As we enter the mid-year months of 2021, life is slowly returning to “normal,” at least here in the northeast United States. Many mask mandates have been lifted, and people are starting to meet with family and friends in social settings that we could never have imagined just a few months ago. I am thrilled that we can now go to restaurants and the movies!
This year of pandemic living has presented many things to us—first, the notion of a contract with your network, a contract for social well-being. We wore masks and kept our social distance to protect each other from this ravaging virus. As a result, we learned to consider others, perhaps much more than we would have done in “normal” times.
We have learned what it means to be an essential worker. These brave people work on the front lines in hospitals, grocery stores, and public transportation to keep the rest of us safe in our homes. I am amazed at their ongoing dedication to doing their work in dangerous conditions. They deserve and have my greatest respect.
Next, we learned that technology could be a very useful tool. We have all learned to use technology, from teachers to students to scriptwriters and IT engineers and so many people in between. In fact, we have had to rely on technology to survive! Even if you cannot stand another Zoom call with your coworkers, it has been a lifeline of connection for many of us who cannot see family and friends in person.
Our work life will almost certainly never return to “normal.” Like many of you, the SMPTE home office team has been working from home for more than a year. I am so pleased that, for the most part, it has worked well. With proper technology in place, we were able to pivot to a remote working lifestyle. We have become so proficient in Microsoft TEAMS that we opted to build our standards development work on the platform. I imagine we will continue with some form of remote working into the future, but I do not think it works 100%. There are many things that I miss about our previous “normal” work life.
I miss the face-to-face chitchat, catching up on weekend plans, or talking about what movies we have seen or books we have read. I enjoyed occasional lunches together in the break room. I miss discussing our strategies while sketching out ideas on the conference room whiteboard. Having office space is expensive, especially for a nonprofit based in Westchester County, NY. But it is a place where we can come together, do our work, and actively communicate our plans. I am looking forward to a normal balance of home and office work life that will allow us to have benefits of both and the associated flexibility.
As the world adapts to a new “normal,” SMPTE is evolving. The pandemic forced us to rethink our reliance on conference events, for example. The pandemic caused other disruptions, such as the accelerated push to running media technology in the cloud. We have learned that membership is a discretionary item for many people and that without value to bring them, some members decided to seek similar benefits elsewhere for free.
COVID-19 has altered our perspective. From social well-being to SMPTE’s business practices, we have learned to change how we view our place in the world.
The silver lining of this past year is that SMPTE is ready to take on these challenges. You will hear about the new initiatives we are working on in the coming weeks that will transform what we do and how we do it. All in support of this amazing global media tech industry. Stay tuned!