Things I’ll Miss from Telework

Post by Ginny Hogan: If you work from home, you might go multiple days without speaking to another human being, but there are downsides too

I’m actually super extroverted and love talking to other people, but I don’t need to work in the office to do so.

Aaaand…it happened.

I had a reaction at work. Not life-threatening, but bad. It’s been 3 days, and my heart and lungs still feel the stress.

To get home, I had to take public transit because that’s what I took to get to work, and the driver missed my stop. Told me to walk. That made it worse.

That meant a lot of coworkers were walking around being toxic to me.

It’s not as bad as a severe allergic reaction to nuts (for example). But it’s not great.

And it’s that much worse for someone who has a severe allergy.

Thing I’ll Miss from WFH #3: Avoiding allergic reactions

I am very lucky. My food allergies are not typically severe, although I’ve had some instances. And normally, they’re pretty easy to avoid.

However, last week, someone brought a lotion I am allergic to into our office bathroom.

1/2

You should absolutely print a copy of the emails, take a red pen to them, and post here.

Highly disappointed that @governor.ca.gov has been intimidated into bringing state workers back into the office almost full time. I can only assume he has been forced to give into threats by the federal government, because RTO has no benefits to him or to the state. I thought he was stronger.

1/?

It’s accrual, accrual summer…

Certain fund numbers just work so well to the tune of Beethoven’s 5th.

Oh, that bill number is 867? …5309.

These silly songs entertain me and lighten my mood. But can you imagine being one cube over from someone doing an Ethel Merman impersonation?

2/2

Thing I’ll Miss from WFH #2: Making up silly song parodies and belting them at the top of my lungs

Last one was a little too sad and serious, so I decided to post one more tonight that is super frivolous and I can live without.

1/2

Pain still happens a lot, although usually during the days when I do have to go somewhere and overexert myself.

But I’ve re-learned what a pain-free day is like, a feeling I hadn’t known since I was 10.

And now I’ll never see those days again.

4/4

*Conversely, I *could* walk if I wanted to. In fact, I could do physical therapy or weight workouts during my breaks—couldn’t do that in the office.

There are other little things, but I’ll leave it there. Point is, I got stronger…and my pain got weaker.

3/?

A lot of things contributed to my body‘s improvement:

*I could decide when I sat, lay down, stood. I could work from bed if I needed to.
*I could set up my own accommodations.
*I didn’t have to walk so far, from parking to the building, inside the building, to the bathroom.

2/?

Thing I’ll Miss from WFH #1: Pain-free days

Chronic pain has been my default since I was a child due to a few disabilities. It got worse in my 20s, and I thought it was downhill from there.

Then, to my surprise, I got better.

Why? Because I started working from home.

#disability #remotework

1/?

Hi all, just made this account because I’m grateful to remote work for big things and little things, and want to express that gratitude. There are so many ways in which remote work improves workers’ lives.

I’ll put a couple up tonight and then probably just update as things happen that remind me.