COVID19 lockdown anniversary: 7 ways technology has changed work culture since the Pandemic

Technology has always been part of work, but who could have imagined that one day, work would only be possible because of tech?

That reality became clear on a Friday morning in March 2020, when an email landed in inboxes telling employees to take their laptops home for no reason. Offices were shutting down, and people were told to work from home until further notice.

What felt like a temporary adjustment quickly became a global turning point. For millions of workers, that moment marked the beginning of a new relationship with work that later outlasted the crisis itself.

Here is a quick backstory. The disruption was triggered by the rapid global spread of a virus called COVID-19. According to the National Library of Medicine, the virus was first discovered in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China. This was after several people developed a strange pneumonia-like illness that had not been seen before. 

The virus quickly spread from China to other countries, including Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Vietnam, and the Philippines, within a few weeks. 

On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organisation officially named the disease Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Health experts believe the virus likely started in animals before spreading to humans, and at the time, the estimated death rate was between 2% and 5%, making it a serious global health concern that required urgent action from governments around the world.

Within days, countries across the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria, began enforcing lockdowns, restricting movement, and shutting down non-essential businesses. What followed was an unprecedented halt to physical workspaces.

Offices emptied almost overnight. Public transport systems slowed. Streets that were once crowded during rush hours became quiet.

The lockdowns lasted for months in many parts of the world, with gradual easing starting in mid-2020. However, the effects stretched far beyond that period. Even as restrictions were lifted, companies began rethinking the need for physical offices. 

Employees who had adapted to working from home questioned the necessity of daily commutes. What started as a temporary solution evolved into a long-term shift in how work is structured and delivered.

Technology became the backbone of this transition. Video conferencing tools replaced meeting rooms. Cloud platforms enabled real-time collaboration. Messaging apps became the new office corridors. 

In Nigeria, where remote work was previously limited to a small segment of the workforce, the pandemic forced companies to embrace digital tools at scale. This shift changed how we work, how much we earn, who we work for, and how often we work.

Six years later, the impact is still unfolding. Here are seven key ways technology has transformed how people work since that moment in March 2020.

Read also: How Toyosi built a tech solution to the accessibility problems she grew up with

1. The virtual meeting culture

When offices shut down in 2020, physical meetings stopped, and companies turned to video conferencing tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet to continue operations. 

What started as an emergency solution quickly became normal, especially in tech, finance, media, and consulting sectors in Nigeria. However, sectors like education struggled at first because many schools lacked digital infrastructure, and teachers were not trained for online teaching. 

Today, virtual meetings are a permanent part of work culture, reducing the need for travel and making meetings easier to schedule across locations.

2. The remote work culture

Remote work began as a health and safety measure during the pandemic to reduce physical contact and slow the spread of the virus. Companies had to quickly set up remote systems so employees could work from home using cloud tools and shared platforms. 

In Nigeria, tech companies, media companies, banks, and startups adjusted quickly, while industries like manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and retail could not fully go remote because their work required physical presence. 

Today, many Nigerian professionals prefer remote work because it saves transport costs, reduces stress, and allows them to work for companies outside Nigeria.

3. The side hustle culture

As remote work became more common, many Nigerians realised they could work for more than one company, especially in tech, writing, design, marketing, and consulting. The pandemic also caused layoffs and salary cuts in some industries, pushing people to find additional sources of income. 

Technology made this possible through freelance platforms, remote job boards, and online collaboration tools. Today, it is more common to meet Nigerians who have a full-time job, freelance clients, and a side business at the same time.

4. The work communication culture

Work communication moved from physical conversations and emails to instant messaging platforms like Slack and WhatsApp. During the pandemic, teams needed faster ways to communicate while working from different locations, and messaging platforms became the new office space. 

This shift was widely adopted across tech companies, media organisations, startups, and even some government offices. Today, many teams communicate more on chat platforms than in physical meetings or long email threads.

5. The weak work-life balance culture

Working from home removed the physical separation between office and home, and many employees began to work longer hours. Because communication tools are always active, many workers feel like they are always “online.” 

While remote work brought flexibility, it also created challenges like burnout, stress, and difficulty separating personal life from work. This is now a major conversation in Nigeria’s tech and remote work space, as companies try to create better work-life balance policies.

6. The global collaboration and borderless work culture

One of the biggest changes technology has enabled is that Nigerians can now work with teams in different countries without relocating. During the pandemic, companies became more open to hiring remote workers from anywhere. 

This opened global opportunities for Nigerian developers, designers, writers, marketers, and product managers. Today, many Nigerians work for companies in the US, UK, Canada, and Europe while living in Nigeria, earning in foreign currencies and collaborating with international teams daily.

7. The new AI culture

The rise of AI tools after the pandemic changed how work is done, not just where it is done. Tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, and AI design tools now help professionals write, code, analyse data, and create designs faster. 

Many Nigerian professionals now use AI to improve productivity, automate repetitive tasks, and learn new skills. This has made work faster but also more competitive, as companies now expect higher productivity from fewer people.

Read also: AI fraud threatens Africa fintech inclusion gains, EBC CEO David Barrett warns

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