(no subject)
May. 10th, 2020 12:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
girlofpreyI got an email this week from my company, saying over the next two weeks they're going to be discussing things with their clients regarding possible back-to-work strategies. It actually came on Wednesday, but I didn't see it till yesterday, oops. My work email is not super active. Anyway, I don't really know what to expect. Obviously it's unreasonable to expect to be paid for months and months and months while I stay home and rest, but I honestly struggle to see how they're going to want me to go back. The lockdown is probably not going to be lifted by much, if at all, tomorrow, and even when it sort of is, people are still going to be expected to stay home as much as possible. And for people who can work from home, which our company clearly can now, I'm guessing a lot of people will work from home anyway - if they're not outright encouraged to. If that's true of my company, there won't be a lot of people coming in so no need for car park management, and they're probably not going to be wanting visitors or people on site no matter what - so I struggle to see what use a receptionist would be. I've been vaguely, cravenly hoping that the fact our facilities company have a contract with the larger company, including paying for receptionist cover, means they'll still have to pay my company until the contract runs out, and my company by law will have to pay me. So if the government insist or advise I have to stay home, since I wouldn't be doing very much even if I go in, I'll just be paid for months and months and months for staying home.
But it probably won't work out like that. They might insist I go in just for the sake of it, if we have a contract. Or - as was suggested to me by other members of staff when things all started - my company might just insist they won't pay me for nothing, so if there's no need for me as a receptionist, I'll have to go in as a cleaner, and just make up the hours in some way. Which will be very interesting for me, both from an OCD perspective, and the perspective of not really wanting to be massively exposed to potential infection right now. I think I'm mostly assuming they'll let me go? But then wondering if maybe contracts and it being a national situation means they won't be able to. I guess I'll see. But it sounds like things are happening - things that might come to nothing, depending on the government's advice, but still.
But it has made me think of the wider issue of going back, for the country, because workers can't just go back to a workplace by themselves - if you're going to run a workplace, you're going to need cleaners. And a lot of the cleaners if this country are either BAME or fairly old - it's certainly the case at my workplace. And given that those groups are much more vulnerable to the virus, it seems completely unreasonable to demand they become the most exposed to potential infection. Especially for the pittance cleaners are generally paid. But what are people going to do? Hire a whole new industry of cleaning staff, while also paying our current cleaners because it's not their fault they have to stay at home, and they shouldn't have to become destitute for it? At this point, having me go back as a cleaner rather than our usual staff starts to seem like the most reasonable option - except for living with my mum and dad, who I don't really want to expose to anything. I'm honestly not sure how we're going to handle it, as a country. I don't trust us to handle it well.
Also, my sister texted my mum yesterday, and mentioned she thought the Coronavirus was no worse than seasonal flu, and it was just population control, 'world was evil'. It's hard to tell if she was joking or now believes that stuff. She has medication she's not taking at the prescribed dose in favour of 'doing what feels right for her', so honestly anything could be happening.
But it probably won't work out like that. They might insist I go in just for the sake of it, if we have a contract. Or - as was suggested to me by other members of staff when things all started - my company might just insist they won't pay me for nothing, so if there's no need for me as a receptionist, I'll have to go in as a cleaner, and just make up the hours in some way. Which will be very interesting for me, both from an OCD perspective, and the perspective of not really wanting to be massively exposed to potential infection right now. I think I'm mostly assuming they'll let me go? But then wondering if maybe contracts and it being a national situation means they won't be able to. I guess I'll see. But it sounds like things are happening - things that might come to nothing, depending on the government's advice, but still.
But it has made me think of the wider issue of going back, for the country, because workers can't just go back to a workplace by themselves - if you're going to run a workplace, you're going to need cleaners. And a lot of the cleaners if this country are either BAME or fairly old - it's certainly the case at my workplace. And given that those groups are much more vulnerable to the virus, it seems completely unreasonable to demand they become the most exposed to potential infection. Especially for the pittance cleaners are generally paid. But what are people going to do? Hire a whole new industry of cleaning staff, while also paying our current cleaners because it's not their fault they have to stay at home, and they shouldn't have to become destitute for it? At this point, having me go back as a cleaner rather than our usual staff starts to seem like the most reasonable option - except for living with my mum and dad, who I don't really want to expose to anything. I'm honestly not sure how we're going to handle it, as a country. I don't trust us to handle it well.
Also, my sister texted my mum yesterday, and mentioned she thought the Coronavirus was no worse than seasonal flu, and it was just population control, 'world was evil'. It's hard to tell if she was joking or now believes that stuff. She has medication she's not taking at the prescribed dose in favour of 'doing what feels right for her', so honestly anything could be happening.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-05-10 05:23 pm (UTC)Oh my...I am sorry about the situation with your sister and her medication. I hope things will be all right.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-05-10 09:32 pm (UTC)My mum didn't seem alarmed by the prescription thing, and apparently my sister's informed her doctor/mental health professionals, so I don't know. But mum says she has at least a month's worth of my sister's medication that she hasn't taken or asked for, which seems like a lot. Maybe this is the first sign that everything's not alright with her.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-05-10 09:11 pm (UTC)I'm sorry about you sister. Hopefully she is okay.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-05-10 09:28 pm (UTC)It's hard to know what's going on with my sister at the best of times. It's not like she never bought into weird tabloid stories before though. And she hangs out with odd people. She hasn't said anything else weird, so I guess we'll see!