FM COVID DIARIES V – Tidbits of Normalcy
Today marks exactly five months since the COVID lockdown kicked in. Looking at it another way, almost half a year. Any way you look at it, it is completely and utterly bizarre. If someone had told me in March that we would STILL be under lockdown, I would surely have denounced and mocked the notion.
Yet here we are, and here I am, coming back from Boston on Amtrak while typing this on a largely empty train. It’s great that we can now book travel (trains, planes, etc.), but you cannot help noticing the sparse pickings to choose on your company travel web page and much cheaper rates (which would be otherwise celebrated in normal times).
But then, when checking out of the hotel, a glimmer of hope shown through when the desk attendant informed me that reservations have been “picking up.”
Upon arrival to South Station, fortunately just few short blocks to our company clinic, I could not help noticing the same sights as in NYC. Far fewer people walking the streets and commuting home from work and fewer cars on the road. Boston is tied for the second-place spot for my favorite American city (with Los Angeles), so it is kind of sad and frustrating to see some of my favorite places in the country still stuck in a rut.
Yet, again, being in NYC as long as I have, every other city has always seemed so sparse and empty in comparison. (For those who have been to St. Louis, Dallas or even Sacramento, you know what I am talking about). At least, from talking to some of the Beantown locals, the city was largely spared the violent looting and riots that so many other American cities had to endure. Yes, folks, the otherwise rowdy inhabitants of Boston kept things limited to peaceful protests. I only saw one store boarded up with plywood in my travels – much better than NYC.
I was also able to eat in my favorite plant-based restaurant in Chinatown. In my opinion, it’s the only place to eat when in Boston, hence the reason I ate both dinner and lunch there…at a table, without a mask.
Although I am largely working remotely and being in the NYC Corporate office every Tuesday, I am taking the flexible time to visit our national clinics to “meet and greet” the Clinical Director and office staff, Property Manager, cleaning manager, etc. It is also the perfect opportunity to review any repairs, office upgrades or wish-list items but also to get a full “feel” of the space, its occupants, its location, its surroundings, its key players, etc.
On these visits, for a seasoned Facilities Manager, it usually just takes a bit of walking (usually from the train station to the office, around the neighborhood, and through the office space) and talking (see above) to take in a lot in just a few short hours. I call it “absorption,” and you better be ready to absorb a lot and process it all on the train ride back home later, which is usually my case.
I have spoken about the needs of the Boston clinic with its director more than once via various means (email, MS Teams, etc.), even having pictures of the issues sent, but it didn’t become “real” until I was in the middle of the Boston clinic, experiencing and absorbing it all.
Back home in the NYC HQ, the finalized office reentry plan into the corporate office will be announced in an upcoming virtual Townhall Meeting next week. We finally have a solid plan in place and a date (late September), but we remain flexible that the latter can change like the last seven times it has since June.
The interesting takeaway I got out of this process was that everyone had a valid argument, and no one party was wrong. As the entire COVID-19 experience has been forever changing, frustrating and confusing, it would inevitably result in many various yet compelling opinions. Some colleagues thought we should play it safe, avoid unnecessary liability and follow suit with the much larger corporate giants and wait. (Many NYC based companies are now not opening until January 2021).
Others (including me), thought we should ignore the giants, be audacious, pick a date and aim to re-open with the proper precautions in place, going beyond the CDC and NYS COVID guidelines. The audacious ones held their ground and got what their wish.
Hence, among many efforts, furniture will be removed from the reception area, kitchen and collaboration areas; most phone rooms will be closed; conference room occupancy will be limited; strategic desks will be taken out of commission; signage will be posted; and online training will be provided.
But most importantly, working remotely will remain very flexible, without question. No one should be forced to return to conditions that they do not feel comfortable with (public transportation being a big factor of concern). BUT we also don’t want employees to feel like they are returning to a prison where they are only confined to their desks. We want to provide some normalcy back into their lives.
And that is it…whether taking a train, eating in a restaurant, booking a hotel room or reopening an office in the stale age of COVID-19, its those little tidbits of normalcy that provide comfort and hope to many.
Paul Haley, CFM, FMP, Facilities Manager at EHE Health, Professional Development Committee Member/ CFM Certified Instructor Candidate, Communications Committee Member
0 Comments