It is now three years since the current generation was introduced to the concept of pandemics, lockdowns, work-from-home, etc. While it appears that the pandemic and lockdowns are more or less a thing of the past, work-from-home continues in different flavors. The Coronavirus that was the underlying cause behind all these continues to mutate and linger in different parts of the world. Many are still suffering the aftereffects of the physical and psychological damage that the acute phase of the pandemic brought. This is termed ‘long covid’.

A parallel to the above can also be found in the business world. Both the covid infection itself and the pandemic-induced lockdowns caused widespread disruption to businesses. Many businesses simply shut down, some scraped through but survived, and a few even benefitted from the changes. Financial aftereffects of the disruption are still haunting many organizations and MSMEs are bearing the brunt of this. Someone may coin an appropriate term for the long financial distress!

The common factor to all, from health to businesses, to hospitality, employees, and economies is the uncertainty that Covid engendered. Many organizations have incorporated such massive disruptions in their risk management framework. Organizations that survived and grew after the pandemic on the basis of better risk management practices would support the cliché that there is a silver lining behind the darkest cloud.