It seems that there is a light at the end of the tunnel across Europe regarding this recent lockdown. In Germany, the current restrictions should run at least until March 7th. However, there is already speculation about the “roadmap out of the lockdown” that Angela Merkel will announce.
As we all know, lockdown is not something that many people associate with positives. That's why I thought I'd try to formulate it differently.In essence, how have people used this lockdown ... positively?
Picture of office working environment
First of all, the general feeling about this second (or third) lockdown is that it was a bit tougher for everyone. It's colder, it's darker, and Christmas is over!
In Germany, the current restrictions have been in place since mid-December (i.e. for over three months). Despite all of this, I've experienced a lot more positivity from people within the ERP marketplace compared to when it all started early last year!It is clear from conversations on the phone, in Teams / Zoom meetings, and LinkedIn posts that there is concerted action to get more out of this lockdown.
There are two areas to focus on when it comes to lockdown. The professional and the personal.
Professional
How has the ERP market reacted to the current restrictions on a professional basis? The main difference between this and last year's suspension is that there is a lot more stability and a lot less uncertainty. As of March 2020, the true extent of the pandemic (and virus) was unknown and no one was sure how long the initial lockdown would take.In addition, at that point there wasn't even a vaccine in sight. Because of all these imponderables, many companies and organisations in the ERP market withdrew into themselves. At the time, it was almost impossible to predict what would come next. This was reflected in some areas of the market when it came to postponing / canceling ERP projects and putting recruiting efforts on hold.
If you compare that to the last few months, the difference is “like day and night”.There is no slowdown in Bavaria (my focus region). The ERP projects continue, recruitment is progressing, and the clients I work with are confident about the months and year ahead.I've been particularly busy with customers who have ERP needs from Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics and Infor LN. The recent LinkedIn recommendations that you can see below are proof that the market hasn't been impacted in the same way this time around.
Personal
Another perspective on this blocking is a personal one. How did I manage to see this time positively, despite the season, the weather and the restrictions?
The most obvious answer is the family.
The nationwide lockdown meant I could spend more time with my wife and son, just the three of us. Over the past year (not just the last few months) I have seen my son develop in ways that would not have been possible if I had been in the office every day. His language is incredible compared to that time last year, and his personality is completely different. I was able to see this development firsthand instead of just hearing about it from my wife. That was one of the best parts of the briefing for me. Of course it would be nice to see other members of my close family as well, but thanks to technology we are all able to keep in touch on a daily basis.
I also mentioned the weather at this time of year in a negative way, but it has also presented some amazing family visiting options. As for many of you, hiking has become our favourite pastime. With the cold weather of late, it has meant that my little boy got to see snowmen and snowball fights for the first time.We all had a great time as you can tell by the faces in the picture below!
This lockdown HAS been different, but different doesn't mean worse.It was great to see so many people staying as positive as possible and seeing the positive side of the current restrictions.With the end of the lockdown in sight, it would be easy for us to look back negatively on that time in the future, but I will not forget that it also gave me the opportunity to watch my son grow!
