As economies worldwide begin recovering from COVID-19 shutdowns, companies that safely and responsibly reopen their physical spaces at scale can have a distinct competitive advantage over those that cannot do so.

The world is becoming real-time — real-time decision-making, real-time experiences, real-time customer service, and real-time payments. The Covid-19 pandemic has further accelerated the use of digital payments as nobody wants to deal with cash. Once seen as a convenience, digital payments have become a necessity.

The events of the past six months have thrust HR and business leaders into many new realities. Across industries, our workforces and workplaces are being fundamentally redefined, and the very nature of the employee-employer relationship reshaped.

As we approach the end of summer, most retailers have realized that the impact of the pandemic will be long-lasting, especially when it comes to shopping in-store. The new normal requires new safety protocols and innovative experience-oriented value propositions to attract and reassure consumers.

Business leaders must be sensitive to the needs and desires of workers from all walks of life and ensure all voices are heard and appreciated. In fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, leaders create a corporate culture where every individual is valued.

Maintenance of America's strength in technology – and thus its leadership in the world - rests on a renewed commitment to the underlying principles that made it strong in the first place – a focus on the future, an openness to disruption, and providing access to opportunity.

COVID-19’s grave public health, economic, and geopolitical consequences have underscored how interdependent the world’s people, countries, and institutions are. This pandemic has also emphasized the urgency of international cooperation and collective innovation to solve a complex global problem.

It is no secret that the coronavirus outbreak has disrupted all industries across the globe. Unfortunately for the retail sector, it has been one of the most significantly impacted.

HR’s role will become increasingly vital as the world of work changes. The growing reliance on digital technologies, coupled with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, accelerates our transition toward the future of work.

As the world begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders are looking to technology for answers to how to get people back to work and get our economy back on track. As we begin to build the economy of the future, how can technology enable more inclusive opportunity?