Business futures in a pandemic world
Explore our COVID-19 Business Impact Dashboard
Expert insights and fresh thinking on how the pandemic might impact the future of work, cities, supply chains, business strategy, society, policymaking, the economy, and specific industries.
Click on a topic to skip straight to the insights.
COVID and work
After many were forced to pivot to remote work, what now for the future of the office? Will the hybrid office protocol prevail? Will workers desiring greater flexibility prevail over organisations pressing for a return to the office?
Reimagining the future of work: what’s next?
Will productivity remain the undisputed focal point of organisations?
25% ⇣
Decrease in the share of collaboration time of Microsoft employees during mandated remote work
Source: Microsoft
64%
Workers new to remote work in the pandemic say it has made balancing their work and personal lives easier
Source: Pew Research Center
2 in 3
Organisational leaders say their company is considering redesigning office space for hybrid work
Source: Edelman Data and Microsoft
76%
Workers believe their company should be doing more to protect the mental health of employees
More on COVID and work
Zoom fatigue: a laborious act, in two parts
Even a few video calls can leave us exhausted, so how do you weigh the potential return on investment of each virtual meeting?
Hybrid office fashion
This week: what should you wear to work: the end of suit and heels and more hybrid office fashion.
Suiting up for a flexible working environment
As we enter into new hybrid work arrangements what we wear to work presents an opportunity to challenge gendered norms.
Digital empathy – what the workers of the world will need to flourish
How will businesses that fail to invest in employee upskilling struggle in the new digitalised world of work?
Social capital on Corona Business Insights
Social capital, networking and the office: part four of a series looking at shifting working practices, distributed and hybrid work.
Wellbeing on Corona Business Insights
Wellbeing, burnout and memory fog: part three of a series looking at shifting working practices, distributed and hybrid work.
Productivity on Corona Business Insights
Revisiting productivity and remote work: part two of a series looking at shifting working practices, distributed and hybrid work.
Working from home on Corona Business Insights
Revisiting working from home (WFH): part one of a series looking at shifting working practices, distributed and hybrid work.
Still zooming on Corona Business Insights
As remote work continues for many people, what is Zoom fatigue and what to do about it, and how are videoconferencing platforms adapting their services to the hybrid future?
Hybrid work on The Future, This Week
This week: hybrid work models, and their hidden complexities and implications in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s time for a gender-focused recovery
Is a gender-lens on public policy needed to ensure an equitable future of work?
Reimagining the future of work: what’s next?
Will productivity remain the undisputed focal point of organisations?
Lessons from COVID-19 on The Future, This Week
This week: working from home, hybrid offices, climate, Gen Z, AI and UBI, the surprising lessons we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The silver lining: How COVID-19 helped organisations find their health groove
When defining an organisation’s core values, the descriptors of integrity, boldness and honesty are usually front of mind. But what about health?
Starting a new job on Corona Business Insights
From establishing networks and meeting colleagues to learning organisational culture, what’s it like starting a new job when working remotely during a pandemic?
Zooming on Corona Business Insights
Has Zoom saved the business meeting or are we zoomed out and fatigued? What digital enhancements will shape your zoom appearance?
COVID and the economy
The world economy irrevocably changed in a few short weeks when the pandemic hit. What will the new economic order bring? What can be repaired and what rules should be left to history? What are the innovative solutions for a dynamic and uncertain economic future?
Working out the truth of The Great Resignation
Workers are resigning their jobs at historical rates, but what’s the story behind the statistics?
More on COVID and the economy
Working out the truth of The Great Resignation
Workers are resigning their jobs at historical rates, but what's the story behind the statistics?
A shrinking middle class, rising global poor
The pandemic has pushed millions out of the global middle class and increased the number of poor.
Social, environmental and economic impacts of COVID-19: a snapshot
What has COVID-19 taught us about changes in behaviour and economic activity?
Is COVID-19 the catalyst for increasing impact investments?
Is the social conscience of Australian investors strong enough to increase their impact investments?
Taxes and taxation on Corona Business Insights
Working from home and big tech gains spark debate about taxes and taxation as we look to tackle the economic effects of the pandemic.
Resilience and prospects for China’s economy
Despite being subject to fluctuation, risk and crisis, China’s system holds up.
China’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
Absent any major setback, China is achieving the V shaped economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two paths to prosperity in post-pandemic China
The economic narrative coming out of Beijing is the idea of two circulations, but what will that mean for the global economy?
Post-pandemic powerhouse: China is moving on
Three China experts – a businessman, an academic and a diplomat – walk us through China’s post pandemic story.
COVID-19, economic crisis and gender equality in Asia
Will women gain the economic benefits post-COVID-19, or will recent efforts to promote gender equality be undone?
In our post-COVID economy, Australia needs a liveable income guarantee
A liveable income guarantee turns the idea of an unemployment benefit on its head.
The pandemic, poverty and business
With developing countries now accounting for three quarters of new COVID-19 cases, what should businesses be doing?
China crucial to early post-COVID-19 economic recovery
The Australia-China economic partnership has always been important, but how will Australia fare with the two countries more closely interconnected than ever?
Economic forecasting on Corona Business Insights
The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic challenges economic forecasting as fundamental assumptions of economic models will have to be rethought.
Coronavirus will change the world permanently. Here’s how.
A crisis on this scale can reorder society in dramatic ways, for better or worse. Here are 34 big thinkers' predictions for what's to come.
Swans, rhinos, herds and resilience
The world has a history of disruption both good and bad, but are we learning from the mistakes of the past?
Hear how the pandemic is shaping the future of business
Our limited podcast series, Corona Business Insights, includes short audio insights on how COVID-19 is changing the future of business.
Join us as we discuss productivity, telehealth, economic forecasting, the business of vaccines, changing cities and other relevant topics.
COVID and supply chains
The pandemic shook up the world’s supply chains. Will organisations continue to build resilience into their supply networks? What planning strategies will best cope with future freight shocks and natural disasters?
Will there be a shake-up in global supply chains after COVID-19?
Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, neoliberal globalisation was exhibiting signs of ill health, has the pandemic accelerated these trends?
COVID and cities
While the impact on our homes was swift we are still learning how the pandemic will redesign cities. If business districts are the past and remote work the future, how will urban environments and public transport adapt? Will less commuting time create more space for other activities?
Adding walking to working from home
Does working from home provide an opportunity to reframe active travel choices?
Urban mobility on Corona Business Insights
It only takes sixty days to form a habit, so after nine months of people working from home, how is transport changing in our cities?
Changing cities on Corona Business Insights
How are cities changing and adapting during the pandemic? We talk with urban geographer Dr Dallas Rogers on how COVID-19 is reshaping urban areas.
COVID-19’s temporary measures a long-term solution to road congestion
Australians have reduced their weekly household trips by 50%, but what will happen after the COVID-19 pandemic?
Nudging our way through the pandemic
Are mandates needed to counter vaccine resistance? We asked Nobel Laureate and renowned author Professor Richard H. Thaler his thoughts on nudging and effective policy responses to COVID-19.
COVID and strategy
Organisational strategic plans could not have accounted for the scale and impact of COVID-19. But with the wisdom of experience, how will organisations adapt their long-term planning in a transformed global marketplace?
Strategy in a pandemic crisis: how agile is your approach to strategy?
Is it better to have a strategic planning approach or a portfolio-driven approach when planning during a crisis?
COVID and policy
The pandemic necessitated creative responses to manage an all-consuming threat. Which strategies have proven effective and what lessons can we apply to future challenges? Where do good ideas flourish and how can our thinking adapt to the challenges still to come?
Sustainable Development Goals more urgent than ever in a post-COVID world
Prior to COVID-19, there were concerns about achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, a worry that has been clearly exacerbated by the pandemic.
150million
People falling out of the global middle class and into poverty in 2020
Source: Pew Research Center
$11trillion
Money pumped into the economy by central banks in response to the pandemic
Source: Global QE Tracker
More on COVID and policy
Are we there yet? Australia’s bumpy road to SDG 4, achieving quality education
With a robust education system, why does Australia falter on delivering equitable, quality learning for every student?
The future of geopolitics
This week: the future of geopolitics. From Australia’s place in Asia to the war in Europe, we discuss new ways of thinking, with Professor Marc Stears.
The vaccine passport: the most effective way to remove vaccine hesitancy
How are vaccine passports Australia’s ticket out of wide-ranging lockdowns?
The limits of nudging in the COVID-19 health crisis
Are mandates needed to counter vaccine resistance? We asked Nobel Laureate Professor Richard H. Thaler.
Nudging towards happiness
How does Professor Richard H. Thaler influence our lives?
If you’re going to mandate COVID vaccination at your workplace, here’s how to do it ethically
Do you actually need compulsory vaccination at your workplace? And if you do, as a last resort, how do you make mandates fair?
Tracing the next pandemic – 8 lessons from digital contact tracing
What have we learned from the various tracing methods to better prepare for the next plague?
Contact tracing revisited on Corona Business Insights
We look at lessons learned from the use of digital contact tracing apps, launched with great promise early in the pandemic, but now largely regarded as ineffective by many countries.
Taxes and taxation on Corona Business Insights
Working from home and big tech gains spark debate about taxes and taxation as we look to tackle the economic effects of the pandemic.
What China’s pandemic response reveals about its past – and its future
Unlike many Western countries, China followed the best science to fight the pandemic.
Two paths to prosperity in post-pandemic China
The economic narrative coming out of Beijing is the idea of two circulations, but what will that mean for the global economy?
We can build a more inclusive government and economy out of the pandemic
There is a growing lament in Australia that politicians let us down. But the lesson from the pandemic is that we, the people, have the power to change our economy and politics for a better future.
Sustainable Development Goals more urgent than ever in a post-COVID world
Prior to COVID-19, there were concerns about achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, a worry that has been clearly exacerbated by the pandemic.
In our post-COVID economy, Australia needs a liveable income guarantee
A liveable income guarantee turns the idea of an unemployment benefit on its head.
Migration on Corona Business Insights
Labour migration: how COVID-19 has increased vulnerably, changed patterns of migration and the road to economic recovery.
The pandemic, poverty and business
With developing countries now accounting for three quarters of new COVID-19 cases, what should businesses be doing?
Post-pandemic powerhouse: China is moving on
Four China experts – a businessman, an academic, a diplomat and an economist – walk us through China’s post pandemic story. Is this the start of the Asian Century and how will the world be reshaped by China’s mass strength?
COVID and industries
All sectors are not equal in the force of the pandemic. What industries will flourish and which will flounder? What will be the new jobs, trades and occupations and how will corporations best navigate the transition?
After six months of darkness, what did Chinese cinemas come back with?
Will vengeance watching save the Chinese cinema industry, or will decreasing growth continue as consumers move to streaming platforms?
30%
Australians planning on an international trips for leisure in 2022
51%⇣
Decrease in 2021 movie releases compared to 2019 in the US and Canada
Source: Box Office Mojo via Statista
49%
Retail workers who felt their job security had decreased as a result of the pandemic
Source: University of Sydney
More on COVID and industries
Low-code apps: not just for the IT crowd
The pandemic may have turbo-charged low-code awareness, but how will the market grow in the coming years?
The future of higher education with Mark Scott
This week: what is the future of universities? As the sector navigates disruption and uncertainty, special guest Professor Mark Scott joins us to discuss the future of higher education.
Action? Cinemas are reopening, but will audiences return?
Without new films, audiences and revenue, will there be any cinemas remaining to show films by 2022?
Grocery tourism, entertaining survival plans for your local store
Everyone eats. Grocery shopping will never vanish, but how we transact the action of buying food in store will evolve after the pandemic.
Influencers on Corona Business Insights
Influencers in a pandemic: from struggling after travel lockdowns and marketing cuts to thriving in a world of online experiences.
The business of vaccines on Corona Business Insights
The business of vaccines: investment, research risks, pricing, manufacturing, and distributing a COVID-19 vaccine.
Using crisis as an opportunity for transformation – lessons from the GFC for higher education
12 valuable lessons from the 2008 financial crisis and how to apply those lessons to the upheaval of COVID-19.
The watch industry on Corona Business Insights
How COVID-19 accelerates the polarisation in the global watch industry. What does it mean for luxury brands, and will smart watches continue their takeover of the consumer market?
Movies and cinemas on Corona Business Insights
How the pandemic is changing the movie industry and cinemas: from delayed releases to extended releases, and from cleaning to streaming an uncertain future looms.
Tourism on Corona Business Insights
With travel ground to a halt tourism has the opportunity to rethink its ways. As the world reopens will recovery lead to more sustainability or will old patterns return?
Telehealth on Corona Business Insights
During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine looks like it could lead to a more permanent shift to become a more mainstream part healthcare.
The fashion industry on Corona Business Insights
The fashion industry: the standstill, a window of opportunity and the future of the industry in the wake of the pandemic.
The future of education is co-opetition
University education is in crisis, how will they adapt for the future of education?
For public transport to keep running, operators must find ways to outlast coronavirus
Minimising health risks has rightly been the focus of public policy during the coronavirus outbreak. This includes efforts to protect both frontline public transport employees and the travelling public.
The car industry and food delivery on The Future, This Week
This week: where will the sputtering car industry go? And struggling food delivery apps.
Reorganised crime on Corona Business Insights
Crime is impacted just like other parts of the economy, how has organised crime reorganised in the face of COVID-19?
COVID and society
The shared threat forced a new understanding of community responsibility, and there were new rules of engagement. How has the pandemic shifted our attitudes and behaviours? What will this new understanding mean to our relationships and social connections into the future? What will our expectations be of government and of each other?
Social, environmental and economic impacts of COVID-19: a snapshot
What has COVID-19 taught us about changes in behaviour and economic activity?
More on COVID and society
The way the world works has changed
Things you thought you knew like automation will make our work easier, music is something to listen to, large companies can’t innovate, or data is the new oil are no longer true. Hosts Sandra Peter and Kai Riemer set out to unlearn old wisdoms and discover new ones on The Unlearn Project, a new podcast from Sydney Business Insights.
