Finding A Balance Between Safety And Economy
As the pandemic takes its toll, the world economy tumbles and unemployment rises to unprecedented levels. In the United States of America, more than 20 million people are unemployed as of May this year. Likewise, South East Asian economies are also taking a huge hit in the global economic crisis caused by the pandemic. Indonesian National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) predicts additional 4 million people will be unemployed this year, this means more than 10 million people will be unemployed in 2020.
The high unemployment rates have increasingly pressured governments around the world to reopen their economies even though with high precaution. Today, most countries have started reopening their economies in phases with various health and safety adjustments, the so-called new normal.
In Indonesia, the government has allowed most businesses to reopen in early June although with lower capacity, termed as the “transition phase.” Most offices, restaurants and grocery stores reopen with only 50% of employees and customers. Places of worship are allowed to reopen at half capacity and with strict social and physical distancing protocols in place. Public transportation has also resumed operation.
As a businessman you can heave a sigh of relief, even though the challenges you face are mountainous. In order to survive, you have to be more efficient in using your capital, and yet you have to spend extra overheads to ensure that office and public safety are maintained. To start with, you can save costs by scaling down your office space. Serviced office, coworking space and virtual office are options to consider if you prefer to maintain office in prestigious CBD area at a fraction of the costs in maintaining conventional office.
Serviced office, coworking space and virtual office usually come with full in-house facilities such as meeting room, lounge and pantry. In addition, there is also receptionists who will handle your incoming calls, mails and documents as well as assist you in various secretarial matters.
You can rent a fully furnished serviced office that gives you the convenience and privacy of having your own office suite. If networking is important for you, you can simply rent a desk within coworking spaces. Or if you prefer to work remotely, you can choose virtual office.
Today, renting serviced office, coworking space and virtual office is not simply cutting costs but also adding prestige especially if they are located in CBD areas. In addition to startup companies and small to medium sized companies, representative office of established multi-national companies also increasingly prefer to choose serviced office, coworking space or virtual office given their flexibility.
Restarting economies and life post lockdown is a big challenge that all governments and businessmen are facing today. Finding a middle ground between risking public health and restoring economies is a critical decision. In the absence of an effective vaccine, living the new normal is the only way to help us reach the balance but only if each and everyone of us is full-heartedly implementing it.
The above article is contributed by Amethyst Executive Suites, provider of Serviced Office, Coworking Space and Virtual Office with offices located at Sahid Sudirman Center, Jl. Sudirman (Central Jakarta CBD) and 18 Office Park, Jl. Simatupang (South Jakarta CBD). To find out more about our services and promotional offers, please visit www.amethystsuites.com or call +62 896 3694 1711 (Sahid Sudirman Center) or +62 896 3694 1722 (18 Office Park).
