The FM COVID-19 Diaries - Part VI - “Yes, Virginia, 2 + 2 Will Once Again Equal 4”
The first day of autumn was yesterday, also marking my 19th wedding anniversary with my wife. Like every year, we are escaping to the Jersey Shore – Cape May, NJ, to be exact – to selfishly escape, chill out and get to know each other again.
Yes, fall is among us, but in this ongoing COVID age that never seems to want to end, it feels like the first day of spring. Very Orwellian, I know, but because I was educated in Philosophy and English, I always relate to the great writings and thoughts of the past (more later).
Similar to spring, when we start to see signs that winter has come to an end – bird formations flying northward, robin sightings in the backyard, carpenter bees buzzing on the back deck, growing grass, awakening tree and flower buds (and if you live in the suburbs, the sounds of lawn mowers and eureka for some), leaf blowers – there are signs, both large and small, that we are coming out of these pandemic lockdowns, even with autumn landing on our doorsteps and with cooler days and sweater-weather nights quickly upon us (which is fine by me because fall is my favorite season).
Yes, the signs are there! Where to begin? More stores are opening in my town, and in NYC the gyms have reopened (at 25% capacity and cloth masks are required), which I have already taken advantage of. More restaurants continue to open outdoor seating and takeout services. More people are in the city, seeking some structure and normalcy in their lives, which I can totally relate to.
My wife sometimes makes fun of me for my reluctance to work from home, which I fully and openly admit to struggling with. She loves it, and while I do find advantages in working remotely, I have just never been able to get fully on board with it, even after nearly six months. It’s just weird and foreign to me, and I began noticing weird little annoyances that I did not experience commuting to and from my NYC office for the last 20 years.
For example, I love our three dogs dearly, but being with them all day, every day, with them in constant tow seeking food, treats, even affection seriously wore my patience thin when in more normal times I would see them briefly in the morning on walks and after work. I also noticed that between 4 and 6 p.m., even after a busy, productive today in my home office, I became quickly and incredibly bored, feeling like a teenager complaining that there is nothing to do when the truth was otherwise but also not feeling like doing anything – a bizarre limbo to find oneself in. I could play guitar and work out that new song but they are with me all day for mini-breaks…..watch TV…at 4PM? Weird and guilt-ridden.
I ran by our local movie theatre last week on my morning run and noticed something refreshing on the marquee that read something like “Closed. Stay Safe and Healthy” for months. They had movies and times listed!! This spiked my hope that we continue to climb out of this crazy rabbit hole we have fallen so far down in. But then another curve ball was pitched-yesterday, eating pizza with 14-year-old son, post high school soccer practice. I noticed the movie listings were taken down and the “Closed….” Message had returned! Such a tease, but I remain positively hopeful that we will see all movie theatres open soon enough.
Yes, the signs continue with more and more people on the NYC streets. Signs that tourists are slowly returning (NYERs can spot them a mile away) are all around. The weird, desolate feeling in the air has softened. Individuals experiencing homelessness are still noticeable, along with the signs of violent protest of the past, but again to a lesser degree.
I am writing this article while on a work trip to San Francisco to close an office due to a lease expiration. I also plan to compare the vibe of the Bay Area to that of the Big Apple. Certainly, from a Facilities and Real Estate perspective, the latter market has definitely taken a strange turn, it’s but the only turn that makes sense.
My CFO and I have held calls with at least three Global Real Estate firms, all seeking sub-lease space for it to only sit on the market. Truly a tough time for this market, especially since the COVID age is allowing, even forcibly, for businesses to analyze their current real estate needs and to develop some interesting, creative outcomes are a result.
One example is that a lot of yoga studios in my neck of the woods are giving up their studios (and monthly rent costs) since they learned that they can perform the same services over Zoom, both inexpensively and of course safely. Yes, there is more competition online, but if they have a loyal customer base (like my wife, who would rather drive off a cliff then let go of her yoga studio membership), then they should survive quite easily and even flourish if they marketed wisely and effectively.
And per my previous “FM COVID Diary” entries, and continuing to buck the NYC (and beyond) corporate trends being followed by the much larger corporations that are aiming at January 2021 to reopen their offices, my company’s NYC HQ has stuck to its guns and officially reopened this past Monday!
A lot of prep work went into getting the office space ready for the reopening after the reentry plan was approved by the executives after many, many revisions. COVID-friendly signage with our company logo, including a “Welcome Back” banner, was installed. Beautiful flower arrangements were also installed in the reception area to ease the return to office for employees.
Conference/Collaboration room and eating-area furniture and workstations were reduced, or rooms were totally closed to meet social-distancing guidelines. A part-time porter was hired to constantly disinfect the eating area, kitchen, elevator lobbies and restrooms on top of the nightly cleanings, per the lease.
All employees must go through a rigorous health exam before returning, which include daily temperature checks, weekly COVID screenings, etc. Me and my HR colleagues on the reopening team even had some fun with a 7-minute, informative “return to work” video that must be watched by all employees before returning to office.
Returning employees must also provide a schedule to their managers and to HR that they must stick to to avoid too many people in the office. Any changes to schedules must be approved by the same two parties ahead of time. We monitor daily activity by walking around the office and with daily utilization reports provided by our security team. Finally, masks must always be worn while in office. The opening day went perfectly, with 30% of employees returning three times a week.
As a result of the above, I was in the office all last week, the first time in months…and it felt great and normal! I am expected to be in the office three times a week, which is fine by me – back to my old routine of waking up earlier, walking the dogs, going on a run or gym trip before catching my usual NJT train into Penn Station. Awesome!
Yes, Orwellianish times remain, with signs of normalcy slowly, surely rearing their head. Again springtime in autumn. A “2 + 2 = 5” illogical feeling continues to linger, but I believe, collectively, that we will take any sign of normalcy we can get at this point – because normalcy brings freedom, which a lot of us are craving six months into all this. And as Orwell said in one of his most famous works, 1984, “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four.”
Yes, Virginia, 2 + 2 will once again equal 4 because it's what we all yearn for.
Paul Haley, CFM, FMP, Facilities Manager at EHE Health, Professional Development Committee Member/ CFM Certified Instructor Candidate, Communications Committee Member
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