Working from home has been quite interesting in the past nine months. While my team and I have been extremely productive, it has not been without its challenges. As a supervisor, I have learned to extend A LOT of grace to others, understanding that while God has given me a great deal of grace and peace, everyone around me may not be in the same circumstance.
I am the type of person who likes to anticipate the needs of those around me, but I have come to realize that much of the world is worried about "me, mine, and ours." This being said, I want to help us all out this year with an open letter for those of us who do not know how to see life from outside of our little bubble:
Dear Colleagues,
As we enter a new year after nine months of enduring a pandemic, racial injustice, and clutching our pearls until January 20, 2021, I'd like to remind us:
1. We are in a pandemic.
2. Please don't start the morning with your checklist of 50 things to do in a five-paragraph email. I'm not going to read it today. We are still in a pandemic.
3. Some of your colleagues and students lost loved ones over the break. Please ask how they are doing, first. It's a global pandemic.
4. Chances are that people feel the winter blues more than ever this year, especially if they chose to adhere to physical distancing over the holidays. Ask them how they are doing. #Issapandemic
5. Everyone on your staff is not in the same financial circumstance. Some of their loved ones have lost jobs, and they may just be holding on. Today is not the day to brag about gifts. We are in a pandemic AND enduring an economic downturn.
6. People are nervous about furloughs and layoffs, so if they act up, give them some grace. No one is showing up at their best. We are STILL in a pandemic.
7. If you write back to my email telling me I had a typo when I am working from home and anxiously caring for a child with complex needs, I will ignore your emails for the rest of the week. Stop being petty. It's a pandemic.
8. So you sent us that email at 4:59 pm on December 24th, and no one read or responded to it...please don't "per my last email" me. I will purposefully ignore your email.
9. If someone decides to use their sick time while working from home, mind your business—worry bout yaself.
10. Lastly, if you cannot show compassion to others during a pandemic, you probably have none to give. EVER. Focus on that. It's a heart issue.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.