Opinion: What's your prospective new normal post-lockdown?

By Moses Baguma

I understand that most of you online readers, the very target audience of The Nile Post, are formally employed. You've all heard about downsizing and rightsizing. Right?

Most companies in Uganda surely have more staff than they need because of less automation and laziness of Ugandans. Because most tasks require physical presence of staff for most work including daily reports are generated on paper, more human capital is always required normally.

The laziness of Ugandans makes it hard for employers to assign more than one task to employees. However, in a crisis like this, companies will surely invent means to do MORE downsizing and rightsizing in a bid to survive the choppy waters.

Now I provoke; isn't this the right time for any formally employed individual reading this article to self-reflect? At your place of work, are you indispensable or dispensable? If you can survive the rightsizing course, can you also survive the downsizing?

You see, even when the company has the right size of staff, it's possible that when some staff positions are scrapped, the company can run and make profits -- that's by downsizing. Not all staff are pivotal in a company, although they might be necessary in normal situations. Are you pivotal? Can't the company do away with you?

After making a honest assessment and conclusion about yourself, you can then start to plan for post-lockdown life -- how you'll navigate your new normal of being jobless or how you'll survive with less salary, if you are lucky enough to be retained by your bosses.

I know this article might be a source of more anxiety or sorrow for some people because the country is already immersed in grief, but I'm writing about inescapable truth.

Also, the wisest man in the Bible, King Solomon, said in Ecclesiastes 7:3: "Sorrow is better than laughter; it may sadden your face, but it sharpens your understanding."

There's nothing wrong in meditating about how you'll be faring after lockdown even amidst losing loved ones to COVID-19. Feed your mind with all kinds of thoughts, you'll finally come up with the best post-lockdown solution. Our minds work best when frequently provoked.