“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 911 (Wednesday) – mixed bag

Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of being back in the office and the switch to hybrid work. It was also the one-year anniversary of one of our team members. Because most of us are in the office on Wednesdays, today, there was cake. It was delicious. There was almost a jelly roll, too, but it met an untimely demise when it tumbled onto the asphalt parking lot. So sad, but an entertaining tale when we heard about it.

Hybrid work life has been a mix of mental and physical adjustments It’s been good. It’s been challenging (read "sometimes sucks"). 

Remote days are great for uninterrupted productivity and proximity to a stocked refrigerator and pantry. Online meetings are better from home thanks to having a built-in camera in the computer. The network connection can get wonky and accessing files takes longer, but nobody is around to hear the swearing. It gets lonely. The commute is nonexistent, but the days tend to start earlier with a login instead of a commute.

Cool sculpture downtown,
September 14, 2022.

Office days are great for human company and downtown walking breaks with interesting sights. They stink for the time suck of traffic and garage parking, interruptions, and office noise (especially sitting near the kitchenette and printer). Online meetings are difficult due to having to use the cell phone and speaker phone.

The world of office work has a new reality and is still evolving. Hopefully, the rough edges will smooth out instead of getting pointier. Within the office we have certain levels of control, but outside, the journey to the office seems to have gotten thornier.  It was a nice year of light traffic while it lasted. The past couple weeks have seen a sudden return to pre-pandemic volumes, stupid drivers blocking intersections and snarling traffic, and the accompanying road rage levels. Adrenaline is good, right? But probably not the ulcers.