The world is fighting an invisible enemy. Coronavirus (Covid-19) first reared its ugly head back in November/December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by a new virus. There’s currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease. It is now classified as a pandemic and many countries are not spared as the virus outbreak spread like wildfire to many territories globally. Doctors and nurses of these countries are sacrificing sleep and putting long hours to treat and save those who are infected by the virus. Hospitals and medical centers are running out of beds in some countries. Manufacturers of medical devices such as face masks, sanitizers, medical gloves, ventilators, etc. are doubling production to meet demands. And though many patients recovered, many too succumbed to the virus. The world mourns the losses but the battle continues as scientists are developing coronavirus vaccine but it could still be several months before we're all able to get a shot. Oxford defines a vaccine as “a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of a disease, its products, or a synthetic substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease.”
We, the non-medical professionals and the general population can and should play our part by staying at home and adhering to the movement control order (MCO) or lockdown initiated by the respective governments. Let’s not put greater strain on the medical professionals, law enforcement personnel, and many other front-liners who are unselfishly risking their own health so that we may remain safe in the battle against Covid-19. Stay at home and do not challenge the authority in the name of human rights. The disease is color blind and is no respecter of gender, age, race, religion, citizenship, and political affiliation. The world needs to be united and put our differences aside in our fight against this common enemy in order to win. And, win we must. And, win we will.
What about the corporate front? Is it business as usual in an unusual time? Undoubtedly, many businesses are operating as usual albeit with new approaches. For example, physical offices are required to close during this period of MCO with the exception of those classified as essential goods producer as defined by the government. As such, many businesses are operating under a "remote work" basis with employees working from home (WFH). This WFH approach has literally freed up the highways and public transports with the daily commute to the office no longer necessary or permitted under the enforced MCO. And, business dealings are done through the use of technologies such as conference calls. Virtual meetings replace face-to-face meetings. Client relationship building through lunches and dinners are a thing of the past. Events and seminars are canceled. It seemed the absence of physical interaction in communication and discussion is the new normal.
Notwithstanding, Corporate Malaysia adapt. Just as the general population is required to stay at home which obviously altered their way of living, similar changes are expected of Corporate Malaysia. However, it must be noted that a prolonged MCO will directly/indirectly affect some businesses to the point of closing for good. A think tank’s (IDEAS – Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs) research manager, Lau Zheng Zhou, was quoted as saying “he foresees a surge in bankruptcies over the next six months” in an FMT report by Nicholas Chung, dated March 28, 2020. A major problem to grapple with, he said was the unpredictable nature of the Covid-19 crisis. “So, it’s very hard for the government and for businesses to plan ahead”. Nevertheless, these are temporary measures during this period of the Covid-19 invasion. We need to fight on and at the same time pray for the situation to return to normal.
Kapr Advisory, in the spirit of fighting on, continues to offer its headhunting services to both our clients and candidates. Though our approaches may change, for example, conducting virtual interviews instead of face-to-face interviews, our commitment and service provision remain unchanged. Likewise, our clients continue to march forward with hiring activities.
We are glad to update current search assignments and job openings with our IT clients.
Those who are keen and ready to take on a new challenge may submit CV to teddy@kapradvisory.com. Should your desire job is not listed above, drop us a line and we shall headhunt for the job and revert soonest a matched order is found. Thank you.
Stay Safe! Stay at Home! Be Strong! And, God Bless!
Disclaimer: The author is a headhunter with 17 years of industry experience and this article is the personal opinion of the author. Photo credit: ThoughtCatalog/Unsplash.
