I’ve met more family members and pets of my professors this year than I ever did during in-person classes. It’s abnormal if at least one class a week isn’t interrupted by my professors’ personal life. I’ve come to like these interruptions, as they’re the closest thing to real interactions we have, and I get to know a little more about who’s teaching. It’s impossible to avoid these moments, even in a professional setting, so why fight it? COVID-19 has accelerated the decline of professionalism through remote working. And that’s a good thing.
As people have become more aware of just how dirty most surfaces and people are, the age of handshakes has come to a close. What used to be a sign of respect is now seen as an ungodly exchange of germs. This is just the start of the many ways COVID-19 has changed our perspective on professionalism.
Another obvious change comes in the form of attire. Most of the time, the only part of you that’s visible over a Zoom call is your head and torso, so there’s no need to worry about dress pants, much less, dress shoes. It can even eliminate the need for a nice watch. Not having to dress professionally decreases the cost of getting a job, and can make it easier for people with fewer advantages to get their foot in the door.
This is one of the most important positive changes COVID-19 has brought about: accessibility of work. If you have WiFi and a computer with a camera and microphone, you can work anywhere in the world. Students who could not afford to move cities and buy new work clothes can now work those very same jobs from the comfort of their homes.
Lowering the barrier to entry for professional industries has no downsides, because it is not the qualifications that are changing, just the appearance. Gone are the days of people being denied potential career-making jobs due not to their intellect or acumen, but to arbitrary standards of professionalism.
The newest, and one of the most successful professional industries, tech, had already been working on this issue.
During an interview on the BBC back in 2017, an interviewee was interrupted by their toddler and infant running in. While it came as quite a surprise and derailed the interview slightly, both the interviewer and interviewee laughed about it. This intrusion of real life seemed to bring both people into a more comfortable space.
Another benefit from the death of professionalism is that people perform better. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have proven that people remember things better when they’re relaxed, and they are less likely to make mistakes if they’re not sweating bullets.
Lastly and most importantly, it‘s good that professionalism is on the way out because our personal lives are much more valuable. Everyone is suffering in some way right now, so to pretend nothing is wrong at the cost of our mental and physical health is wrong. Personal well-being will always be more important than professional appearances.
Over time hopefully professionalism will take less priority over our personal lives, and we can be humans before employees.