By Cassandra Grosse
In today's fast paced environment, it seems to me as if folks are still very much on the go even during a pandemic. Business offices once filled with cubicles, water coolers, conference rooms and a common kitchen area has been replaced with Microsoft MS Teams and Zoom video calls.
My good morning greetings are now text messages scribed in a chat box. And I only text “good morning” when I notice my colleague's dot in the upper right corner of the screen has turned green for the day. The new normal resembles something a few may recall, watching George Jetson doing as he prepared to go to work or was summoned unexpectedly by his boss Mr. Sprocket.
I wonder if people who do so much for others and are considered the “go-to” person in their family are ever asked if they are doing OK. In recent conversations with colleagues, we discussed how our worth seems to be defined somehow by how busy we are. That we feel more valuable when we are more productive. The more things we do, the more value we add.
During this pandemic, I have learned there is no guilt in needing to rest, to take a day off or an afternoon nap away from the computer screen during a lunch break. It is very easy, or it seems very easy to log off at the end of a busy day by just clicking the mouse. It is also just as easy to continue working and to go down the rabbit hole of checking one more email message.
My working from home office routine is as follows; Step 1, Push chair back from the desk. Step 2, Stand up. Step 3, Walk away from the computer. Step 4, Maintain at least a minimum of 6-feet of safe distance from the computer screen. Step 5, Exhale and smile.
