In terms of “challenging times”, the last twelve months have been somewhat historic. Businesses have had to come to terms with the world locking down, everyone working from home, and the incredible amount of stress and heartache that has come from surviving a pandemic. But as everyone who runs a business knows, there’s always something else on the horizon.
Now that we have more and more reasons to be cheerful, it’s the perfect time to learn more about what’s coming next.
Accepting The New Normal
One of the biggest questions that businesses of any size will have to ask themselves in the coming months is: do we continue to work this way, or do we try to push things back to how things were? It’s easy to understand why some businesses would choose the latter. There is a lot of value placed on the idea of the face-to-face meeting with an important client, of having your team in the office, of strict business hours.
But it’s been more than a year since we were forced to adjust. Is working remotely with flexible hours the future? Is tradition the only thing keeping you from accepting it? If you do decide to embrace the new normal ahead of more uncertainty this winter, then there are other factors to consider. Can you maintain team morale in a virtual environment? Are you doing enough to support employee health? Can you ensure everyone has the best technology to keep things moving forward?
AI Technology Is Already Here, So What Will You Do With It?
Speaking of tradition: AI technology has traditionally seemed like a dot on the horizon, something that wasn’t quite here yet. Well, it probably hasn’t escaped your attention that over the course of the last few years, AI tech has arrived and integrated. It proved to be particularly useful during the pandemic as we worked remotely and lost a lot of face-to-face interaction with customers and clients.
So, what’s the challenge for business owners? The challenge is learning how to utilise it. There are so many applications for AI tech, and if you’re only using it for a chatbot, it’s time to learn more. An artificial intelligence short course can teach you about the opportunities as well as the implications.
European Businesses Dealing With Brexit Fallout
One of the most challenging issues facing businesses in Europe is Brexit. It’s been several months now since the UK left the EU, and it certainly has not been as simple as signing a bit of paper. UK businesses have really felt the impact of the deal, as everyone from fishmongers to car manufacturers to fashion labels have faced massive disruption.
Any British company that has bought from or sold to EU nations will continue to come up against big hurdles if they want to continue doing business. Many companies have already relocated to an EU location. Every week seems to bring a new piece of news about a new ripple from Brexit, and it would be foolish to expect that to change any time soon.
