Adventures in Pajama Land: A Remote Worker’s Tale

Have you ever found yourself knee-deep in data sets while wearing bunny slippers and a fuzzy bathrobe? Welcome to the world of working remotely; a wild digital frontier.

Working from home has its perks, like not having to iron that dress shirt you hardly ever wore to the office anyway. Remote workers have mastered the art of business casual from the waist up and “anything goes” from the waist down. Let’s face it; no one will ever know if you secretly wear your favorite superhero underpants during important meetings.

Teams, Google, or Skype. No matter which vendor, video conferencing is the bread and butter of remote work. You’ve probably encountered your fair share of awkward moments when your dog decides it’s the perfect time for a weirdly disturbing solo interpretive dance or a full-on barking assault at whatever the heck they see or hear.  Your cat suddenly treats your keyboard like a jungle gym, or a previously angelic pair of siblings declare war on one another two feet from your office. Let’s not even get started on the accidental mute button mishaps, leaving you hilariously muted during that perfect lull in the meeting when you had the most profound insight to share. More distressing though is thinking you’re on mute (you are in fact NOT on mute) while lamenting about ‘Becky’ (currently leading the meeting) always talking too much.

Camera on or off, meetings are part of your workday, likely every day. You spend these days working at the mercy of whatever internet providers your area offers. You are seasoned warriors after epic battles against the ever-elusive Wi-Fi gremlins. These fiends seem to lurk in the darkest corners of your home, waiting for the most critical moment in your meeting or review process to strike with full force. The frantic search for signal strength often calls for you to assume the most acrobatic positions, making you question whether you’ve accidentally enrolled in a remote yoga class.

This can often mean you attend meetings from various locations in your home. The bed often becomes an unintentional yet inviting hotspot for these virtual gatherings. There you sit, your hot pink sleep mask haphazardly pushed up on your forehead, morning coffee decorating the oversized, well-ventilated (holes. I just mean holes) t-shirt from your high school football team’s run at the state title during your junior year. Your laptop sits perched atop a pillow mountain while you present vital numbers to clients in your best “I’m so smart and serious” voice.

Not many professionals have the freedom to move offices on a whim. On the off chance your bed has lost its luster and you’re finding it prohibitive to produce anything other than snoring, you can easily make a move, make a change. Choose wisely, however. Depending on where you land, you may face an increased ‘commute’ time and dangerous hazards. Housework screams for attention, laundry begs to be tended to. Your pet turtle still moves like a Sunday driver and inevitably causes delays on the journey. It’s hard to provide a valid reason for a late arrival when you’re traveling .00006 miles.

In the world of remote work our days can be filled with unexpected twists, wardrobe malfunctions, and a healthy dose of Wi-Fi drama. Even so, let’s embrace the hilarity of our work-from-home escapades, and remember, we’re not alone in our quest for professional glory from the comfort of our pajama-clad kingdom. Happy remote working!