May 20, 2020 - by CSCS

Dino (System Engineer) asks Pablo (Service/Business Manager).

What do you miss most from the office routine?
I mostly miss the human contact — being able to drop by someone’s office to discuss a matter in person, getting a sense of how things are going, discussing something over the whiteboard, drinking a coffee and having a good laugh at someone’s joke… I cannot help but feel “detached” in a situation like the one we’re currently going through.

What are the differences in the organization of your time?
Now it’s much more chaotic. Sometimes I have five meetings in a row and barely have time to stretch my legs; and, when that doesn’t happen, I try to link together me-only work, which I would otherwise rationalize differently, in order to catch up. Some days are really long and last until late in the evening, so I try to compensate with shorter days when possible. Sometimes I lose track of which day of the week I’m in.

How do you manage to combine family and work?
Both actually take a hit. My kids don’t really understand that I’m at home without actually being at home; and, even if I put a sign at the door when there’s a meeting happening, they still storm in from time to time. Be it a question, needing help with something, or just wanting to share a drawing, they count on me. I can’t blame them — this is difficult for them, too. My wife carries much more extra load than me and is also working part-time… I could not do this without her!

Were you able to take some time for yourself and your hobbies?
I make an effort to balance work and life. Sometimes it needs an extra push, like “I’m just going to do this, forget about everything else!” Of course, times are more challenging than usual, but overall I would say I manage to do what I like. Some other things fell in the “do later” tray, but that’s always the case anyway.

This quarantine took us all by surprise. If you could start over again, how would you face it?
Honestly? Nothing different! Well, except maybe fill up the toner cartridges of my printer before I ran out of yellow or buy wood planks for a bedside table I have in mind before shops closed.