What has been the most challenging aspect of working from home?
The main WFH challenge during the COVID crisis has been having three extra “co-workers” at home! My husband and I share an office space, so we have to coordinate when each of us has a conference call so we’re not talking over each other. Usually one of us voluntarily exiles him or herself to another part of the house. From March until the end of May, we were also trying to keep up with the homeschooling requirements for our daughter, Emma. We’re thankful that she was given relatively low-key assignments. We practiced reading and writing and had twice weekly Zoom meetings with her kindergarten class. You have not truly experienced the full joy of a Zoom meeting until you’ve seen a group of 20 five-year-olds and their teacher reunited virtually during a pandemic.
Tell us about your new “coworkers,” whether they’re children, pets, roommates, etc.
Winnie the poodle, age 13: loves belly rubs, steals unattended food, sleeps on the job, but otherwise takes her guard dog duties very seriously!
Ben, 17 months: Some of his hobbies include emptying bins to dump contents on floor and wiggling/dancing to any music. He may need a refresher on McCormick Taylor's workplace safety policies (he’s a climber!).
Emma: 6 years old: She’s already a video conferencing pro (she’s transitioned well to having her ballet classes in a virtual format. However, she has been known to crash a few of my Fuze meetings). A budding entomologist, she is currently “raising” butterflies and ladybug larvae in our living room and dining room and waiting for praying mantis eggs to hatch in her room.
Robert, husband: Software engineer for the Department of the Navy. Chef de Cuisine in our household. You can see him at his desk in the background of all my Fuze or Zoom video conference calls.