lets do another covid / work check

[BrunswickDawg]

State employee here and never missed a day in the office because of Covid, we were deemed "essential". I could easily do my job from home but they won't even consider it and have said they "don't want to open that can of worms". The only people wearing a mask have been the few outsiders coming into our office, no employees have worn them although encouraged to. As far as I know nobody has had the Covid in the office yet and not many have taken the shot, or won't admit they did. I had the J&J in March

Being a fellow bureaucrat, it has been interesting watching different government entities handle this. Our City went virtual for about 6 weeks last spring. I oversee planning and development, and we used the opportunity to go to on-line permits and plan submissions (Finally!), but then opened back up. With so many entities in virtual mode, I basically feel like my office is a Zoom studio. Out City Commission has gone to hybrid meetings to meet public comment requirements - which usually means if you want to comment you come to city hall and speak into a mic in an empty room. We locked down City Hall again this week, and everyone is required to have masks and get temp checks again.

 

[fishwater99]

I am in Healthcare and staff had until 3/31 to be vaccinated, but the policy went into effect in January.
All but 2 staff took the vaccine, those two who did not have religious exemptions.
We have been wearing masks the whole time unless you have a private office(which I do), and did I say that I hate masks...

 

[Dawgzilla]

Back to fully masked at our store as of last Monday. Customers are not required to wear masks, but its strongly recommended.

I don't think the latest CDC guidance makes sense, but we have been following their guidelines throughout so we can't stop now.

 

[Shmuley]

no slowdown. no masks. no 17n zoom ****. no social distancing. no fist bumps. Fully vaccinated and 100 mph.

 

[fishwater99]

Working from home since March 2020. Recently I've gone into the office about 2-3 days a month. Our company was supposed to revise our "work from home as much as you want" policy this month, but I expect that to be delayed. I personally wouldn't mind coming in to the office a couple of days a week, but it's actually kind of lame without everyone there at the same time. We have a couple of team members with 1-2 hour commutes, and they're not coming back to the office at all unless required to do so.

Damn, did they do this before COVID or moved away during. That drive would suck, why would anyone do that?

 

[ckDOG]

Mostly at home

Corporate accountant/finance person here. Come in during reporting cycles or if I need to be near a good printer. Otherwise, we all work from home and work through calls, teams, etc. Works great for my role and group. Personally, I'm more productive than ever after having a lot of the unnecessary meetings and fluffy stuff that never really added value. I'm largely introverted, but I do miss people. I'm ready to have more office time when this crap if finally past us.

I'm hoping the long view is that we consolidate a lot of our office space (old school waste of space set up) and reformat it to be meeting friendly. Have desks where you can post up for a day or two when that makes sense, but reserve most of the space for meeting spaces (various size desks/rooms with good presentation hardware). IMO, if you are in the office, it should be because you need to work closely with others or there's something physically present that allows you to do your job efficiently. Otherwise, encourage people to work from home when that doesn't make sense and stop leasing so much office space (sorry, commercial RE folks). Less space. Lower utilities. Less time commuting/creating traffic. Etc. Of course, that's tough to plan for as everyone has different preferences and every function has different needs, personalities, etc. It will take several years to get there, but I think that's the world we end up in.

 

[BlueRidgeMtns]

Work in healthcare, haven't worked at home at any point during all of this. Company just issued a vaccine mandate that goes into effect next month... and I agree with it.

 

[Go Budaw]

Been in the office every day since mid-May of last year, although we’ve started a more flexible work from home 1 day per week and/or 9/80 schedule (or both). Mask is required to be worn the entire time indoors unless you are eating or drinking. Was also required 100% outdoors too until a few months ago. Every honest attempt made by our safety and HR groups to safely remove the mask requirements by requiring folks to confirm they were vaccinated by some form of sticker or lanyard has been met by hostility from the folks who work 40 hrs per week and spend another 80 following dumbass facebook memes about the perils of getting vaccinated and “the man” tracking you. So, masks it will be for who knows how much longer.

 

[aspendawg]

Still fully remote..

Work in O&G and we were only in the office for 2 days a week pre-pandemic. Had a pretty progressive VP who had a 1.5 hour one way commute to our office and realized that the illusion of collaboration and having people come sit to stare at screens an be on calls wasn't worth the 3+ hours some folks were spending fighting Houston traffic each day. When the pandemic hit we went completely remote and were above our targets from the previous years. Luckily we have home offices for my me and my wife because I understand that working from a kitchen table isn't ideal but I think if you knew you were going to be remote you could prepare. I'm in the downstream side of the business so I think remote work is a much more viable option. My days in upstream it wouldn't have been possible because rigs operate 24/7 and we did need to be in person.

I don't plan on going back in if possible. Would love the option to go fully remote and I think a lot of companies will do that. In certain industries it will eventually become the norm, otherwise you'll face a recruiting problem. I would take a pay cut if I was able to move my family anywhere we wanted and continue doing my job. Houston isn't as cheap as it once was and property taxes are insane.

 

[Cooterpoot]

Why do people think being at home is simply due to Covid guidelines? We worked at home for several months and the company basically said, good job, you can stay there if you want. It saves me a couple hundred bucks a month. I can go into the office if I want to. Masks are being required, but not in your office. Only if you're walking around. We've got 350 in the office at any given time, & over 20,000 employees total. About 50% are vaccinated. I usually go in once every couple weeks or so to handle certain things better handled in person.

 

[Dawgbite]

Funny- my dad planned to retire last year and when he found out he could just work from home he decided to keep working since so much of what he disliked had been eliminated thru working at home.
Its interesting to see how the same incident can guide people into different results.

I could see that but it didn’t apply to my situation. I managed people and it would be impossible to do that remotely. My sister in law is in a similar situation to your dad, she’s got it made. She regularly spends half her day sitting by the pool with a laptop and a cellphone.

 

[Smoked Toag]

Been in the office every day since mid-May of last year, although we’ve started a more flexible work from home 1 day per week and/or 9/80 schedule (or both). Mask is required to be worn the entire time indoors unless you are eating or drinking. Was also required 100% outdoors too until a few months ago. Every honest attempt made by our safety and HR groups to safely remove the mask requirements by requiring folks to confirm they were vaccinated by some form of sticker or lanyard has been met by hostility from the folks who work 40 hrs per week and spend another 80 following dumbass facebook memes about the perils of getting vaccinated and “the man” tracking you. So, masks it will be for who knows how much longer.

I'd have a hard time not blowing a gasket on people who were maskholes AND anti-vax.

 

[Smoked Toag]

Work in healthcare, haven't worked at home at any point during all of this. Company just issued a vaccine mandate that goes into effect next month... and I agree with it.

Dobbs made a quote last fall to the effect of, "You know, I couldn't go home, I had to work....yadda yadda" like he was oppressed due to it. Does he think we all LIKE staying at home? No offense to you VirginiaDawg, but it's been amazing to me to see the delusion coming out of the medical field during all of this, like they are the only ones who matter in this process, and the only ones allowed to make any money.

 

[Cousin Jeffrey]

I don't think the latest CDC guidance makes sense, but we have been following their guidelines throughout so we can't stop now.

Sure you can.

 

[1msucub]

Own my own business, and it's impossible to do our work remotely. Went to curbside from roughly April to April, and every single one of my staff members stayed. About half of us got the virus at some point last year. We've been wide open and can hardly keep up with business.
I DO think that I'm going to get myself and my kids vaccinated this weekend....I'm a pretty analytical guy, and the numbers on this variant are difficult to ignore. I don't do politics in any shape or fashion, and I'm certainly capable of making my decision without help from any media outlet or talking head.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

Worked from home for one day a week for about 3 months.
Been in the office the whole time, not the same for our staff but we are now on a hybrid 4 in 1 out for non Exc. Mgmt. staff.
We required vaccines s of 1/1/21 except for medical or religious exemptions.

Yes, I still work.

It ain't gonna count itself.



View attachment 21231

 

[Smoked Toag]

Own my own business, and it's impossible to do our work remotely. Went to curbside from roughly April to April, and every single one of my staff members stayed. About half of us got the virus at some point last year. We've been wide open and can hardly keep up with business.
I DO think that I'm going to get myself and my kids vaccinated this weekend....I'm a pretty analytical guy, and the numbers on this variant are difficult to ignore. I don't do politics in any shape or fashion, and I'm certainly capable of making my decision without help from any media outlet or talking head.

Respect this POV. I did the same.

 

[mstateglfr]

Why do people think being at home is simply due to Covid guidelines?

Because our offices were effectively closed for months upon months while there was no vaccine and during the first 6 months of vaccine rollout. Once that 6 month mark hit, every communication from corporate and our local management was 'we are planning for a return to office'.
And then last week our corporate basically said we should work from home if at all possible due to a rise in covid numbers along with recommendations from the CDC.


Their actions track right along with covid guidelines.

 

[aTotal360]

Respect.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

You remind me of a former friend.. Last time I talked to him was nearly 15 years ago. He was complaining about how police, fire, and EMTs were getting priority at gas stations right after Katrina. You see he felt his job was just as important since he worked for a produce distributor.

I tried to explain that his job was important, but not as important as emergency personnel. He didn't agree or understand. I now just think of him as a selfish piece of ****.

If you can't agree or understand that medical personnel have had the **** end of the stick for the last year and a half, well you are just a selfish piece of **** too. While I am sure some are hamming it up, I am more thankful than ever for our healthcare workers in general. If you want to ***** at someone, focus on the politicians and bureaucrats.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

My son works for Activision on Call of Duty He started at home and then was doing a few days in office and then back home. However, they keep having to shut down the office and send everyone home to work because they keep getting quick positives Covid tests on employees. He even had a positive although he got the vaccine in March like I did.

I think their tests are not reliable, much like the rest of Covid information.

 

[Dawg1976]

You need to put a mask on the Godfather.

 

[Go Budaw]

I'd have a hard time not blowing a gasket on people who were maskholes AND anti-vax.

Its not the same people in both categories….not at my work anyway. The mask mandate comes from the executive level of a large multinational corporation. The vax refusals are coming from the working level (usually the less educated hourly folks). Many of the anti-vax are also anti-mask, but they have no choice but to follow the policy.

 

[Crazy Cotton]

Start teaching full in-class in about a week. Vaccine required of all students, faculty and staff - anyone with an exception gets tested weekly and is required to mask at all times. Mask indoors mandated a week ago with the Delta spike in our area (TN). Don't know if we'll make it through without an in-person pause, but I'm hoping this burns through pretty quickly, as it seems to have in UK.

 

[Smoked Toag]

You remind me of a former friend.. Last time I talked to him was nearly 15 years ago. He was complaining about how police, fire, and EMTs were getting priority at gas stations right after Katrina. You see he felt his job was just as important since he worked for a produce distributor.

I tried to explain that his job was important, but not as important as emergency personnel. He didn't agree or understand. I now just think of him as a selfish piece of ****.

If you can't agree or understand that medical personnel have had the **** end of the stick for the last year and a half, well you are just a selfish piece of **** too. While I am sure some are hamming it up, I am more thankful than ever for our healthcare workers in general. If you want to ***** at someone, focus on the politicians and bureaucrats.

Wow, comparing highly paid medical personnel to lower paid police, fire, and EMT. Now THAT is rich. Not only that, you're comparing getting priority at a gas station line to actual work i.e. the way you make a living.

Nope, not comparable. So 17 em if they think we should all stay home and lose our jobs. Masks are understandable, shutdowns are not. Again I say, 17 that.

 

[TrueMaroonGrind]

I’ve been at home since March 11th, 2020. All I need is a computer so work has been fine with us being at home. There was talk of us going to hybrid, maybe once a week in the office along with conferences and quarterly meetings. That will all be put on hold until the current surge calms down.

I doubt they will make us come back if we are at a point we have to mask up. Once this passes we’ll be back to the hybrid plan.

 

[archdog]

My business is fully vaccinated, except for one person. We are starting to talk about reversing our in person office policy, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

I am interested to see the hospitalization numbers vaxx versus nonvaxxed to dictate our next moves.

I am leaning to requiring mask indoors again, but everyone that works here has a clear option to get vaxxed and they have.

Schools are another issue. Most school age kids cannot even get the vaccination yet. They definitely need to mask up, or they will all be virtual in a matter of months.

 

[Quincy A. Wagstaff]

If you work in a cubicle or office using computers, phones, and other technology, you are working remotely but in a very inefficient way.

I know a lot of people that work in offices that drive to a building, close their doors, and have virtual meetings. It’s madness. It’s like when fast food was introduced to new cultures that didn’t understand the concept. They went through the drive-thru, parked, and ate inside.

 

[mstateglfr]

Schools are another issue. Most school age kids cannot even get the vaccination yet. They definitely need to mask up, or they will all be virtual in a matter of months.

Good luck with that view on SPS.

 

[mstateglfr]

If you work in a cubicle or office using computers, phones, and other technology, you are working remotely but in a very inefficient way.

This describes my office, yet I recognize there is a definite benefit to being next to people on my team, especially the operations group. We communicate a lot more frequently in person than over Teams/email, and its beneficial communication and clarification. Its just reality of each setup.

 

[dgsmith15]

He even had a positive although he got the vaccine in March like I did.

I think their tests are not reliable, much like the rest of Covid information.

Breakthrough infections are very much a real thing. I wouldn't assume the test is faulty just because your son was vaccinated and still tested positive.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

Breakthrough infections are very much a real thing. I wouldn't assume the test is faulty just because your son was vaccinated and still tested positive.

No, it's that they are getting multiple false positives. They've had three in less than a month. Sorry I wasn't clearer.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

I was actually comparing you to the ******* that had resentment towards the first responders during a natural disaster. He said they don't deserve special treatment. You seem to have implied the same thing about the medical field.

Again, your gripe should be with politicians or your employer, not the "medical field."

And just to correct your error, the medical field doesn't really make much more than police. BLS data for 2020 has healthcare occupation median pay as $69,870 and median police pay at $67,280. After this past year, I for one, realize it's not just police, fire, and military that put their lives on the line for strangers. I never considered the risks health care workers take everyday.

 

[Bill Shankly]

I never considered the risks health care workers take everyday.

It didn't just start with COVID either.

 

[archdog]

I'd have a hard time not blowing a gasket on people who were maskholes AND anti-vax.

Llike people demanded people to be masked, yet wouldn't (not couldn't) take the vaccine? What....a.....group......of......********.

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

I work at a car dealership in Brookhaven. Been open everyday except 4 days without power during ice storm. Briefly wore masks in height of it last year.
COVID worked it's way through here in early fall last year, hitting everyone except myself and a couple of others. Most of us have had vaccine, now.
We are taking other steps, like liberal use of sanitizer and daily cleansing of high traffic areas, and have a huge supply of masks. Not expecting anything different for the rest of the year.

 

[thatsbaseball]

OT: Do yall have cars? Some of these dealership inventories around Madison are pitiful looking.

 

[engie]

Been back on the road for events in force since March. Had my first 100% capacity/full go one in Michigan two weeks ago. Also the first back eating meals in the clubhouse with players. Was never asked to put on a mask at all in 22 days in Michigan. The only thing slow to come back for us has been air conditioning and that’s due to mandate from the golf orgs for open air. Been doing a bunch of tent fans instead. I’m nervous about the delta variant starting to screw it up for me again. Really can’t absorb another year like last year.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Are you a Carny?

 

[SheltonChoked]

I'm Hybrid work (office 2 days, home 3) since May. Before that was 100% remote since March 2020. Masks required in public areas. Vaccination is encouraged (and most did).

My team was/is more productive remote. Meetings do take longer, but we can all work during the presentations and most issues that are introduced are solved in email while the meeting is happening.