DILEMMA OF THE MONTH
Our Employees Can ’ t Work From Home . How Do We Make Their Lives More Flexible ?
BY Suzanne Lucas
ILLUSTRATION : JOHN CHASE
I manage a laboratory , which requires staff to be onsite around the clock . Our analysts and other on-site workers were classified as essential workers early in the pandemic , and they diligently came into the lab even when the rest of the world was sheltering in place . Today , many people are still working from home , doing hybrid work or otherwise enjoying more flexible lives , but my employees ’ workdays look more or less the same as they did before the pandemic . I ’ d like to thank them for coming in every day and help them benefit from the ways the world of work has changed . Is there any way to make my on-site employees ’ lives more flexible ?
While the narrative is that everyone wants to work from home and practically everyone is doing so , it ’ s not true . There are plenty of jobs that must be done away from home . Laboratories certainly fall into that category , and we are all thankful for laboratory scientists and all they do for us !
But even if your employees love their work ( after all , when they decided to work in a laboratory , they knew they wouldn ’ t be working from home ), it can be frustrating when your car is the only one pulling out of the neighborhood in the morning . And with continued COVID-19 restrictions , working on-site can be draining . But that doesn ’ t
26 comstocksmag . com | April 2022