03/10: I'm back to going into the office once a week after an unexpected hiatus of over a month due to the latest spike. We weren't directed to stay at home until it was already very clear that the Omicron spike was declining; apparently there was a high enough number of cases in our workplace that it justified a stay-at-home order even when it seemed like everyone else was already making plans to open back up. But hey, it's not like I'm complaining... In fact, what I find particularly interesting is that the now two-year-old expectation of eventually having everyone return to the office on a daily basis (just like before the pandemic) appears to be slowly giving way to an increasing push to allow working from home to be the new normal, or at least a big part of it. Sure, when it comes to government work, providing sufficient justification for taxpayer-funded employees to work from the comfort of home is undoubtedly tricky, and there's a lot of paperwork that will have to be drafted, reviewed, and approved at various levels of authority. But apparently many government agencies either have done so already or are in the process of doing so, and there's increasing talk not only about my department going that same route, but also about our management clearly supporting it.

The fact is, we've already invested a heck of a lot of money and effort into equipment and infrastructure necessary for staff to telecommute. Also, staffing has increased dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic, and reconfiguring our already packed building to make room for all the new hires could be quite a challenge. Several of my friends (who work in private companies) have told me that their companies have already decided to make telecommuting the new normal and reap the benefits of reduced costs from having smaller offices and less expenses. Those whose companies have chosen the opposite have told me that some of their co-workers are actually resigning to move on to jobs that will allow telecommuting. It's funny how our world has gone from mourning the loss of physical communities and the need to stay at home to now refusing to leave home to return to those communities. There are definitely pros and cons at both an individual and societal level to either option, and only time will tell what each business and each individual chooses. But what's certainly becoming more and more clear is that, for many people, their work lives will never be going "back to normal" again.

Personally, I have no problem with that. Going into the office one to two days a week is sufficient for me and the rest of my team to complete all our work on a timely basis. And being home saves me a heck of a lot of time that would otherwise be spent waking up at ungodly hours and commuting to/from work each day. I think it all boils down to intentionality; if people choose to use telecommuting as an excuse to be lazy, irresponsible, and antisocial, then in the end they hurt their jobs, their loved ones, and themselves. But if people choose to work with integrity and effortfully seek a healthy lifestyle with the extra time and energy they are blessed with, telecommuting can definitely be a life-changing gift from heaven. I'm not getting my hopes up yet since there are still many uncertainties ahead, but I sure hope that having the luxury to work from home will be something my workplace implements as a long-term option.