Working with the new normal
A man reclining on his chair in cubicle. Credit: iStock
This holiday season might not have provided much of a respite for workers, but the first weekday back on the job for 2022 has arrived nonetheless, with continued uncertainty and difficulties.
It punctuates a period of chaos for workers and those who rely on them, with long lines for tests, quarantines that keep people from their jobs, and worries that their businesses may be temporarily closed.
For some, the return to work continues to be delayed. Some office workers haven’t been to the office in months, and are making the best of continued Zoom meetings and improvised desks. Others commute sporadically to Manhattan or around Long Island, subject to every shift in plans while enduring traffic or transit tribulations.
Others have been physically present on the job for most or all of the pandemic — first responders, doctors, nurses, construction workers, and so many in the fields of food service, retail, transportation, and more. For this enormous cohort, debates about the "future of telework" are disconnected from the realities of clocking in — their fears about infection, the need to protect themselves and others by consistent masking or, in some cases, vaccination requirements, and the strain of dealing with frustrated customers who are tired of restrictions. Parents in all professions continue to juggle disruptions to their kids' schooling.
One common thread for all these workers, in and out of their places of business, is knowing how hard everything has been.
Another common thread is the understanding that so much about the working world will continue to change.
MEMBERS OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD are experienced journalists who offer reasoned opinions, based on facts, to encourage informed debate about the issues facing our community.
