At the beginning of April I was ready to go back to the office.
Handling both child care and work has been a challenge, but more importantly I think in-person collaboration and socialization adds to a company’s creativity and dynamics — even if you can’t put an exact value on it.
But as Connecticut prepares to partially reopen the economy May 20, I won’t be racing back to the office.
In fact, I may not return to office life full time until September, and I suspect many other office expats who have successfully adapted to a full-time, work-from-home environment will do the same.
Here’s why. First and foremost, an invisible public health threat still remains, even if hospitalizations are declining in the state.
My main concern isn’t getting the disease myself — though I’d prefer to avoid it — but rather passing it on to people I know who are likely to be much more vulnerable to the virus.
Every company in the state will need to weigh the risks of exposing workers and customers to coronavirus with the benefits of reopening for business. It’s not an easy call, especially for businesses that require in-person interactions — restaurants, tourist attractions, manufacturers, etc.
We are also heading back to a workplace where social interactions will actually be frowned upon, undermining the value of the office environment’s purpose.
For example, under the office guidelines recently published by the Lamont administration, workstations should be at least six feet apart, while employees must wear face masks unless they are in a private office or walled cubicle.
Employee start and stop times and breaks should be staggered, while offices should be limited to 50% capacity.
Boardrooms are no longer ideation factories since social gatherings must be limited to five people or less. That means some office workers will still have to attend in-office meetings virtually.
It’s also likely that shared amenities — like the office coffee machine — will be unavailable.
And then there’s the uncertainty of testing, contact tracing and medical privacy.
All the sudden the comforts of your own home seem a lot more amenable, especially since videoconferencing provides a workable substitution to in-person meetings.
Also, one of the attractions of working in downtown Hartford, where HBJ’s office is located, is being able to walk the streets and bump into someone you know or attend an in-person meeting or event on the fly. Those are no longer attractions or options during the days of coronavirus.
To be clear, I’m not complaining about the new guidelines handed down by Gov. Ned Lamont’s Reopen Connecticut Advisory Committee, although there certainly should have been more transparency in how they came together.
These precautions and more should be taken by employers to safeguard their workers’ health.
I’m also not suggesting Connecticut is opening up its economy too soon. Businesses at one point or another will likely need to reopen while coronavirus remains a threat, since it could take a year or longer before a vaccine is readily available to the public.
What I am saying is the decision to reopen and go back to work is a difficult one, and employers must be flexible and patient with workers as we continue to navigate the threats of COVID-19.
Companies that can continue to operate remotely should do so. If we can all maintain social distance through the summer, hopefully we can tame the virus and get back to a true normal this fall.
Stay safe and smart.
