story short, I’m waiting it out.

 

[Kornholio]

Or they're counting on 4 months of full pay through unemployment....they might be a long time waiting for it.

Considering what our industry pays, they'd be doing themselves a disservice if they chose that route. :dunno

I’m furloughed for the month. Maybe more...who knows. I was actually doing some interviews for a few places and was ready for the next stage in the gauntlet with all those companies, then the shutdown happened. Now everything is frozen.

I’ve already filed for the UI. If the federal bump gets it up to $1050 a week, that ain’t bad. It’s still less than what I get normally but it’s good enough and honestly, I am fine no matter what on that front. But $1050 to some of the guys in my crew? That’s more than they make now. So I don’t see them rushing out to find another job anytime soon. I was thinking about quitting anyways, but I want to get a new job on my terms. Six weeks ago, I had recruiters wooing me, and I had some leverage. I feel like now I’d get bent over a barrel to just try and get a job anywhere.

So long story short, I’m waiting it out.

First I had heard they were going to bump it to $1050 a week...but you'd still have to qualify for that amount and honestly, if the rules haven't changed, you'd have to make quite a bit of coin to qualify for the highest payout from UI benefits.

 

[TheRobSJ]

Considering what our industry pays, they'd be doing themselves a disservice if they chose that route. :dunno



First I had heard they were going to bump it to $1050 a week...but you'd still have to qualify for that amount and honestly, if the rules haven't changed, you'd have to make quite a bit of coin to qualify for the highest payout from UI benefits.

It’s $450 a week max from the state. And that has been the max you get for many years. I know I’d get that much. The extra $600 comes from federal. But I don’t know much about that other than I heard everyone was just going to get that if they were getting UI payouts. Hasn’t happened yet. My wife has been on UI for the past month already, and she hasn’t gotten any more than $450.

My HR manager at my work has been as useless as a screen door on a submarine over this whole ordeal. (One of the many reasons I decided its time to find somewhere else to work) So all information about UI bump, the family first sick leave thing, and so on, has all been from what I’ve been able to pick up from news...which seems to be a different story every day.

 

[Kornholio]

To be fair, a lot of HR managers have been completely caught off-guard and unprepared for all this kind of stuff. It's not like it happens all the time and they've been able to experience it in more junior roles in the past. Hell, they can't even really train you for this kind of stuff anymore since the only real examples they have date back over 100 years.

 

[TheRobSJ]

To be fair, a lot of HR managers have been completely caught off-guard and unprepared for all this kind of stuff. It's not like it happens all the time and they've been able to experience it in more junior roles in the past. Hell, they can't even really train you for this kind of stuff anymore since the only real examples they have date back over 100 years.

True. But some information has been available for many days now. Such as the Family First Act. Information that can greatly benefit some of our employees. One of my tech’s dad just tested positive (who he lives with), which means he has to stay home now too and get tested and go through all that. It’s sad that I had to tell him about the FFCRA, and he didn’t get any guidance from the person in our organization whose actual job is to know that stuff.

 

[Kornholio]

Yeah we didn't have those issues as our HR management from the local level on up through the national level all knew about this stuff and informed the employees of the company early on. So far, we've had no one test positive in the company even though we're exposed on a daily basis. But we've got a lot of prevention measures and protocols in place to prevent it from being an "at-work" issue. We can't however control what happens outside of work and honestly, that's the bigger issue.

 

[Eldritch]

I will be sad if Movie Theaters die.

 

[oobus]

Migrant workers?
No one is getting across the border for some time. And the groups of people out picking the lettuce right next to each other?
Hope everyone has a small patch of dirt to grow food.

On the plus side, maybe this will get more young, white kids interested in agriculture. Every farmer I know is always looking for good help.

 

[Cabrito]

Hope everyone has a small patch of dirt to grow food.

We used to grow quite a bit of leafy greens, and more in the backyard here in the city. We compost and make our own dirt too, but the goddamn rats took over in the compost area, and now we can't get anything going without them eating our stuff as it comes up out of the ground.

We're working on that now so we can get back to growing our own greens..

 

[rothmans]

In a post Covid -19 84 world Health Security will be a thing. Want to travel to another country, you will need some digital certificate that proves you are "safe".