Luis Alvarez of the Alvarez Technology Group Discusses the Permanent Effects of COVID-19
Even with all the negative changes, Alvarez feels like some positive changes are going on as well that we’ll learn after COVID-19 is over.
On Power Talk’s Radio show program, “Tech Talk,” the discussion this week with Luis Alvarez was an important one. Luis Alvarez is the President and CEO of Alvarez Technology Group, a prominent provider of IT services located in Salinas, California. The focus this week was all about the permanent effects of COVID-19. With most of the United States under “stay-at-home” orders due to the coronavirus pandemic, this was a topic at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
How the Corononavirus is Changing Everyone’s Lives
Even with all the negative changes that this pandemic is bringing to everyone’s lives, Alvarez feels like some positive changes are going on as well. This is especially true concerning technology. He goes on to say that with everyone staying at home, and many people being able to work at home, it’s changing the perception of remote employment.
Employers used to feel troubled by having to monitor people working from home. They were concerned about people “shirking” their duties and not getting the job done right. Instead, now employers are finding out that people are more productive at home, rather than in a traditional office setting. The lack of distractions with coworkers talking to each other is letting people get more things done. Alvarez feels this change is here to stay.
We Are Lucky That Technology Makes This Possible
The host of the show points out that we are lucky this happened now in the age of all this new telecommunication technology to keep the economy moving forward. If something like this happened 50 years ago, this type of work from home status wouldn’t be able to proceed.
Alvarez chimes in that about 70 percent of the work done today is information related. He says we work on computers, but back in the 70s, it was mostly factory-type work. More people would have been out of work.
A New Level of Engagement
Alvarez feels that we are also going to have to look at our supply chains on a global level. He points out that when China started to shut down from the impact of the coronavirus, this started to affect our economy and manufacturing capabilities in the United States. So much of our goods come from overseas. This realization may change how we do things going forward.
A Positive End Result
Another positive result that might come out of this pandemic is the fact that telemedicine is going to become more popular. Doctors in the past may have been reluctant to go forward with this type of videoconferencing health, but now they are seeing it’s just another way to take care of people and practice medicine.
Alvarez says that he’s talked with a bunch of doctors who are pleasantly surprised by the change in healthcare. Remote healthcare can be efficient and effective. This may drive down the cost of healthcare in the future.
Distance Learning and Delivery Will Stick Around
Two other points that Alvarez mentions is that food delivery is going to stay even more popular after this is all over. The other point is that distance learning with schools at all levels will continue to be done more often on a remote basis. Remote learning is less expensive than traditional schools and universities. That will probably stick around being a significant change in education after COVID-19.
