Return to Office Mandates

A few years ago I spent 3 months working for a research company and made some good friends. Ultimately the company was not a good fit for me and so I headed back to Sony. Since leaving I have kept in contact with a few of those friends. I reached out to one today that left the research company the same time I did and discovered his return to office (RTO) mandate at the new company has him looking for another job. Fortunately he has until the end of September to find one.

My friend asked me if I am worried about an RTO mandate. I explained that I have an exemption from having to go into an office. I am beginning to understand what a luxury that is now. While I don't mind going to an office, it is a benefit being able to work from home. This is a reminder to me not to take the privilege for granted. This is especially true today as my wife is sick with the stomach flu and I can check on her throughout the day without having to ask for any special favors so I can be at home.

Now let's be honest, between my wife and I, she does a much better job of taking care of me than I do of her. Fortunately with the stomach flu I just need to make sure she is getting plenty of fluids and recouping some of that energy she lost last night praying to the porcelain god. When she explained that she drank a protein shake for breakfast, I reminded her she also needed some carbs to get her energy back. I asked if she wanted a cookie, which she declined. She opted for some high-quality Japanese ramen instead.

COVID 19 caused a lot of companies to re-evaluate their requirements to have employees in the office. Unfortunately the more time passes, the more companies are forgetting the lessons they learned. I know there are a handful of employees gaming the system and not working when they are supposed to but that is more of an exception than a rule. I just wished companies would send out RTO mandates only to those employees that prove they need to be in an office. That would at least keep my buddy from having to find a new job.

Feeling a Bit Under the Weather

Saturday I started developing a slight cough. It is now Wednesday and I am feeling a bit under the weather. It could be that I keep waking up early and heading to Alta where I spend an hour hiking up the mountain and skiing down. That probably won't help me feel better but I do admit that I feel rather good even during the hike up. Unfortunately my cough has gotten worse.

I have gotten to the point where if I had to go into an office, I would probably opt to work from home so as not to spread my germs and get anyone else sick. I only wish that whomever gave me the cough had done the same. I have a sneaky suspicion though that it came from a family member as I don't really interact with anyone else.

Fortunately the world of COVID made it possible for me to work from home on a regular basis. It is normal to attend meetings using Zoom, WebEx, or Microsoft Teams. Now we just need to take advantage of the technology and not go into work when we are sick. I know that isn't possible for every job but if you can use it, then please do.

Keeping up with the Novel Coronavirus

As someone that travels a lot, I have been keeping tabs on the Novel Coronavirus (officially known as COVID-19). There is a great deal of fear about the flu and cold-like illness but that is a good thing. It is keeping people vigilant about ensuring it doesn't spread. My own company has gone so far as to ban all international travel. It gets me out of a meeting during one of my vacations and so I not too inconvenienced . . . yet.

Unfortunately there are those that prey upon the unknown and fears of others. The Internet is a wealth of misinformation and lies. Fortunately it is also the best place to go for finding out what is really going on. My favorite place to go is the World Health Organization situation reports. They put one out every day and you can go all the way back to when they first identified the problem. The reports show how many people in the world have the virus (45,171 as of today) as well as how many people have died from it (1,115 as of today). Interestingly the number of daily new cases seems to be going down. I would not say that the world is safe yet, but it is a good trend.

I have heard reports that surgical masks are difficult to purchase. A very recent search on Amazon showed that they still have some for sale so I don't know how much truth there is to those reports. Furthermore if you go back to the WHO situation reports, there are only 13 cases the United States. The only death outside of China is in the Philippines. Personally I think my chance of getting the virus is very small right now, even with all of the air travel I do. However I don't want to sound complacent as my risk could increase seemingly overnight. We still need to remain vigilant and do all we can to keep the illness from spreading. For me that means washing my hands frequently and avoiding contact with people that are starting to show signs of the virus (fever, cough, and shortness of breath according to the Center for Disease Control).