A Glass Half Full

Note: This story was submitted on behalf of the original storyteller, with their permission.

At the beginning stages, I vividly remember planning a trip to Europe with family and felt like we could still go. It was starting to become more of a reality when cases in Canada were spreading quickly. I was also in a previous role at that point. We would wait over the weekends to determine if we would be going into the office. That caused additional stresses in terms of preparing to work from home.

I have a young son; the priority was keeping him safe. I remember thinking how he will adapt to society; he was just getting adjusted to family and liked seeing people. I remember when things started opening again, he wouldn’t recognize our social circle-we continued to make sure we stayed safe but spent time with each other. A key benefit was extra time spent with my son and family and the additional closeness that we built.

Close to the end of the year, I was onboarding with Durham and I was able to interview and experience onboarding virtually. I’ve only been to the office once, only seeing a few people. I can’t complain about the ability to still be effective from home and still be able to execute. Yes, it is difficult, I am just grateful we have all remained safe.

At this point it is mixed feelings, but I see it as a glass half full. It has yielded benefits for family and career and being able to work from home.