Working From Home

I thought you’d been running this drill for years?

I had no use for it but bring it on!

xpost I have. but bad habits never change.

the only real prob i had working from home was a) animals, who would bark in the background during meetings/training, or b) roommates. right now, "b" isn't a prob cos he's never home and even when he is, he's quiet.

my brother used to walk in the door and intentionally try to get me to laugh while I was in a meeting by yelling non-sequiturs (a man in his mid-30s, going on 12). one day he came out the bathroom singing Billy Joel at the top of his lungs, forgetting I was working, so all of my colleagues were treated to that.

animals, otoh, usually the people on the phone go "aww how cute, what breed are they?"

One blessing of my job is that I have not been expected to read and respond to emails outside of work hours. Based on the rules for our WFH, my management seems to be respecting this.

Recommendation of uncertain usefulness to other ILXors, based on my previous WFH experiences: Get dressed, including putting on a bra. (In my specific case, bralessness soon becomes uncomfortable, sweaty, and otherwise not conducive to work.)

I draw the line at pants (US definition) tho

got access

the daily requirement to reoort back on the detail of my work have made me rather kindly disposed to coming in

one of the first days I worked from home in 2012, I was given a new laptop, and we headed into a web meeting (Skype, Sametime, WebEx, I can't even remember rn). then, like now, I just woke up and turned on my computer in my current state of dress, so I had underwear and pants on, but no shirt. so I log into the meeting, and the webcam comes on by default, and for two seconds, I see myself on camera, face to just slightly below the shoulders. then I realized this was sharing and my project manager said "uhh I can see you", so I ducked below the desk, put a shirt on, and disabled the webcam for-eva

Daily seven-way meeting this morning. Everyone hears a voice: "How much is the toilet roll?" Everyone denies it was them (or a TV they're surreptitiously watching). Everyone then mutes their microphone.

access revoked.

they didnt realise so many people would actually use it

guys I wish i was making any of it up, i really do

It's why I like WebEx because if you dial in through the computer it says who is speaking and there is no denial!

Xxpost

That's fucked, deems, I'm sorry. FWIW, feel like we might not have made it a week into WFH if we hadn't had a confirmed Cov Case in our actual office. MF-ers gonna need a winch to haul me back into that plague den at this point.

I've adjusted surprisingly quickly to working on one tiny laptop screen as opposed to the two big monitors I'm used to. Just involves constant shifting and sliding of all the programs I have open at a given moment. I was relying on this being my busiest time of year to keep me occupied and focused but, ehh, I'm noticing a marked decline in the amount of work product coming in.

All other pros and cons aside, the ability to chair dance and deliver emotive + passionate lip sync performances while listening to music is perhaps the greatest WFH perk of them all.

One uncomplicatedly good thing my work did - let everyone take home their work monitors.

oh dear, dmac

11am, day 2, wfh: announced "dootly-doo" to nobody at all, as there is nobody else here except the cat
1pm, day 2, wfh: singing nonsense songs at the cat, who is maowing back (she started it, miss)

Fear I may be turning into the boss from A thread for Steve n.'s list of songs that his boss sings

The big boss did say we could take monitors and even a chair but I was walking 1.5 miles home so that was not entirely feasible. the chair was tempting as my back is going to be fairly knackered if I sit in this sofa, or even at the dining table in one of our dining chairs, hunched over this laptop for months

(I am sure there are people here who could carry a large Dell monitor and an office chair 1.5 miles through once-busy streets and a v muddy field, as well as my rucksack and carrier bag full of random stuff I found in my desk drawer that I thought I might need, or at least be embarrassed at still being in my desk drawer if I died - not even work paperwork, mostly chocolate and hoarded sachets and pots of instant pasta/noodle/couscous snacks)

the o/h has still been in work so far but he gets to wfh from tomorrow/Mon so then we'll be fighting over the one good chair and the big monitor

actually I don't want the big monitor, it is massive and was bought for gaming and I tried to do some work on it yesterday and it felt like I was squinting at some Excel cells in one small corner of the screen while who knows what was going on in the other 90% of the screen

supplementing my laptop with a good wireless mouse and keyboard has made getting actual work done much easier. logitech mx keys and mx master 3 mouse, official endorsement

I've adjusted surprisingly quickly to working on one tiny laptop screen as opposed to the two big monitors I'm used to. Just involves constant shifting and sliding of all the programs I have open at a given moment. I was relying on this being my busiest time of year to keep me occupied and focused but, ehh, I'm noticing a marked decline in the amount of work product coming in.

Acrobat version finally downloaded

received no work assignments yet this morning

absence of annoying coworkers is best thing so far

Yes. As opposed to trying to work with a frat rager taking place behind me every day, the only distraction atm is my gf's WFH sitch, which is just an ongoing video conference of her preschool's teachers singing songs to the stuck-at-home kids. It's kinda soothing my otherwise frayed nerves, tbh.

good thing about wfh is I can grouse in private after that annual review meeting.

So far the biggest upside is that I can take breaks to practice drum rudiments on the practice pad, can't do that in the office. Quarantine is great for the chops, too bad I can't put them to use.

Had a webex meeting at 11 and the host signed off by saying "we'll do this again in a month" so at least I have a rough idea of how long I'm expecting to be WFH. Probably gonna be longer, though; where I work (a med school in NJ) all events have been cancelled through end of May.

moved from dining table into back room with office chair & more ergo friendly setup
dining room chair was hell to sit on for extended periods

mr veg ordered an adapter for me to link my current monitor as second bigger screen, yay

I need more plugs

Hair plugs? Don't worry, Joe Biden will hook you up

corner desk setup, herman miller chair (bcz I knew this day would come, I decided to splurge a long time ago)

I have three computer screens, one big tablet and two phones to stare at throughout my day

the problem is the phones and tablet keep running low on juice

So far the biggest upside is that I can take breaks to practice drum rudiments on the practice pad, can't do that in the office. Quarantine is great for the chops, too bad I can't put them to use.

lol yes i've had the buchla music easel VST open on my 2nd monitor all day ready for between-email jams

i almost bought a dirty old aeron off craigslist yesterday, this repurposed dining room chair w/ $4 ikea pad isn't really working for me

This old office chair is the hardest part, no matter what pillow configuration i try.

My music computer is next to my current work computer, and yesterday I did chip away at writing this long midi track (which is meant to sound kinda randomly generated or through-composed in the end), but overall I've been surprised by how much work I've been doing and how little slacking off. More than when I'm actually in the office, I'd say.

I spent some time yesterday rather ruthlessly organizing what was on the screen and where, learning how to use more control keys and such to change focus instead of the mouse and learning how to use Mission Control.

crucial

(for windows 10 users, check out the built-in virtual desktop feature)

the o/h has still been in work so far but he gets to wfh from tomorrow/Mon so then we'll be fighting over the one good chair and the big monitor

hey this is now! who knew the desktop computer keyboard was so louuuud. might need to sit in separate rooms. the only other room is the bedroom and my back will disintegrate if I sit on the bed all day...

I still can't concentrate, don't know if lazy or anxious or just bored, but the same is usually true in the office except that I had less excuse to be anxious tbh. (I don't know how anyone else is getting anything done rather than constantly checking the news/twitter/ilx but apparently they are?)

i still haven't heard from the editor of my current project. no reply since wed morn when i told him i was likely to hit deadline today and asked some small questions abt style in the final version: i may actually still hit this deadline if i get off whatsapp w.my pals lol. but the last actual communication was over a week ago :(

the main reason to get this off my desk now is to get the whole thing out of my head and move on the the next project (= freelance life during plague)

i dearly hope the editor is ok tho :( :( and just busying himself with last-minute prep for living thru it all :( :( :(

just finally heard from him -- as well as this book he is wrangling a broken arm and elderly parents in geneva's version of the shutdown. glad he is ok, he's been good to work with. this project could hardly be less urgent but spending hours on end thinking abt music and technology and composition in the mid-60s is actually p soothing

And suddenly I can't access the workplace VPN (my home Wi-Fi seems to be fine). Just texted my manager to see if anyone else has reported this. I can keep working, but I won't be visible on Official Skype.

I have found I'm doing more work at home than I did at the office, as I have to demonstrate in some way to the boss that I'm not bunking off every day. Escaping into 1923 (editing) and 1933 (listening) is good too of course.

In line with experiences related above, I'm pretty sure this sitch is gonna lead to permanent back/neck injuries if I can't figure out an ergonomically-sound work setup. I'm getting some nasty twinges.

Girlfriend's 1930s bureau just buckled under the weight of her office-supplied monitor (managed to fix the hinge with a hammer), so I'm ok to work small for the time being. I've been WFH 1-2 days/week for nearly three years and I do often think, particularly late afternoon, "ah, I'll deal with *that* when I'm back in the office with the big screen". Well, this is it for the foreseeable. I did plan to make the 35-mile round trip to collect peripherals today but I can't get a ride now. As long as we're not on lockdown, I can try again next week.

just reaching the time in a writing day when all i can think of is biscuits and crisps

i guess when i complete this particular job i can actually trying baking some biscuits, probably not gnna try making crisps tho

I saw France have banned cycling, which has me baffled as surely it's the best no-contact exercise activity? Where am I going to get the chance to spread germs on a cycle ride in the countryside?

I've been 2-3 days wfh for 3+ years and actually there is no need at all for me to go into an office beyond the odd face to face meeting so this has been great. Obviously I'd much rather it didn't happen this way, but managers love control (it's their job really).

xp Cycling was banned so that hospitals don't have to deal with the x-odd number of broken limbs/collar bones right now.

ok, that makes a little sense, though not a great deal tbh, how many cycling injuries do they see?

I've no idea! And it does only make a little sense, I agree. Googling now I'm reading mixed reports re: the ban tbf.

"One watchword matters: "Save lives! Stay at home!'.'

The government then appeared to back up this message by retweeting the federation with the words: "We have one message for cyclists: 'stay home'. "

But when the ministry of interior was asked to confirm cycling was banned their response to Liberation newspaper was slightly different.

The ministry said it was permitted if it was "necessary for good personal balance" adding that that it is all about "reducing your trips outside to the maximum".

The interpretation of the rules by police on the ground may also not be consistent.

One French journalist reported taking his bike out to get some exercise and the police who stopped him to ask for his form accepted that it was allowed as long as he was alone.

Cycling to work is NOT forbidden however although you will need to have your "attestation" with you to show to police.

Runners on the banks of the Garonne river in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on the third day of the lockdown in France. Photo: AFP

The sports ministry's precision came after widespread criticism of the high number of people all over France taking to the streets to jog after the lockdown entered into force on Tuesday at noon.

"We are trying to protect as many as possible," the sports ministry said in their string of tweets.

"Be vigilant, do not distance yourselves too much (from your home. The idea is also to avoid anyone getting hurt to avoid overwhelming 15 (the French ambulance number) or health personnel."

I know we all hate cars, mostly with good reason. But if you have one, going for a scenic drive may be a relatively hygienic distraction. As long as you don't need to stop and get out for gas or meals or whatever.

Yes there is some risk of a car accident that puts you in unwelcome close contact, and stresses the health system. But with the quiet roads out there, it may be less risky than it normally is.

I went into work today to get my company laptop, instead of remoting to it from my home desktop. The smaller screen will be annoying probably, but I couldn't take another day of sitting in that chair, my back was going into meltdown. Now at least I should be able to try different setups.

Carpal tunnel update: now have pins & needles in my left hand :(