About my Post-C-19 World Part I

COVID-19 sucked for so many people. Too many deaths. Too many families torn apart by whether they have to wear a mask. Too many families torn apart by whether it is acceptable for family members to take opposite sides of cultural issues, such as Black Lives Matter, whether there is systemic racism in every aspect of America. I'm speaking from personal experience about situations I've encountered that are inappropriate for this blog - trust me, my private journal has taken a beating (figuratively of course!) as I have wrote about COVID-19 and its impact on my life. What I think is relevant is that, throughout COVID-19, there has been a chorus of people that have begged for a "return to normal" - to what life was like prior to COVID-19.

That's why I come down on this issue in clear-cut terms. 

Situation: you worked from your company's building pre-COVID-19 less than 5 days a week and worked from home the other days of the 5 day work week. For example, I have a co-worker who worked from home on Mondays & Fridays and I know of a fellow employee who worked from home on Fridays. I think those two employees should be able to return to their pre-COVID-19 work arrangement post-COVID-19.

Situation: you worked from your company's building pre-COVID-19 5 days a week, but during COVID-19, you began to work from home, either because you wanted to do so or you were asked to do so by your employer. This was my situation. Pre-COVID-19, I did not work from home. However, when I was going to be required to wear a mask in my cubicle, I explored the possibility of working from home because I didn't want to wear a mask when I live 2 miles north of my employer's building and could sit at the desk in the den in the basement and still do my work. In my specific situation, I believe that, post-COVID-19, I do not have any guarantee from my employer that I will be able to continue to work from home post-COVID-19.

Furthermore, in my specific case, this is what happened to me. I started working from home on Monday, April 13, 2020, and while I worked a few days, here and there, I only started coming back to my desk at the building 2 miles from my house on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. My employer has mandated that all employees return to their pre-COVID-19 employment arrangement no later than Tuesday, July 6, 2021, which is a (short) 33 days (1 month, 3 days) away.