Today was our very first department meeting since being sheltered in place… it only took us 57 days! Was good to hear from my co-workers and to be given a forum to discuss how we are coping, and what our job-related struggles and needs are.
A few things we talked about worried me… first was that my co-workers are still working out of our office. They are staggering days, but there is zero plan in place for how to socially distance in our office building (we have shared hallways, bathrooms, elevators and other common areas with other businesses). Then, even if things do start to open up, how would we accomplish social distancing that requires multi-business coordination and sanitation? I was also troubled by the amount of revenue we aren’t bringing in (and it doesn’t look like we will bring in this year). Does this mean we could potentially lose our jobs? My boss didn’t know the answer to that, but layoffs have happened at my non-profit in the past during times of economic downturn.
All and all a good meeting though. It was promising to hear my boss talk about our workplace (and businesses in general) becoming more compassionate.