If you are still working all or at least a significant fraction* of your time outside the home, what are you doing? I am intentionally not defining “significant”. If you think your work meets the meaning of “significant”, feel free to answer.
For myself: I directly support the US Navy’s readiness to defend our platforms and borders from foreign submarines. 'nuff said, I hope, 'cause I don’t want to say much more. The past few weeks I’ve had to work 60+% in the office, but I’ve found some “purely scientific” tasks to fill up most of 40%…
For @PereBear, Perry took a new job in February helping to balance HVAC systems. He has been working full and over time getting medical spaces certified both for patient isolation and for “remote” office spaces.
I was non-essential, but my father is a commercial lender and has been jam packed with work from the reproductions of the CARES act. 70+ hours a week so far, definitely been a change. I did pick up a part time job from home, though.
Still making customers stuff work but travel has been curtailed so just doing local only.
No installs or preventative maintenance work either so only doing a fraction of my time in the field.
So naps, internet browsing, rewatching GOT and a little phone support make up the rest of my time.
We’re full steam ahead at my place, but people that don’t need to be in the office have been working from home. I’ve been making parts for a DoD contract so I have to be there. If I didn’t need to drive the machines I’d be at least seriously considering WFH. But as an engineer who happens to need to build most of the stuff he designs, not as much of an option.
I work for an IT MSP supporting multiple clients in the healthcare/financial/government sectors. We are still working but the beauty of an IT company is the ability to work remotely (since that is how we do it normally).
The only going out our staff does is in a dire emergency which requires onsite changes.
Legal services have been deemed essential here; I’m a wills/trusts/probate attorney. I’m mostly working from home, going to the office once/week to pick up mail, files, etc., doing all client meetings by Zoom or phone, we can even do “remote notarization” now so I’ve done a few of those. Still pretty busy; a lot of people seem to either (a) be suddenly afraid of dying or (b) have lots of time on their hands, so everyone wants to make or review their wills/trusts. We don’t have much Covid-19 here (19 total cases on Kauai, something like 12 or 13 have already recovered or left and there’s usually 0 or 1 new case/day), so I don’t suspect a big rise in the amount of post-mortem work (thank goodness, there’s already plenty).
I think work will definitely slack off once the effects of the economic shut-down are felt for a bit longer.
My sister, who works for me, is busy with work but also making cloth masks and 3D-printed face shields (the local hospital requested them and provided the file to use) for local doctors and to be shipped to Oahu (and maybe the mainland). She discovered a great little inexpensive printer (under $300 and the local maker-folk swear it’s better than the Prusas, so far it seems to be working really well), so we’ll probably get one or two of them when robotics starts up again.
Hubby is out of work (luthiery is not essential), so he’s cooking up a storm and keeping us all fed (too well!).
I was essential until I was furloughed. The company I work for makes industrial tables. Over 50% of our customers are in the medical and life science field and most of those companies are in the fight against the virus.
With this new found free time, I have been printing ear saver headbands to help support a town representative who is making cloth masks with her kids.
I lost my co-op for this term, so I took a job as a forklift operator in a cold storage warehouse during the mean time, just now becoming an essential employee.
ICU nurse.
However, most of my patients are not Covid related. I work in organ donation.
I understand why my job is considered “essential”. However I think if you’re being paid to do something that contributes to society, the economy, humanity… you’re essential. If you’re not being paid, but do something altruistic and also contribute to society, the economy…, such as mentor a FIRST team, then you too are equally essential. If your “job” is to stay home and help keep everyone else healthy, you’re very essential.
I dislike the way “essential” is being used to describe who’s job is more “important”. We need another word, but I’m too tired to figure it out right now.
Hoping you all get back to doing the things you want, soon. Stay healthy and safe.
Regards, Skuke
