Before I begin, my heart goes out to anyone who has been
affected whether you’ve been sick or lost a family member during this crisis. I
myself lost my husband during this global pandemic, therefore I too am your
sister in arms when it comes to the grieving process. However, I’ve been able to unapologetically
live my grief without any remorse, hesitation, or concern myself with my inward
behavior during this time. I owe the ability to sanely handle this process due
to the COVID19 social distancing mandate, which has allowed me to telecommute
and not have to deal with the daily work culture grind. During my time of solace I’ve had the
privilege of viewing how COVID has uncovered some misgivings about today’s
society.
Pre-COVID19, I can recall many office conversations
regarding a colleague’s phenomenal family whether it was about their children
on the honor roll, community service, family vacation or just a regular happy
weekend, hiking or biking somewhere. Especially when it came to the children
there was these Proud Parent Moments (PPMs).
Here comes COVID19 and within a week that PP moment has literally turned
into the other pee pee as in Pissed Off Moments. The amount of social media postings I have
viewed, literally begging cities to open up have been hysterical. The driving
force of the begging is the inability with having to deal with the family
dynamic. The once great kid is now a pain in the ass, and that spouse, oh boy
this is where it gets good, has you now thinking WTF was I thinking
of!?!?! No longer were spouses, husbands
in particular were being compared to the Barack to their Michelle. Oh No, COVID19 took away sports and bars,
what’s a man, at best what’s a wife to do. You could have sex, but after 45,
and kids, it’s just not the same. The hysteria surrounding COVID has ignited a family
breakdown which involves the notion of entertaining risking your precious
children, and/or perfect spouse (wink wink) potentially contracting a deadly
disease than stay at home, all because you’re getting on each other’s
nerves! But again Pre-COVID, it was all
Leave it to Beaver!
On to the work environment, Walter Scott said it best “the
tangle web we weave when we learn to deceive”. Organizations have longed
scoffed at the idea of remote work. Some even said remote work reduces
engagement and team collaboration.
(cough bullshit) The real reason
why they pretended remote work was sooooo bad for the culture, is one simple
word TRUST. Why in the world did remote work seem so foreign?!?!?! After all we
don’t even bank the same, watch TV the same, listen to music the same. But yet,
we as a super power still had to report to work five days a week, 40 hours, 1
hour lunch, (2) 15 minute breaks, and had the nerve to vocally be bold if
weren’t dressed appropriately. I mean we
had so many WTF moments at work, that honestly the pre COVID work culture
killed more people at least on a mental level than COVID. So, we’re hit with a global pandemic, and now
everyone telecommutes. Why couldn’t we do this prior?!?! Again one word, TRUST!
Companies are afraid of you stealing time which means stealing money, therefore
they need to WATCH and make sure you’re working, (kind of sounds like slavery,
but again that’s another conversation). As much as organizations want to tote
engagement, inclusive work culture, and all that good shit, you still have HR
departments governed by traditional leadership (aka the old people who need to
leave, sorry to sound insensitive, but some of you know who you are) who really
think that working remote was actually dishonesty coupled with theft. But, ah, here
comes COVID and mostly everyone in corporate American can work remote. What I’m
hearing from this exercise is, when an employee needs a work like balance, I’m
being dishonest, but when you an employer needs to keep business as usual, then
we’re in alternative mode and it’s OK.
In the words of Ed Lover, C’mon Son, GTFOHWTBS!!!But, I’ll say this, the
work norm has definitely changed, and that MISTRUST shit ain’t going to work.
Employees will be calling their employers to the table with that Aw Hell NO!,
and Oh, hell yes I’ll be working from home from now on from time to time. You
Mr. Employer can obviously deal with it.
My last COVID reveal is one that I think we all know but it
takes global pandemic to damm near convert to a genocide. My black/brown sisters and brothers are dying
quicker than other race, why, not because we drink Crown Royal or eat fried
chicken, despite what you may hear, that’s not it. The real reason is we’re
considered “Essential” workers. Such a pretty word for such demeaning
tasks. We should all take into
consideration the Field Slave was also considered an “Essential” worker. They
had to pick that cotton in three digit temperature heat, snow, rain, hurricane,
whips, etc. you name it. Fast forward to
2020 there’s a respiratory virus that can kill you in 3 days, but you still
have to go to work cause you work in the mail room and have to deliver mail to
an empty office; or you’re a bus driver, people supposed to stay home but you
still have to drive the bus; the best one for me is the security guards in the
vacant office buildings. Look at these people, not a white face in sight. There are so many reasons for this disparity,
too much for one article, but just the magnitude should raise an eyebrow at the
very least. Is anyone concern? Can we
close the corporate mailroom, mass transit, or close the building, apparently
NO, cause their “Essential”. I ask essential to WHO????? If we really care about the human race then
NO ONE with the exception of the medical, police and fire department should
have to defy the Stay at Home order. Do you realize these people going to work,
are not only getting infected, but also the families they come home to. Global
pandemic or Genocide, you decide!
Whatever your feelings are about COVID19, I hope for the
sake of humanity that your conscious of respecting the well-being of your
fellow man prevails. This is one serious
virus that should not be taken lightly. Listen to the medical professionals,
who we need to THANK every day, and stay your ASS at home!!!!!
Peace Out,
Blacktina
