The onset of Covid-19 has had a fierce impact on the world and its people. Prompting leaders and governments all over the globe to implement strict measures in an attempt to flatten the curve of the pandemic, the global health crisis has triggered quarantines everywhere.
Quarantine or lockdown is highly necessary in order to prevent people from spreading the virus to one another. It promotes physical distancing while pharmaceuticals all over the world work to develop a vaccine and a cure.
While physical distancing and wearing personal protective gear, such as masks and gloves has contributed dramatically to reducing transmission of the virus, lockdown has changed the world as we know. In most nations, school and work has been put to a temporary halt or transformed into a home based setting.
Working from home comes with multiple perks, as it boosts productivity, efficiency, and comfortability. Instead of driving to and from the office everyday, getting stuck in traffic, and other daily challenges when commuting to and from your workplace, working remotely allows people to save time. In turn, all that extra energy can be used for upgraded work productivity and the chance to be around your family more often.
While working in a home based setting doesn’t require you to dress up or do your makeup, it does have a far reaching impact on different industries in the business world.
We all know that the pandemic has had negative effects on a myriad of businesses, freezing many of them in the process. Most employees may have the option to work remotely, but there are industries greatly affected by this. One of them is the print industry. The print industry covers a wide range of businesses, including magazines, newspapers, books, brochures, labels, postcards, newsletters, cheques, memo pads, order forms, clothing, and packaging. All of these industries have been deeply affected by Covid-19.
From Print to Digital
Digital platforms have long been being integrated into people’s lives. Be it at work, school, or at home, digital communication, storage, and business have been thriving for a long time. In the recent months though, we have witnessed the extreme need for digital platforms transform into one of the only means of staying connected both with loved ones and work mates.
The power of the internet has kept many businesses from going into total paralysis during the pandemic, but does not come without consequences.
Digital media, storage, and communication platforms may be widely used, but print was always an imperative part of running a successful business. Now that the global health crisis has elicited rigorous changes in every facet of life, the print industry has taken a big hit.
As companies make the big shift from working in an office to working from home, printed paper processes are also transforming into digital digital formats. The more people work from home, the less print services they need. This has become evident since the start of the global health crisis. When colleagues and clients work far from each other, email interaction, digital drives, and cloud storage becomes the main means of communication and data sharing.
The Decline in Demand for Print Services
Lately, most printing businesses have been faced with a huge decline as the need for businesses to have documents printed in bulk has drastically been reduced.
Although most corporate companies have shifted to remote work settings, the need for print in the department of packaging and label segments has remained stable. This is because the demand for food and pharmaceutical packaging has skyrocketed since the outbreak of the virus. Nevertheless, with the exception of the medical and food industry, the demand for printing services has dwindled significantly.
However, regardless of the fact that adapting to a home based setting reduces the need for services from the print industry, there is a possibility that this “new normal” won’t last forever. The adjustments that people needed to make in order to contribute to eradicating the virus completely are temporary until it is safe to move back to an office setting. Although it is true that some businesses might opt to continue operating from a remote setting after the worldwide chaos, others will eventually need to return to their regular workplace as needed for their specific job functions. When this happens, the print industry can most likely expect to see an increase in the demand for the services once again.
Nevertheless, when the world begins to heal completely and people head back to their regular routine with work, school, and recreational activities, it is still advisable to be mindful of proper hygiene as a precautionary measure. Many factors will have changed and evolved, and that includes the print industry. Rather than going back to how things were before, new methods and innovations could be created to increase safety, sustainability, and convenience for all parties involved.
The Effect of Working From Home on Print Industry Employees
Working from home comes with multiple rewarding benefits and responsibilities. Eliminating the task of driving or commuting to work saves energy and time which can be directed towards work productivity instead. Without the stress of traffic and air pollution to deal with, working in a remote setting gives employees the opportunity to manage their own time within the comforts of their own homes. Additionally, it allows for more quality time with their families and a familiar space to relax while being productive at the same time.
Regardless of its many perks, working from home has its downsides too. Communication may be possible by means of the internet alone, but they do not fully match up to in-person interactions. There are no casual conversations during lunch break to discuss random things or just have a laugh. No matter how advanced and efficient online communication may be for some fields of work, it isn’t as adept as in-person exchanges for specific job functions.
Print Industry Operating from Home
Living in uncertain times leaves the future open to anything. In every sense of the world, literally anything is possible. In the event that it remains a better option for employees to continue working from home, it will be a monumental change for those who work in the print industry specifically. If their workforce continues to work remotely, they need to figure out ways to translate a productive day at work into a home based setting.
It may not be the easiest feat to achieve, but adapting is the biggest chance businesses have right now in order to remain operational. It is imperative to be flexible towards new standards that may arise in the future, because change is inevitable. It all depends on how you choose to use these changes to your advantage.
Print May Need to Evolve
Technology is ever-changing and constantly in a state of development. To work accordingly with whatever the future of business may bring, print suppliers need to be prepared to make big changes. While the extent of the pandemic appears to be unsure until a viable prevention and cure is developed, it is the responsibility of every industry to reshape and redefine the way they interact and provide services for their clients and business partners.
The world has entered a new era of uncertainty, but human beings have the ability to adapt and overcome in every possible aspect. Print vendors in particular have been greatly affected by the new norms, and may soon need to craft new ways to remain relevant in the workplace amidst and post pandemic. If the print industry can find techniques to reinvent their services, business can thrive just as before and perhaps even more.
Being open to embracing and catalyzing changes in the print industry guarantees high quality services for your company’s clients and partners. Moreover, it supplies jobs and keeps your current employees accommodated with their career.
Stay On Top of the Print Industry
The print industry will most likely need to evolve more than it already has. Big changes call for state-of-the-art equipment to further your business into the future. At Busys, we carry high end commercial office equipment, and specialize in multifunction printers and copiers. Partnering exclusively with industry professionals, such as Konica Minolta, Canon, and Toshiba, our collection is composed of the most modern and high quality products on the market.
Whether your company and employees have reverted to their regular workplace or you have opted to make the big switch to a home based work setting, powerful office tools are still one of the core keys to elevating productivity. Give us a call today to learn more about upgrading your business processes with revolutionary equipment.
