The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on working life: A holding example in İstanbul

The Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic is a global epidemic that is affecting the whole world and it emerged as pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The first case in Turkey was seen in March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected public health, food and supply processes, working life and education systems all over the world and it caused many changes. The economic and social changes caused by the epidemic have become a threat to many businesses. At the same time, it is possible to say that there are businesses that turn the crisis into an opportunity by turning to new business areas with the change in the supply-demand balance. During the pandemic period, consumer habits have changed, and digitalization and social distance areas have gained importance. The measures implemented to prevent the spread of the epidemic within the scope of the measures to combat the coronavirus have greatly affected the working life. The widespread use of the teleworking system has also changed the needs and expectations of the workforce. In the first part of the study, past pandemics and the coronavirus pandemic are discussed in detail. The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic for individuals and society on consumption habits, psychological effects, technology and business life are emphasized. The effects of the pandemic on business life were evaluated by discussing issues such as remote working and digital transformation. In the second part of the study, the effects of the pandemic on working life and the workforce were evaluated and thoughts on the post-pandemic period were discussed. In the last part of the study, the effects of the covid-19 pandemic on work life were investigated. Employee psychology, company practices and workforce expectations after the pandemic were evaluated. Survey research was conducted on three different companies operating in facility management, banking and real estate sectors within the same holding, and face-to-face interviews were conducted with employees in the human resources departments.