Troubling trend in work places

Can anyone take the blame for a hazard/social upheaval/a pandemic? 

Increasingly, there is a cry that seems to be permeating the workspaces around the region. It sounds like this: 

• No one is returning my calls!

This is the lament of product/service providers who serve other businesses and on occasion government entities, both core and quasi. Here are some of the comments being experienced by those who offer products/services. 

• Send me a proposal that I can review and get back to you.
• Why don't you WhatsApp me what the requirements are, I'm in a meeting. 
• I thought that I had paid for that already. 
• You were supposed to send me this information weeks ago. [When the proof is provided that the info has been sent, they vanish]. 
• Is there anything you can do about the costs of the assignment? 
• I'm travelling soon.

The thing is budgets are usually in place and available, just not getting the clearance to execute the projects. There seems to be a fear since the pandemic and the uncertainty created a crippling environment. 

There are many who wish to contribute, only to be met with comments like this: 

• Your rates are like that of an overseas consultant. [Wow!!!] Consultants work all over. It shouldn't matter that you may have worked with them before, in another life, and they continued to develop themselves whereas you may not have done so at the same rate. 
• There's also a developing trend where people try to read and spell for you. Here's what I mean; since they see you representing your organization, they think that the invoice represents what you make and that you're going to keep all the funds. Your team has been hired to work in the background, and you have to access information [which is expensive for current reports/ documents]. They think that you're making more than they are and create obstacles. 

There seems to be an atmosphere of busyness. Where workdays are extended due to online meetings. Most seem to be unprepared for meetings and there is a lack of agendas to keep on target. Life has become ad-hoc for many and it's creeping into the workplaces. 

Some are hiding behind the guise of working remotely and productivity is quite low. 

We are surrounded by more information, but it seems to be more of a distraction than actually useful. Our social skills and graces are becoming lost within the world of technology. Basic manners are basically becoming extinct. 

Organizations are going to need to clearly redefine what they expect of their cultures internally and engage in training to realize these objectives. All entities are going to need to examine the value they offer both internally and externally and implement programs that ensure their entire teams reflect these ideals. 

1. So can the problems we are experiencing be solved? Yes! 
2. Will those who are responsible be willing to solve them? If they want to succeed there's no other option. 
3. When will they need to address these anomalies? The sooner the better for all involved.
4. What can be done to address this on the part of the various organizations? There are a number of entities offering technical assistance. 

The environment within which we do business has gone global and therefore we are not subject only to the impact of our immediate environment. We, therefore, need to be prepared and roll out enhanced versions of ourselves at personal and organizational levels. When we do this, we will be well on the way to eliminating the troubling trend in the workplace.