Working Remotely – A Week Ten Retrospective

[#1]

As I mentioned last week, I was concerned about things starting to re-open.  While there haven’t been any knee-jerk reactions, the data that has been presented is not good.  The local government want to keep the number of newly reported cases under a certain threshold.  Over the past seven days we have been well above that threshold on a daily basis, which is quite concerning since these newly reported cases would have been contracted ahead of the restrictions being relaxed.  Anyway, it’s not all bad news this week, so let’s recap what happened last week!

What went well:

• The weather has consistently been getting better! This has allowed us to spend more time outside which makes it much easier to manage our son as he isn’t going stir-crazy in the house.
• We also had the chance to get some yard work and gardening started.
• Lastly, we also went for a bike ride with our son in a riding buggy that attaches to one of our bikes. It was a really good time and a great way to get some exercise as well!

What could have been better:

• Monday of last week was a holiday. I chose to take the time off instead of doing a bit of work to make the rest of the week a little easier.  I know I shouldn’t have to do this, but at the same time I regretted the fact that I didn’t try to get a bit of work done as I was behind schedule on everything all week and it took me until Friday to get a handle on things.
• The end of last week was the last day for my teammate and partner in crime at work. He has moved on to another company, and I’m now operating as a one-man army (again).  I was already overwhelmed by the quantity of work that I have, and I’m worried how much more is going to end up on my plate.

What I will change:

• Unfortunately, there isn’t much that I can change for this coming week. I have spoken with my manager about my concerns regarding workload, and we are already working on getting a posting up to backfill for my partners position so hopefully that will start to get resolved over time.

What will stay the same:

• As the weather continues to be nice, we will be spending more time outdoors.
• I will continue to spend time in the evening virtually communicating with friends (including my teammate that left) as I feel that really helps to try and keep my morale up.
• My wife and I will also continue to order food in once a week. It’s a nice treat to not have to worry about preparing a meal once and a while.

With the information I shared at the beginning of this article, I don’t suspect that we will be returning to the office anytime in the near future.  That is a very depressing fact.  However, it’s outside our control, so the best we can do is continue to find innovative ways to have fun with our son while still conforming to the current restrictions.  We have done a good job so far and nicer weather will make that even easier.  If you enjoyed reading this, you might want to also check out last week’s article.  As always stay healthy and safe, and I’ll see you next week with another reflective look at the week that has just passed!

[Teodora V]

Not having the right partner in crime in your work-life can be a real challenge. I hope that the workload won't affect you on large scales!

Can't wait to see the garden growing! :)

[summer.hogan]

Here in AZ things started to open and there was a weird phenomenon that occurred here this holiday weekend. I went to one side of town on Saturday night to see how people were reacting to the opening and how they were practicing social distancing and I observed something that I thought was insane. There were mass crowds in downtown Scottsdale (a strip of restaurants and bars that is very popular on Friday and Saturday nights) and hardly anyone was practicing social distancing and I literally saw less than 10 people wearing masks. On my side of town I observed the stark opposite where I could not even sit outside at a local Five Guys and then went to Outback on Sunday night (I really needed a steak after all this quarantine time) and experienced what I thought to be the most impressive safety standards! They were practicing extreme social distancing (only seating 16 tables and the bar closed), every server wearing a mask and gloves, single serve condiments, and paper menus. I'm shocked at the start difference between neighborhoods and I think it has something to do with boredom and income levels. Just wanted to share! 

[Bharath Kumar Kappala]

Yeah working remote was much difficult early on as it was a new this now it has changed to the daily routine and its the new normal. I heard from a lot of my friends that working remote felt more productive than in office, I felt the reason is you are with your computer all day without leaving it may be!!