Dr Stephan Gerschewski delivered an online guest lecture to Genesis Trinity Business School on June 10, 2020.
Dr Gerschewski, Senior Lecturer in International Marketing at Kent Business School delivered a 2-hour online guest lecture for Genesis Trinity Business School, one of the fastest-growing business schools in India.
The lecture was delivered via Zoom to 120 MBA and undergraduate business students and academic staff and focused on ‘Foreign Corporate Job Opportunities after COVID-19: An Outlook on the Future of Work and Global Collaboration across the World’ and the following topics:
Future of Work after COVID-19:
How will Covid-19 impact on all of us in terms of working from home, remote working, global virtual teams, and flexible work hours? Dr Gerschewski discussed the recently proposed 4-day week by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the books ‘shorter’ and ‘rest’ by author Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. His research found that companies, who trialled shorter working days from 8am-1pm (5 hours/day) as compared to the traditional 9am-5pm, were found to be more productive and also happier and more satisfied with their jobs.
Side Hustle and ‘Portfolio Career’:
The notion of side hustles, secondary jobs which are done from 5-9 (either am or pm) and supplement the main job and income. Examples of side hustles include freelancing jobs, starting up a small start-up business, selling arts & crafts online via e-commerce platforms etc.
Dr Gerschewski’s research on side hustles found that 1 in 4 employees in the UK has a side hustle which contributes £72 billion to the UK GDP, equivalent to the GDP of Sri Lanka. In addition, side hustles are projected to increase in the UK to £200 billion by 2030 and over half of all side hustles in the UK were established in the last two years (2016-2018).
Happiness and Success and Finding Your Place in a ‘Strange New World’ after COVID-19:
Lastly, Stephan discussed the importance of happiness for increased productivity, good health, and, ultimately, success in work and life. He encouraged the audience to reflect on whether they are happy with their lives and jobs, and to take care of their mental health in these uncertain and anxious times of Coronavirus pandemic. He emphasised the importance that purpose is the key foundation of fulfilment and happiness at work and in life and that students and graduates should try to look for jobs that can provide purpose and happiness rather than striving purely for material success (e.g. high salary).
“My advice to all students and graduates is to practise self-care, eat healthily, do regular, physical exercise, start journaling (e.g. 5-minute journal), be kind to yourself and to others, and adopt a healthy and regular morning routine.” – Dr Stephan Gerschewski
Inner happiness will eventually lead to success. Success often does NOT lead to happiness, as evidenced by many cases of mental health issues, such as anxiety, burn-out syndrome, and depression.
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Thankyou so much sir for being so kind and humble and teaching us not only professional etiquettes but also guiding us for our personal life too. The webinar was really informative and interesting too. Looking forward to interact you in person.