What was the old adage, be careful what you wish for because it just might come true? Only things never quite seem to work out the way we had envisioned them, right?
Hahahaha… yep, that’s exactly what COVID-19 has turned out to be for me.
Here’s an irony for you…
In February I had my annual review with my boss (this was my first official review with him). And I had one mission, well, multiple missions, but one that I thought I had in the bag. I was going to ask him for the flexibility to work one day a week from home. If he wouldn’t bite, then I’d compromise for one day every two weeks. What a nice guy I am (wink).
(If you don’t recall, I had one brutal commute – a 74-mile round trip from LA to the Inland Empire – and before the So Cal peeps start snickering, well that’s against traffic, I’m here to tell you that you’re a fucking idiot. There is no against traffic driving in LA! Hahaha. Touché.)
Now, during the entire year of 2019 I had been strategically setting the stage for this. I worked my ass off (which I do regardless – because I don’t know any other way to be – but I did it in a fashion to be even more visible to him), I always over-deliver, and I can be beyond trusted. You need a last-minute miracle, I’m your man.
But, and this is the BUT beyond all buts, things didn’t work out as I had planned. I won’t go into the details, but it was pretty much determined that it didn’t matter what my strategy was. My boss was the typical micro-manager and control freak that wanted people’s asses strapped to their chairs no matter who they were or what they did. The amount of logic, loyalty or production simply didn’t matter. He wanted to be able to walk into your office regardless of what your life situation was and drive you insane in person. Hahaha… I’m pretty sure we’ve all had one of these during our working careers, and I had previously as well, just never to this new level of delusion.
I was pretty beat down, I have to admit – well, beyond beat down. I was fucking pissed and irate. So, I wrote a crazy emotional post skewering him alive and proclaiming my righteous indignity. And thank God I didn’t post that shit. Finally, after I had cooled down, I placed it over in the never to be published folder (yes, there is a top secret never to be published folder – wouldn’t you love to get your hands on those beauties?) Sure, I had been fucked. I had a great plan and my boss wasn’t being reasonable. But at the end of the day, this was my failure. I hadn’t convinced him on his terms. Sure, those terms might be maniacal, abusive and illegal. But, that was my situation. It was up to me to find a way and rectify my position to my liking. Just because I didn’t like or agree with the rules of the game, didn’t mean I couldn’t play along and eventually find my own advantage. Because by choosing to work in this environment and under these conditions, which is an act of conscious volition, I had acquiesced and accepted this playing field.
Now, no one likes to admit failure, but I had. I had failed. Round one was in the past and now it was time to start working on my next steps, lick my wounds and dial up an even better stratagem. How do I proceed from here?
And then, boom, COVID-19 drops from the sky and explodes in a shimmering discharge of anti-commuting nirvana!
My company goes into chaos mode: Stop what you’re doing! Work from home! Don’t see people! Self-quarantine under the shelter in place order! We’re so scared of lawsuits… ahhhhhhhh!
Holy fucking shit! What the hell just happened to the world, I questioned.
Was this a godsend? Because it sure felt like it. It felt like as if God had been listening to my annual review and thought, well Q-FI, I agree your boss was being a prick and over controlling. So here you go. I’m going to slap down a modern-day Noah’s Ark on all your commuting angst. Rest assured; I just squashed that dated and dinosaur-ish corporate office model like an ant under my thumb. You have been saved.
And then voila. Here we sit today.
The irony could not have been laid on any thicker, yet, being forced to work from home due to a pandemic was not what I had in mind. Yet, the objective had been achieved. I can’t take any credit for it, but wow, it’s fucking insane what a turn of events we can experience in this life.
Now, I didn’t’ want it to happen like this – nobody did. People are dying (with a skewed factor towards minorities), while because of my privilege, I can work in the safety of my own home. There’s 50M+ unemployed, industries are being ravished and dreams shattered. Hourly workers like my wife must face this travesty head on day after day and put themselves at risk.
Yet, I had benefited. What a bizarre and twisted time we live in.
So, currently I have an undetermined time to work from home. But based on the latest numbers in CA, it looks like this probably will be going on for another year from now. And what will happen when things finally resume to some sort of normal? I think that the work from home model (for those it is applicable to), will stay in some form. No, this won’t continue to be the new norm, but it will definitely be more prevalent. The model has been tested and validated, and most people report an increase in happiness, so I think there will be good arguments to promote it for those who want it. Like me – should I keep my hand raised or put it down now?
But, how have I been doing with it myself?
Well, thanks for asking.
The time at home has been productive and overall good as I discuss here with my mind wander post. But I sure as hell don’t miss that commute. I’ve been into the office twice since mid-March and actually had to do the drive just last week. It’s funny how quickly you can change and adapt. What hadn’t seemed to take that long in the past, now seemed to be unbearable. How the fuck did I do this 2-hour roundtrip commute every day? I don’t know.
In addition to my rescinded commute, my lapse in interstate travel has also been the other big shift for me. I used to fly almost once a week and now I haven’t been on a plane since the beginning of March. It’s crazy. I almost forget that I used to spend so much time in airports. I don’t miss the travel part (the time it takes and the wear on your body), but I do miss going to places a little. I was used to being in a few different cities a week, and now I’m stuck at home all the time. And don’t get me wrong, so far the situation has been more of a positive than a negative for me. But I’m pretty sure that I can say confidently I won’t be stepping on a plane for the rest of the year and who knows how long after that.
Crazy, huh? But such is life…
I guess you just have to be careful what you wish for.
-Q-FI
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P.S. You ever wish for something and have it come true in a way you never expected? Please share…
Well, that’s why I never went chasing djinn, always some perverse twist. That said, it seems to have worked in your favor – which is nice.
I really hope, if nothing else, after all of this, employers will realize many of their folks can work from home and – wait for it – be even more productive. It will last until the last normal become new again methinks however, we can dream big.
I hear you on the drive. I drove to Seattle last month and about shit myself and exploded in apoplectic rage within 5 mins. of ensuring the type of traffic I did daily in So Cal for 30 years.
Yeah, it’s worked out but I always feel guilty with all of the other madness going on. But nothing you can do there. And I hear you on the productivity. When you get more hours back in your day and can walk to your kitchen to make dinner instead of battling traffic while driving home, life is more simple and enjoyable.