Tuesday of last week, January 27th we were hit with a snow storm that caused a travel ban across several states - New Jersey was one of them. I share with you my thoughts that happened on Tuesday morning:
Though I am the only one in the office right now - and usually I am the first, today its different. I woke up around 6 am naturally this morning and completed my EWDW. (Early Wake Daily Write). I then proceeded to go back to sleep. I was under the impression that I would have a snow day today from work. Boy was I wrong. By 7 am I didn't get a message from my supervisor so I sent one out to him asking if the office was closed. "Since the travel ban was lifted, the office is now open". It made me think why did I automatically assume that since the weather was bad, I could stay home! If I were a doctor, I would still be expected to come in, I'd probably be expected to work over time because other people would call out. Had I started my day, regardless of the weather I would have been at work maybe by 8 on the dot, and maybe by 7:30 the earliest due to the weather. This makes me think about what I would do or what I would have done if it were my business. I think its good that my supervisor told me to come in. The parkway was very clear but the main roads, not so much. I also had every intention to go to the gym today and now I have no excuse since I am out of the house and at work. Also since I am at work, by 5 pm I am sure the roads should be even better and I will be headed to the gym.
I could understand if I had other obligations that would prevent me from going in. It's different say if one chooses to work from home in bad weather, though they may not be fully present, I am sure some work could be done. There may be distractions and one may not work to their full potential. There are other cases too. Say there's only one parent and the child's school or daycare center is closed, if the roads are bad I wouldn't risk bringing little Sally Walker to work with me. Since I am hourly I have to make up my hours. I was sure to be early yesterday and definitely hit the gym in the morning and not in the evening when the storm was passing through.
The conclusion to this is if I were an employer and if I were not ready to go out, I wouldn't ask my employees to go out either. If it's dangerous out, definitely give my employees a day off. Otherwise, if it's just bad weather but not harmful, get your asses down here! (If you have the option to work remotely, do so!)
Have you had any experiences that you've learned from that you intend to apply?