The Pandemic Made Me Healthy

Working from home saved my life

When we were all sent home from our offices (Northeast United States) to work remotely on March 23, 2020, we had no idea we would still be home almost a year later due to the coronavirus.

I can’t speak for everyone — only for myself. I have benefitted tremendously from not having to go to the office every day physically — yet have been able to continue to do my job seamlessly.

My company set up a VPN (Virtual Private Network) that allowed us to communicate with our computers remotely as though we were in the office. Through my home computer, I can access everything I would typically work with as though I was physically present in the office. That includes all company programs, software, email, databases — we didn’t skip a beat.

I talk to my co-workers on the telephone and via Zoom calls. We still have friendly visits with one another. The main difference is we are all in really comfortable clothes.

Our clients and suppliers have felt little difference, except that we forward the main office phone to the office manager. But most people call the mobile of the person they need to reach.

My boss keeps freaking out because he thinks that we need to be present in the office. He thinks employees need to be managed. But for the past ten months, the work has been getting done seamlessly. Our numbers are up.

And it’s not just our numbers. My performance review indicated that I improved in nearly every evaluation category. (I’m not the only one, but I can only speak for myself. But we all want to remain remote workers.)

Many of the issues I had — that affected how I “showed up” each day went away. Those included how engaged I was with our clients and customers, my overall organizational skills, creativity, and problem-solving.

No longer in the office setting — where I was the target of my bosses’ constant bullying, my work improved significantly. He still bullies me while at home, but I know he can’t physically come near me. It’s different.

Further, I no longer feel sick all the time. My migraines have practically disappeared. The only time I get a migraine is when I have some clash with my boss.

I no longer have stomach aches and digestive issues. I don’t feel exhausted all the time. I want to get my work done so that I feel a sense of accomplishment. It energizes me now.

I purchased a stationary bike and exercise at lunchtime. There is not one part of this that isn’t beneficial.

The result speaks for itself instead of playing politics in the office — or worrying about whether something is stapled straight. There’s no paper now. And no OCD crazy guy breathing down my neck because something out of my control happened.

The stress about walking in the door perfectly on time every morning — gone. My commute is walking into my home office. It takes less than ten seconds. And I’ve saved an hour each day in total commute time.

Working from home has made a significant difference in my ability to perform at work. I no longer take sick days because I’m sick. I have been documenting every bit of it, including using health records and keeping a regular diary of headaches and other symptoms. I also write down whenever my boss and I have an incident — there have been several. I write about one here.

Our corporate human resources department is aware of the incidents — I have reported them since they were pretty severe. I want to have an airtight case to continue to work remotely when the pandemic ends, and it will. If I still want to remain at this job.

There is no way in hell I am going back to that office.

Jennifer Friebely is a New York-based writer, editor, coach, and speaker covering stories from personal development, bully bosses, the Law of Attraction, marketing, and productivity to politics and music to whatever idea strikes. She has a 30+ year background in marketing and advertising and holds a BA in Political Science. Email her at [email protected] or visit www.successpicture.com.