A friend once told me that, when considering two more or less equal candidates for a job opening, you should choose the one with a better commute.
Is it really bad where you live? The hardest part of my commute was coming down my own front stairs, which we didn't shovel at all, and are now covered in ice. Sure, it was a little slow walking to the bus. But the roads are fine. I got in pretty quickly.
When I arrived, I found all sorts of people out of the office. One coworker had a meeting this afternoon postponed because 2/3 of the attendees didn't make it in. Another coworker had a 10AM meeting cancelled (at 9:45) because the person he was meeting didn't come in. I have a 1:30 meeting, and the two people who work in this building that I expected to attend are not here yet, leading me to believe that they won't be here.
This meeting is going to be really difficult to do over the phone since it's supposed to be a presentation of various things. Maybe I'll pretend I live out in West Virginia or something, too, and just call in.
It annoys me when people shirk their job responsibilities due to the weather. Sure, I understand not wanting to come in. But when these people took these jobs, they pledged to get to the office when they were needed there. You can choose to live far away if you want, but don't use it as an excuse.
When I was in college, I never missed a class due to drinking the night before (except the day after my 21st birthday, when I made an exception, and still made my afternoon class) or weather, even when I lived off campus. I skipped class when I didn't feel like going, but never because I had made a personal choice about where I lived or how much I drank. I'm not sure most people make that distinction, but I do, and so I can be smug about your failure to come to work today.
Exactly which part of your
Exactly which part of your job is worth risking a car accident on icy roads? Meetings can wait.
The part where other people
The part where other people staying home is inconveniencing me! I wore a tie today for a meeting that may turn into a conference call. I could have stayed home, too.
If you think I'm going to
If you think I'm going to unearth my car from under a sheet of solid ice then drive on roads filled with slushy-icy-crap just to see you in a tie, then you should be fired.
Good thing you weren't on
Good thing you weren't on the meeting attendee list.
Even though I opted to stay
Even though I opted to stay home yesterday (no meetings and teleworking) I feel your pain. I only have to walk/skate/slip/fall to the metro to get to work.
The only thing I can add to this is parents. I am more than happy, when schools close, to accept that many moms/dads can't find a babysitter on short notice in an inclement weather situation. I'd much rather see those people stay home with their brood than bring them into the office, which seems to happen all too often. In that case I'm more upset that the parent couldn't be bothered to use leave time and instead make everyone else's day completely unproductive while we have to hear you keep your kid engaged or deal with the possible tantrums.
I had a similar meeting situation with the recent Inaugural events. Someone scheduled a meeting for the following Wednesday. Because it is near impossible to get, let alone change meeting rooms here I asked if they were sure that everyone would attend. This was a few weeks out. The Friday before the meeting, I start hearing, "They'd like to move the meeting because they're worried about traffic."
Is a little forethought too much to ask? Really?
We ended up having good
We ended up having good attendance at our meeting. Only two people on the phone, and about a dozen in person. So I guess I complained too soon.
And numerous people have pointed out that safety is more important than work, which is true. I think my real problem is with stupid excuses and no forewarning. If you don't want to come in to work, I don't care. That's your problem. But if you're meeting someone, tell them before they go out of their way for you. And don't give me some ridiculous excuse. Tell me you'd rather live another day than work. Fine.
I have chosen to live less than two miles from work. I feel very smug about this. As a result, people who live far away from work annoy me. They shouldn't, but they do. And I have plenty of friends in that situation, who may now be reading this (Hi, Andy).
Anyway, I'm working from home today because I can. And I'm about to take a break to go get coffee with my wife while our daughter sleeps (the fridge at Pan Lourdes strikes again). But that was a choice because, really, work is dumb, and I'd rather be at home. Not because I can't get to work.
Good for you that you live
Good for you that you live only two miles from work and so I assume in DC. I'm very happy for you that your salary allows for such a nice set up. Some of us don't make enough to afford the ridiculous rents asked for in DC and have to live out a little further.
You're right, not everyone
You're right, not everyone can make the choices I have. However, there is a big difference between not being able to afford a place near work and choosing to live in a giant house two hours away. I did not mean to lump the people in the former category in with those in the latter, although from what I wrote, I certainly did.
Do I sense a tad bit of
Do I sense a tad bit of jealousy? If you want to blame someone then you should blame your boss who hired these people commuting from such long distances. I have an hour and a half commute so my absence from work was of no surprise. I would much rather be home then stuck in a train station for hours or worse.
It's not jealousy, exactly.
It's not jealousy, exactly. I could live far out if I wanted to, but prefer where I am.
And maybe you were (or would have been) considerate enough to tell someone you were meeting at 10 that you weren't coming in before he was just minutes from ending the special trip he made just for that meeting that was now canceled.
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