I’m still working from home, and I’m grateful for the paycheck, (and hey, isn’t it awesome how the US ties our health care to employment, so we just threw 10 million people out of work and also off health insurance during a pandemic?)
As I’ve mentioned, I’m a contractor and have been for years, and normally it’s fine, but this week two things happened: I participated in a conference call with the company where I work (not my employer) and heard what they’re doing for their employees to help them out, and I got an email from my own employer.
The contrast was, um, striking. The employees are getting cash, extra paid time off, flexible schedules where possible. Someone asked if the company would do anything for the many, many contractors who work alongside the employees, and the answer was, “We’re trying to keep them working.” In other words, nope.
My own employer, source of my paycheck and health insurance, emailed us to say that they’re not doing anything extra for us, but hey, if our contracted positions go away we can always apply for unemployment, and good luck with health insurance. So, yeah, that was this week.
By yesterday I really could feel my nerves fraying; I think we’re all just starting to wrap our minds around the fact that the normal we knew before is never going to come back in quite the same way. We’ll get through it, most of us, but we’ll never be the same.
A friend shared a wonderful, darkly hilarious and profane essay by Chuck Wendig on Facebook. I’ve shared the link to it below; go read it. The entire essay resonated with me, but this part in particular:
” You cannot meet abnormality with increased normalcy. It just doesn’t work. There’s no countermanding it that way. We’re told we can be more productive, that we’re all work-from-home now, but lemme tell you: this isn’t your average way to work-from-home. This isn’t how to accelerate productivity. It’s like being told to work-from-home during a locust plague and a forest fire.“
Read the entire excellent essay here.
The whole civilised world worries and wonders at your ‘health insurance’ system. I need have no concerns in that direction. Over the last years of Ernst’s life we had several ambulance runs to the ED, and when the dust had settled and we were discharged, waltzed out with not a penny to pay. Ambulance costs covered by private health insurance. And yes, I do pay for private hospital cover, plus cover for dental, optical etc. The hospital cover is in case I need something very major, in the surgical line, in an awful hurry. That hospital and extras cover costs me $Aus 172 per month. And that is top of the line cover, with a $200 co-pay for the first admission in a calendar year. Peace of mind!
That essay helps.
I go from hey everything’s fine to utter fucking despair daily. And then get up the next day and try again. I had already retired, but this is nuts.
The gig/contract world sucks, fairly completely. We’re all hanging on by a fraying thread which helps not one bit in this case. I’m glad you’re still here, still writing/sharing, both the snark and the ruminations and of course, the wee beasties. <3