The New “Normal” Post COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it a lot of changes around the world with companies and job markets more unstable now than ever before.
The immigration industry is heavily dependent on the Federal and Provincial government resuming work on already backlogged cases of immigration applications. There are certainly delays and exceptions that they have to consider once government employees return to work and start processing files. Foreign nationals who are seeking to stay in Canada permanently will have to navigate with the delays on their applications and Immigration Consultants will have to do their best in adjusting.
As a small business, the pandemic has not affected the employees and our business significantly. It’s common in the industry to meet and communicate with clients electronically as, in many or most cases, they might be outside the country. We can take files home from work or give our applicants access to them through cloud software as long as they maintain security and confidentiality.
Our business went through several changes through the pandemic, in the way we operate and even communicate with our clients. We are minimizing our in-person client interviews, which we thought are quite necessary as we are following the local health guidelines. Essentially, the changes observed are less in-person client meetings and more electronic client communication. When it comes to the work we do, we have not made any significant changes, including maintaining our working hours.
We do spend a significant amount of time working from our office, but we communicate virtually instead of in person. When it comes to remote working, there are a lot of distractions when we work from home as we live with our families. Additionally, we are in a different mind space when we are working from an office or working from home. Furthermore, there are rules about the number of people who can work in an office. Workplaces can no longer function with the same number of people that they did in the past as they have to maintain social distancing, causing the number of people within each office to reduce. We work with a small team of people, and according to local health guidelines, they recommend that we limit the number of persons within a given space. As we are working in person, we keep disinfectants and hand sanitizers available, and we wipe work areas before and after use.
While most of our work, communication, and coordination with the authorities are usually electronically, any physical items such as documents and client property are stored securely at the office. Most of them are available electronically, reducing the frequency of accessing physical files. When it comes to saving and sending documents to our clients, we are coordinating using One Drive, which is a secure platform that we were using pre-pandemic as well. When it comes to calls, we prefer Zoom but are open to other software capable of online video conferencing, depending on the requirements of our clients. We’re interested in virtual events that advertise and enhances our visibility to potential clients while learning to improve our business operations while being open to taking part in virtual public events and Business Expos.
When it comes to coordinating with our clients, we prefer meeting electronically, but have in-person meetings at the office, only if necessary. We’re reluctant to travel to meet clients, but if the case arises, we make sure we are following the recommended local health guidelines.
COVID-19 has given me time to reflect on work-life balance and are excited about how companies in the future can see the benefits of working from home. Perhaps traditional employers have become open to the idea of working from home and are willing to invest in this idea.
If you need assistance when it comes to getting through the immigration process, connect with Springwind Immigration Consulting Service Inc. We are an immigration firm in Scarborough, Toronto providing a list of services, including ONIP, AIPP, EE, PNP, LMIA, Start-Up Visa, Self-Employed, Provincial Nominees, Care-giver, Business Immigrant, Family Sponsorship, Work or study permits, College and Universities applications. We are located in Toronto, Ontario and have experience in this industry for more than a decade so get in touch with us if you want the most genuine and honest immigration advice.
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