2021 had much promise, it was the year we were going to go back to the office, the year family vacations would resume, and quite honestly it was the year everything was supposed to go back to normal. But it didn’t.
2021 did see vaccines approved and administered to millions of Americans, which was welcome news to many, allowing for most pre-pandemic activities to resume. These might have looked a little different than we would have liked due to variants like delta and omicron. Soon after vaccines started rolling out, in-person events started to make their way back onto our calendars, which for many was a welcome chance to reconnect in person. Some have made their way back to physical offices too, though there are signs that public-sector leaders largely realize that remote work options must remain. Staying agile, flexible, and resilient has never been more important, and government has proven it can do all three.
Throughout 2021 we have talked a lot about how digital services have exploded in the government sector as organizations strove to maintain and improve service offerings for citizens that didn’t require being somewhere physically.
Ransomware attacks also plagued business and governments during 2021. We saw just how disruptive cyber attacks can be with the Colonial Pipeline incident that crippled critical infrastructure in the southeast portion of the United States.
The last 18 months has put pressure on all industries but add in the global supply chain issues we experienced (read: are still experiencing) have only added more salt to the wound. As many companies are facing growing consumer demand for foreign-made imports, a shortage of labor, lack of empty containers, congested ports and terminals, and lagging inventory levels. Supply chains have slowed, and prices have increased as a result.
it’s easy to focus on the negative, but 2021 wasn’t all bad, we saw the first female vice president get elected in the U.S., China eliminated Malaria, renewable energy took off on a global scale (90% of new energy projects around the globe were clean), and Great Pandas get taken off the endangered species list, just to name a few!
On a personal note:
Looking back, 2020 had a brief period of relative normalcy before COVID-19 changed everything again. In 2021, the pandemic overshadowed my life. We have all had to adapt to a “new normal,” although what that looks like is different for every person. It felt isolating in many ways, but 2021 was also a year that served as a reminder that the world is more connected than ever. 2021 was full of monumental events with global impacts, including extreme weather events, the ongoing effects of the pandemic, and America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Every time you looked at the news, you were reminded of just how significantly something happening on the other side of the world could affect you at home.
I’ve never been a big New Year’s resolution person. I don’t have any specific goal in mind for 2022 (although I guess I still have a couple more days to think of one). But what I do hope is that next year is a lot more settled than this one. On a personal level, 2022 is the year I get married and hopefully purchase my first home. I, like most humans, am resistant to change, and it’s never easy to adjust to new ways of living, but as we walk (read tip toe) into the New Year I want to focus on embracing change a bit more fluidly. I am hopeful with the vaccines available we all will be able to start to settle into a post pandemic ‘new normal.’
About the Author: Taylor Genter
Taylor is a Marketing Manager at Extract with experience in data analytics, graphic design, and both digital and social media marketing. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater. Taylor enjoys analyzing people’s behaviors and attitudes to find out what motivates them, and then curating better ways to communicate with them.