What to look forward to in 2022

what to look forward to in 2022 The intro to this year wasn’t exactly what many of us expected. But despite the many obstacles and challenges that are coming our way right now, there are still many things to look forward to. Things that will change and mature thanks to the incredible human ability to adapt and innovate.

Work from home will become less chaotic

what to look forward to in 2022 seems like we have been working from home for ages now. It certainly isn’t new anymore. The unexpected and rapid transition could have been chaotic for many people. But we are far ahead now. People figured out what’s working and what not. We established our processes and adopted own working styles. If you are not yet set up, or just started to work from home, take a look at our 5 tips to make the transition easier.

New and improved tech for remote collaboration

Knowing that many companies will keep their employees working in hybrid mode indefinitely, the tech sector has doubled its focus on tools that enable remote work. As a result, what to look forward to in 2022 we will see major improvements to existing tools as well as brand new products. One of the many recent improvements that help us manage our time as well as mental health is adding a time buffer before and after new meetings in the calendar. This way we can be sure that we always have that breathing room between meetings. A room that can be used to prepare or simply to clean up the mind.

The year 2022 will bring us devices that, with the help of AI, will help us to be even more productive at work and in our personal lives without or with the minimum necessary input. For example, you will not need to sit in from of the webcam anymore. The camera will automatically follow you as you move around the room, using sensors, zoom and autofocus. Improved camera and microphone technology will mean that you can continue with your daily agenda while staying in contact with those that matter.

Chip shortage will ease

The semiconductor market hasn’t had it easy. Many factors impacted the production of chips being used in more products than you would think of. From refrigerators to cars and, of course, computers. The ups and downs of the pandemic have made it more difficult to forecast demand and have caused staff shortages. In addition, more frequent natural disasters, such as the drought in Taiwan (home of the world’s largest chipmaker TSMC) and the winter storm in Texas (home of Texas Instruments) have added to this. The U.S. sanctions against the Chinese chipmaker have not made things easy either.

After all this, we already see a slow recovery. Toyota, the world’s largest carmaker, announced in November a return to full production capacity. And countries, including the US and the EU, are investing heavily to boost their chip production. The CEO of AMD, one of the top three largest manufacturers of processors and graphics cards, Lisa Su said in September that she expects the shortage to ease in the second half of 2022. And the CEOs of Nvidia (largest graphics card manufacturer) and Qualcomm have similar opinions.

Inflation will fall

Demand, which exceeded supply in 2021 caused inflation to skyrocket. But now with the supply chain slowly recovering, we see largely positive broadcasts for 2022. And that is inflation falling below 3 percent by the end of next year. It’s still not a pre-pandemic 2 percent, but a big improvement from the current 4.7 percent.

Double down on human and planet health and what to look forward to in 2022

A change in the way we live and work affects everyone differently. Faced with many new challenges, but also with opportunities, that growing industries and hybrid work are bringing, many people are choosing to quit their jobs. This is known as The Great Resignation. Many employers responded swiftly to the pandemic and allowed their employees to work from home while providing the necessary modern ergonomic tools including office chairs and standing desks. Businesses have also been proactive in keeping their employees and clients safe by implementing safety protocols and installing safety screens. However, some employees, especially in low-paid jobs, didn’t receive this support.

This trend began in 2021 and we will see it accelerate over the course of this year. The pandemic was awakening for many. Personal health and well-being are becoming the number one priority. And employees are starting to take the initiative. Not only do people want to live healthy and meaningful lives, but we also see massive investments in vaccine development projects and safety measures such as air filtration, which could help us prevent future outbreaks.

More frequent natural disasters and air pollution have reminded us that human health and the health of the planet go hand in hand. Countries are coming together to reduce carbon emissions, the use of plastics and embrace clean sources of energy. This trend will continue and should accelerate in 2022. In terms of electric cars, this year will be really exciting. With the launch of the Ford F-150 Lightning, Tesla Cybertruck and Rivian R1T, this may mark the year, when the transition for EV trucks began.

What are we doing to be planet friendly? You can read about our efforts here.

Sources:

AMD CEO Lisa Su Sees Chip Shortage Easing in 2022

PCMagQualcomm CEO says chip shortage to ease next year – THE ELEC, Korea Electronics Industry Media (thelec.net)

Nvidia: We Expect GPU Supplies to Improve in Second Half of 2022 (pcmag.com)