On a personal and professional level, the biggest silver linings to social distancing has been the normalization of working from home and accessibility of meetings, programs, trainings, etc. Prior to becoming a parent, I was a community activist involved in a variety of activities and causes. Since returning from overseas at the end of 2003, I have worked as an international development consultant and spent several months a year overseas.
Remote Work from a Home Office
Working from home was a great option for my career. I had the flexibility to work crazy hours based on the time zone of my clients and not worry about going into the office at all hours of the night. I could travel for work or to visit family and not be teathered to an office. I missed some of the social aspects of an office, but not the distractions. When I became a parent, I found it easier and more cost-effective to arrange for a part-time nanny at home than to spend the time taking my son to a daycare center. And, I had the added benefit of monitoring him (and the nanny) – and getting regular hugs during the day. However, among my friends and colleagues, my work from a home office did not fit into the norm. So, my lifestyle and schedule made me an outlier and I found few to understand or commiserate with the challenges of juggling home and worklife on a regular basis.
Accessibility of Outside Activities
After having my first child, I realized I no longer could attend work or community meetings or educational programs with ease. Anything I participated in required the additional time, energy and cost of arranging and paying for childcare. It was a high bar to make it worthwhile to go. Bringing my child with me was sometimes an option, but others who did not have kids or who left their kids at home showed little tolerance for mine being in attendance with me. The uncertainty about my son’s behavior in a meeting, and all the preparation to keep him occupied made it stressful and hard to pay attention. After I had my twins, the bar was even higher to participate in any non-work activities.
I frequently asked whether there was a remote attendance option, or a recording of the meeting I could listen to or watch later, but rarely was this offered. The norm was to attend or miss out on what was happening. I had to prioritize work meetings, but missed out on other activities. My neighborhood and community involvement ended. When I did see anyone who knew me from before, they would usually say something like, “I didn’t know you were still around.”
Paradigm Shift
The current pandemic ushered in a complete paradigm shift. My working from home office lifestyle became the norm, my challenges became universal among parents. But best of all, the advent of Zoom meetings to facilitate social distancing opened the world of participation to me. I can now attend meetings, programs and training without any special request or accommodation. I just need to get my kids occupied, put the computer on mute (just in case things get loud or crazy), and participate away. I no longer have to budget travel time or pay for a nanny (not even an option due to social distancing). And, the regular taping and posting of activities means I can even double book and catch one or both later in the day (or night after the kids go to sleep).
I have heard that some employers are anxious to return to office work. But now that remote work has been tested accross the board, work life will never be the same. And in this way, I am glad.