- Contents
- *Overview
- What you need to know
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Definition
- COVID-19: market context
What you need to know
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted nearly all aspects of life in the US, and work is no exception. The lockdown phase of the pandemic (March-June 2020) gave way to two new classifications of work: essential workers and remote workers. Within both types of work, daily life significantly changed, impacting not just work procedures and operations but also people’s routines and habits as consumers. The subsequent impact on brands and companies is two-fold. First, as employers, companies have a responsibility to help and support their employees during this extended period of change. Second, as consumer-facing organizations, brands must understand how workplace changes are influencing how people shop and spend.
Key issues covered in this Report
The impact of COVID-19 on the modern workplace and the subsequent influence these changes have on consumer behavior across categories
The current state of work for Americans and their expectations for work in 2021
The role that someone’s occupation can have on their identity and sense of self
Americans’ priorities when it comes to work and what they expect of their employers
Definition
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
Essential workers: Adults who work in industries that were considered vital to public welfare during the lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and, as such, continued to go to their physical work location despite shelter-in-place mandates.
Remote workers: Adults whose jobs were not exempt from COVID-19 shelter-in-place and stay-at-homes orders and, as such, transitioned to work remotely from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19: market context
This Report was written November 20-December 4, 2020. Consumer research was fielded in September 2020 and thus reflects consumer attitudes in the pandemic environment.
The first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the US in January 2020. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global health pandemic; on March 13, President Trump declared a national emergency in the US.
Across the US, state-level stay-at-home orders rolled out throughout the months of March and April, and nonessential businesses and school districts across the nation closed or shifted to remote operations. At the time of writing, all 50 states have relaxed restrictions, allowing businesses to operate with varying levels of social distancing measures in place. However, a resurgence of COVID-19 infections has driven some states to slow down or reverse course on reopening plans.
