Working from Home in Quarantine

Hey everyone, Kyle here from DCG. I hope you are holding up alright as you read this.

What are we now, six or seven weeks into quarantine? It is getting harder to keep track as the days roll on. This felt surreal when it all started and that feeling hasn’t gone away. I have definitely gotten a lot more familiar with video conferencing apps and finding virtual ways to connect. I also cannot wait to be able to give a stranger a hug (yea, that’s totally gonna happen when we are allowed to be close to people again).

I’m blessed in that I have a job I can do remotely and, in fact, my job has gotten busier and more intense with this global situation we find ourselves in (big ecommerce certainly hasn’t slowed down). There is part of me that is very curious sitting in this global social experiment. I wonder how this will end up changing our societies and cultures? The 20’s are definitely already very interesting. That first concert I get to attend when this is over will be a P A R T Y!

Working exclusively from home has is perks and disadvantages and please forgive me if any of this ends up sounding like a complaint. I am truly grateful and know that what I am dealing with is incredibly easy, and even a vacation, compared to what others are facing. I am sitting here with my daughter, my dog, my coffee, and my duel monitor work-at-home set-up banging out emails and phone calls in my pajamas.

My big question for the day is; do I change into something more professional for my video calls? Well my friend, the answer to that is a big fat “no” at this point. I will do my video call in pajamas without shame. My dog will probably be barking in the background and my daughter may interrupt me mid-conversation to ask I want to try the new smoothie she just made. I will pause and try that smoothie, my colleagues will be jealous.

At the beginning of the quarantine/stay-at-home orders my co-workers and I were keeping a semblance of professionalism. Kids were locked away, if a dog was barking that person put their phone on mute, people had their hair done, looked showered, and were dressed professionally. This has degraded the longer we remain locked in. If these trends continue I wouldn’t be surprised to see people going full Lebowski in the not too distant future.

Yes, when I decide to clean myself up these days it is for me, not my co-workers. Besides, I have seen so many people with their kids and pets crawling all over them on video calls it feels like the new normal. The standards have shifted my friends. As long as you are doing the work, come as you are. We have even been doing virtual happy hours on Friday. Imagine 20 – 30 faces on a group video call all drinking and trying to have a conversation. It’s awkward, and funny, and wearing hats and showing off your kids and pets seems to be the name of the game.

Aside from drinking a bit too much and sleeping more than I generally do I’ve also made a few strides into new things to stay healthy. I’m now experienced in Pilates and have begun a Yoga practice. The Just Dance game for the Nintendo is also causing some sweat to pour out. Running is staying in my routines, and now I’ve added a bunch of pushups into the mix. Perhaps a net-neutral when you consider increased drinking? Haha…

What are you doing to stay sane these days? Any tips for the people?

Stay safe – play more games

Kyle