I have spent the last decade thinking about and working to improve the resilience of communities and cities across the world. How do you prepare for the worst and, once it’s happened – be it an earthquake, a typhoon, a drought or a flood – how do you recover from it so that you are stronger next time? There are many parallels that apply to this pandemic. And yet the magnitude of what we’re all living through now feels unique.

The coronavirus pandemic has created a situation, where we have had to undergo an intensive course of performing our duties outside the office over the past few months. The conclusions have turned out to be surprisingly optimistic – Poles have coped well with the transition to a new work mode, almost overnight. Research indicates that a significant number of us are able to work from home as efficiently as before. On the other hand, we still need an office, as it is a space where we can meet and exchange ideas, and that is what we miss the most.

After more than three months of partial lockdown, including the most restrictive stages, through others that have led us to today’s situation, every sector of Polish economy faces a major challenge of adjusting to a new reality. As construction market players, we, our clients, business partners and all the parties involved in the real estate market must deal with that, as well.

While observing economic conditions which followed the lifted restrictions, commercial real estate investors are wondering how the Covid-19 pandemic will impact their business. In uncertain times, one thing is sure – the scale of the impact will depend on the amount of time it takes for the economy to shake free of recession.

As Covid-19 restrictions are being gradually lifted, many employers are looking for solutions to enable workers to return safely to offices. However, the social distancing rules that are still in place are giving rise to many questions about protocols that should be introduced in the workplace.

Skanska has created some new rules and adapted workplaces in Central and Eastern Europe to support its tenants returning to their offices. The new offer called Care for Life Office Concept includes recommendations and consultancy regarding new hygiene and safety protocols, adjustment of existing technologies in Skanska’s buildings and reorganisation of office areas. The concept is being developed for Skanska buildings in CEE in cooperation with external experts.

Governments around the world, larger businesses and financial institutions such as banks will all have to play a part in helping to rebuild the global economy. That’s one of the main recommendations we make in our report Covid-19 Global Survey: The Road to Recovery.

What lessons have been learned by SMEs during the pandemic? It was a difficult experience for everyone and required great wisdom and resourcefulness from businesses. They had to quickly adapt to the new reality and change their plans realistically. Quick response was the key to success. Companies that have survived this stage have definitely emerged stronger for the experience. Now, as everything is returning to normal, we can ask business leaders – what they have learned during a pandemic?

Using its wide range of resilience programmes and experience in virtual team-management, Shell in Poland has remained fully operational during the pandemic. Covid-19 highlighted the simple truth that mature organisations treat their employees as partners rather than as a means to achieve their business goal. As business is heading towards a new normal, this lesson will be crucial for companies that want to create a vibrant, cooperative workplace.

We are all acutely aware that many sectors are suffering as a result of Covid-19, but the travel and hospitality sector will be hit more than most.

As the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has transformed the way we live and work, among its most immediate – and critical – impacts has been its effect on food supplies.

Reversing damaging stereotypes, changing attitudes towards a social group, implementing industry standards, regulating a broad spectrum of economic behaviour.

You know that you are about to implement an ERP system in your company. But what's next? How to prepare for it? And what should you know before making a decision?

The Polish labour market as it was in January 2020 and the one that exists six months later are two different worlds.

Home office as a phenomenon had already become a popular trend both globally and in Poland. Job candidates would ask about it; home office featured on lists of employee benefits for several years now. But the Covid-19 pandemic has turned it into the professional standard. Will home office remain with us for good?

On Friday 26 June we arranged our End of Year Ceremony on the final day of the academic year. In normal circumstances this would have been in an auditorium, packed to the rafters, with a miscellany of musical acts, drama performances, presentations, farewells and speeches. It would have been followed with a buffet and refreshments for the assembled community.