Jason Gay has a humorous take in The Wall Street Journal, on what life will be like when we return. His take is that we can socially distance, put markers on the floor, even go to work in bubbles but some parts of humanity you just can’t change.
“Can any post-pandemic office layout really stop the guy who can’t help clipping his nails at his desk? Six feet of social distancing isn’t enough to stop someone from re-heating fish in the microwave. You could have two miles of social distancing—I’m still going to smell that microwaved fish.
“You’re still going to have managers who schedule an “informal brown-bag brainstorming session” at 4 p.m. on a Friday. There is only one time for an “informal brown-bag brainstorming session,” and that time is never.
You’re still going to get cornered by the Co-Worker Who Just Started Doing Triathlons. Yes, I had the same thought: There are no triathlons at the moment, so the co-worker might have less to talk about. Nope. I’m afraid the Co-Worker Who Just Started Doing Triathlons has turned into the Co-Worker Who Is Now Riding His Bike to the Office, and you’re going to have to stand there, six feet away, and listen to a 40-minute tale of the journey. I know this, because I have been the Co-Worker Who Is Now Riding His Bike to the Office.”
People hide under their desks when they see me coming.