The WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. March 12th was my last day in the downtown office, and I have worked remotely since. I don’t have kids, and I have a dedicated home office, so I find it easy to focus at home. I highly recommend investing in additional screens and a Jabra. At my company, employees were asked to move reduced hours. I have accepted a 0.7 FTE flexible work arrangement. The reduced work hours require a more flexible work meaning some weeks have lots of work hours, and other weeks allow me to claim missed flex time.
As with many families, the pandemic isn’t just impacting my work. I find working from home requires additional discipline to keep my work and personal lives separate. My family has taken over the homecare duties caring for my Dad, so there are many more responsibilities than before. On the weeks where work is heavier, I still need to help my parents with the bedtime routine. I have significantly less free time, but like other people I’m finding my new normal.
