The new reality we are facing, the crisis situation in which the whole world finds itself, is proving to be a catalyst for many processes and changes in people’s daily and social lives and in the development of business. The social and economic impacts of the pandemic are, at this point, still difficult to foresee. Alongside concerns for the health of the population, fears of a serious economic crisis are also in the air. Due to the restrictions imposed, a large part of organisations must fundamentally rethink their approach and develop a different working culture. A large proportion of global studies related to business development in the current situation and to the influence of the pandemic on its outlook suggest that, in fact, this challenge facing the modern world will only accelerate processes that are already underway.

An example of such a process is digitalisation, which now takes its place not only as a good opportunity for organisations to develop their business, but also as a necessary measure for coping with the crisis. Market and business analyses indicate that the current crisis situation creates a need for the rapid and effective development and integration of various tools and approaches that embed digitalisation as a model for the functioning of an organisation. New tools for virtual communication are being introduced and developed under different conditions and according to the needs of the organisation, as well as tools through which organisations can preserve at least part of the services they offer (and with that, their identity in the market).

Besides for organisations, changes will also occur in people’s daily lives, particularly for those who will now have to adapt to the new reality and for whom digitalisation and the forms of work it offers are merely a concept familiar from business journals. For others, digitalisation may turn out to be an opportunity to adapt work more optimally to everyday life and to open up new possibilities for personal and professional development.

Undoubtedly, the sudden changes facing people and business bring with them a host of questions, anxieties and unknowns. One of these questions, which is nonetheless vital, is: “Can we emerge from the crisis with our heads held high?”. The pace of reorganisation demanded by the pandemic will undoubtedly bring about changes in the hierarchical organisational structure and in people’s daily and social environment; investments of time, finances and teamwork will be required in order to emerge from this crisis with more positives than damages, though there will certainly be some.

With this article we begin a short series in which we would like to introduce you to the process of digitalisation, its consequences for organisations and business as well as for people, the pros and cons of this process and, of course, the prospects for HR professionals. The conditions of crisis in which we find ourselves can be a new beginning for processes such as data generation, candidate selection without and/or with limited physical contact, as well as staff training. We at Toro Group S believe in positive change, in the success of the new, and hope to pass through this “new reality” together with more experience and newly acquired skills!