You can't save the world.
It's shocking how much the Covid pandemic has affected our lives; what has impressed me most is that it affects us all—it's a democratic pandemic; all countries, rich and developing, on every continent. There are countless efforts by so many people trying to remedy this situation; I think about it carefully and I'm aware that I can't do anything to save the world. Of course, I'll wear a mask and follow all the experts' recommendations. I can't save the world, I can't eliminate Covid, I can't help children and young people return to school soon, I can't change the situation we're all living through. The only thing I can do is decide how I'm going to face the most serious and complicated situation my generation has ever had to endure. The only thing we can do is decide how we're going to face this situation. This is what I think as a person, and it's what we at GDI Uniforms think: With this thought in mind, we are confident that if we take care of ourselves and apply best practices to protect ourselves, we can survive and benefit from this impactful event. At GDI, we continue to build comprehensive image and security solutions for our clients through uniforms and workwear. We want to continue working with the best companies in Mexico, Central America, and the United States. Dear reader, I invite you to get to know us; we would be delighted to offer you our support and experience. I hope you continue to take care of yourself. Best regards, Fermín Pérez Márquez – Commercial Director of GDI. Get to know us!
An effective business continuity plan
The COVID-19 outbreak forced business leaders and owners to make short-term decisions to ensure the continuity of their operations; however, these measures had to be modified due to the extended quarantine. Given such significant contingencies, it is crucial that organizations identify the areas of the business that could be most affected and, based on this, develop an effective business continuity plan to help maintain normal operations in three key areas: The first stage involves having a business continuity plan in place, which allows for an understanding of the main risks to operations and the supply chain. Based on this understanding, it will be possible to allocate sufficient teams to address the crisis and then focus on supply chain assessment and risk management. The second stage is essential to determine whether management and corporate governance can make key decisions quickly enough, planning for financial and business scenarios that range from a swift recovery from this situation to a slowdown in growth or a possible global recession. In the short term, risk mitigation actions must be considered for operations and the supply chain, assessing the impact on transportation. In this regard, organizations must ensure communication with their customers and key stakeholders, review and evaluate the impact of talent planning and management, and review potential impacts depending on the sector in which they operate. Finally, in a third stage, it will be necessary to continue building an agile global supply chain with full visibility of all its links, as well as understand and implement digital and process automation to mitigate the consequences of potential disruptions that, as we have seen, can affect companies due to external factors, developing and implementing enhanced risk management practices. At GDI, we had to adapt and create strategies to continue our work and garment production. We implemented improved strategies and communication with our customers and suppliers to establish raw material receiving times and realistic delivery times. We always considered the situation and daily changes to avoid jeopardizing operations and experiencing a downturn. At GDI we are constantly seeking better strategies to determine what actions to take in future situations.
The impact of COVID-19 on employment
Employment is undergoing a revolution, now accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Technology was already threatening to transform the labor market, but today the fears and changes have already become a reality. The outlook, in terms of employment, is not encouraging, since the health crisis has also triggered an economic problem, which increased the unemployment figures during 2020. Between April and May of last year alone, 12,180,000 formal and informal jobs were lost, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) and the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). Despite everything, Mexicans seem to be among the workers who paint a positive picture of the future. A total of 47% of Mexican employees expressed optimism about the labor market in 2021. WEAK RECOVERY In 2021, employment began to show a somewhat timid recovery, with the creation of 47,000 jobs, in its monthly comparison of January. Companies today face the challenge of adapting to new needs. 66% of employers say there will be an improvement in flexible work options, and 65% will increase work-from-home options. The digitalization that industries are experiencing is part of the catalysts for generating a change in traditional remuneration and serving their consumers who carry out most of their activities from home. The main challenge for Latin American countries is the development and investment capacity to digitize their operations. According to data from the Indeed survey, the Education (50%), Human Resources (40%), and Information and Communications Technology (32%) sectors are the industries with the best perception for hiring in 2021, as most agree that hiring plans will be the same as before the pandemic. They are followed by Architecture, Engineering and Construction (20%), Arts and Culture (29%), Finance (20%), Manufacturing and Public Services (22%), Sales, Media and Marketing (23%). Healthcare will experience a slight decline, with 42% agreeing that they plan to hire at 75% of pre-Covid-19 levels. While Retail, Food Service and Leisure (29%), as well as Travel and Transport (33%), will be the least hiring, as most agree that they will only hire for key functions. In the new normal, companies will emphasize short-term plans rather than long-term ones, due to the changing and adaptive conditions that will persist during the pandemic, with contingency plans in place to deal with the unexpected. Having a secure and stable job will be one of the top priorities for 2021 among workers aged 16 to 54, says Indeed. To avoid the deterioration of formal employment, it will be necessary to understand that job recovery comes not only from generating new jobs, but from generating quality jobs. Furthermore, in the short term, the recovery will be linked to the progress of vaccination to overcome the pandemic, while in the long and medium term, investment will be crucial for a sustained improvement. Mexico is caught between hope and waiting to see a recovery in employment. The health crisis offers almost no certainty of recovery, but it does guarantee the arrival of irreversible changes. At GDI we adapt to changes and seek the best for our employees, providing the necessary tools to move forward despite the contingency. We are looking for the best option to continue working remotely, implementing more digital methods and certain tools to stay connected and thus be able to serve our clients efficiently and safely. Faced with challenges, we strive to move forward and support our employees.