The number of articles about how Sweden has handled the ongoing pandemic would delight any old-school clip-counter, but the stories are not one-sided. Sometimes Sweden is described as in the middle of a terrifying experiment and other times as a role model for other nations. The truth is that we will not see the full picture until later – and it isn’t a binary contest where a country either wins or loses its fight against the pandemic 

The Swedish Prime Minister uses national television to urge people to follow the recommendations developed by the Public Health Agency of Sweden. Our chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, went from total anonymity to constant primetime appearances overnight. As such, he has been criticised and the political debate is wild. But he has also been admired for his ability to clearly explain complex matters and to withstand blows from politiciansinfluencers and other “hobby epidemiologists” in a very calm way 

I’m convinced that many universities will study his communication style for years.  

Financial strains and new agency models on the horizon 

We haven’t yet had a formal lock-down in Sweden and elementary schools have remained open the whole time. And we only recently received guidance to wear a mask in specific conditions. But the effects have still been hard on the societyespecially companies within the troubled travel and leisure industries.  

Many companies today rely heavily on short-time work allowance from the governmentIt means that employers can reduce their employees’ working hours and receive financial support from the central government to compensate for a significant part of the costs for retaining the employee. 

There have been layoffs in agency world’ too. Increasing numbers of people are now leaving agencies or considering becoming self-employed or freelancers. This offers more hybrid setup that adapts to the needs of the clients. This has been our model for the past ten years, and I believe we will see more agencies opting for a virtual model. 

Harder to work from home  

In Sweden, we are advised to work from home if we can. This was initially a relief to many people who had to cope with extensive commuting each day, but it’s starting to change now. Especially during the dark northern days in November and December, especially if you’re single or living in a small apartment.  

From talking to other agencies, I sense that the collective engagement (”we’re fixing this!”) from earlier this year is starting to fade away and that team morale is sinking. There’s also an increase in digital social activity fatigue (“not another agency Skype fika!”). One company even banned all Teams meetings for a couple of weeks as their remote employees were showing high levels of stress symptoms 

The next wave of business remodelling 

So, what can we learn from all of this and what steps do we need to take for when we adapt to life after coronavirus?   

Let’s face it, wwill never go back entirely to the old way of doing thingsRemote working habits and engaging employee experiences will be key to attracting talent in 2021 and the years to come. It will be about creating an environment where you can have a laugh and foster creativity, while preventing isolation and bad habits – no matter where in the world your team members are located.  

A crisis also opens the door for innovation. Digitalisation made new business models possible. And the pandemic will push us further to make them a reality.