Covid-19 has affected the entire world in ways that no one could ever imagine. Before Covid-19 came to existence, it was previously unheard of how a pandemic can be this extreme. As of writing, some countries are still affected for over seven months now, and some parts of the globe are scrambling to recover, while others are still suffering.
The pandemic has severely affected the world in many ways, and the working class is one of the profoundly affected. More employees have also lost their jobs as businesses are forced to shut down. As work resumes, there are also changes as to how a workplace should run. Business establishments had to make the necessary adjustments to adhere to social distancing and to have protocols to help the spread of the virus. Here is how Covid-19 affected the workforce:
- Facing Temporary Measures Regarding Pay
The employees who are paid on a no work, no pay basis, are the ones that are most hit by the economic effects of Covid-19. They are unemployed due to their workplace that had to close down, or they are furloughed without pay. However, some employers give out assistance to their employees. Nevertheless, many employees find it hard to recover, even for those people who already returned to their jobs. Most employees are utilizing whatever that’s left of their salaries and savings because they had suffered the effects of not having any salary at all.
Employers can’t be blamed as well regarding this as they rely on revenue to give out salaries and to afford expenses such as utilities and to keep their business running. These kinds of situations of not being paid at all also can’t be blamed on the employers. Managing finances are also hard for businesses due to the loss of revenue.
It doesn’t mean that the government hasn’t stepped up to help the people in need of assistance. Many employees that are affected we’re given aid by the government. However, most people ask if getting sick from the virus is covered by the worker’s competition. Sadly, it’s not, but there are COVID-19 resources for VA workers, which can help you in knowing the alternatives for a worker’s compensation claim.
- Work From Home Adjustments
Work from home arrangements is the “new normal.” Instead of going to a physical office, many employees are now forced to work from their homes due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, some employees are grateful that they finally have their jobs back. However, most employees are having difficulties regarding the changes in their workplace.
For instance, not everyone has internet access at home. Some may even be reliant on just one laptop or computer. For those with children that are also at home an do online lessons, this means that there are added challenge in working at home, like having to acquire a new laptop.
This can be more inconvenient than being unemployed as they have to go through another financial burden as well instead of slowly recovering from the losses they have endured. This only adds up to the stress they’re already experiencing from the increasing utility bills, which can also cause fatigue.
3. Temporary Lay-Offs
Many employees were forced to be laid off as a lot of businesses had to reduce their working hours due to the pandemic temporarily. An employer can lay off or put their staff in a short time if it’s indicated in the contract of employment, or if it’s a custom practice in their workplace.
You should be given notice beforehand, and it should be explained why you got laid off or was told to work short-time. Your employer should also keep you informed regarding the situation in your workplace during the pandemic.
On the other hand, if these not indicated in your contract, your employer shouldn’t lay you off. Some employees that were laid off had no other choice but to apply for other jobs as they still have utilities and expenses to pay.
4. Switched Careers
Many employees found themselves in an affected industry, and many are starting to think if they should change careers to get by, and some are forced to take positions that have salaries, which is lower than the jobs they had.
For instance, employees in the airline industry like flight attendants and pilots may have had to work online jobs with salaries considerably less than what they’re used to. There’s no longer any room for sticking to the career or position you once knew. It’s now a matter of taking any job available to have something to bring to the table than nothing at all.
Conclusion
Retrenchments, having no salaries, displeased, and stressed employees. These are only some of the effects that the pandemic had caused in the working class. Some may have been severely affected than others. Everyone, including businesses, had to face financial adjustments brought by this unexpected global health crisis.
Some industries are slowly getting back on their feet. However, some are still buried in financial loss, and they yearn to get over this burden someday. Many people are hoping that loans will no longer have to be taken, and that savings accounts will slowly beef up again.