I have noticed a change in community and social values triggered by the pandemic. There has been stronger community cohesion and an increase in informal volunteering, e.g. shopping or checking wellbeing of vulnerable neighbours. After the rifts caused by Brexit, this has been a timely and positive development. How can this be grown and maintained even after Covid? The value of keyworkers has suddenly been set in sharp relief having been traditionally undervalued in both pay and status in this country. The realisation that the country can’t run without them, whilst those whose core purpose is to make profit have found themselves with little to do, the impact of these dedicated people has been noted and even now aspired to e.g. keyworkers can have their children at school, job security. How can this changing value regarding keyworker roles be capitalised on to help recruitment and retention of staff, particularly for those roles traditionally hard to recruit to? As we see democracy fail in America, it becomes more important to protect our own. How can our democracy grow in a way that is healthy for society, not by centring capitalism and economy at the cost of everything else, but by attending to economy whilst thinking about family, time together and wellbeing, how our system encourages different behaviours that help our society, for example collectivism and care of others, more informal voluneering, sacrificing something individualistic for the sake of the collective, as we have all done in lockdown. I hear so often of how others have benefitted by being “forced” together, to reconnect, to realise their overwork, to find simple pleasures and happiness again. In the light of the environmental crisis it seems collectivism will become increasingly important to our survival and Covid may have been a useful catalyst in that regard.
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