So, I’m a low wage hourly employee in a warehouse, which now means I’m “essential.” Personally, I am happy that I am still able to work and that I am being offered bonuses and overtime right now. My employer is offering unlimited unpaid time off but only 2 weeks paid if an employee tests positive or is subject to mandatory quarantine.
The biggest inconvenience for me is that no grocery stores are open while I’m awake. So I actually took off a day of work (i’ll be able to pick up more time later in the week) just to be able to stay awake and shop today. There wasn’t much worth buying so I’m a little concerned I will be able to eat enough to make through the work week. At least I have money for bills.
Anyone else in a “stay at home” state but still required to work? How “essential” is your job, and do you worry about your health or getting your family sick?
Yep. Central Illinois here. Shut down, but I am a pharmacy tech. Essential. I’m glad to still be working (unemployment insurance which Illinois has guaranteed would significantly cut my income), but I am of course apprehensive about being infected. With not a lot of testing available, someone with mild flu-like symptoms could be sent away, untested, told to quarantine, but given a prescription which they go to the pharmacy to fill. I’m financially stable enough where I can endure several months of unemployment, but I don’t want to roll the dice with the virus. I work in a pharmacy which is in a grocery store, so, thankfully, I can fulfill both of my critical needs (work and groceries) without going elsewhere. I’m a single hermit who mostly stays at home anyway. The lockdown, to me, is affirming my lifestyle.
I work for a non-profit, we find jobs for people getting off of public aid.
Part of our tax exemption is to run seven days a week. On weekend we run a call referral line, which is hardly ever used.
I thought we’d be closed, but the state told us we were essential and we risk losing the tax exemption and the state would not direct clients toward us (we do both state referred and private referred as well as walk ins), if we closed
Last week I worked two days, before this got real bad, and spent most of the day with people calling us asking where they could be tested for Covid19.
We do have referrals for people who call with non-related problems but I used my contacts, which are extensive and even the hospitals say “Don’t refer them to us.” So it’s back to the city non emergency number. Which in turn is giving out our number
Yep, I work five days a week in a small town supermarket about 50 minutes from Sydney, Australia. I am part of a small team of only nine people. It has been a surreal three weeks with incredible amounts of stock coming in and then flying off the shelves sometimes as soon as it is put there. Normally a fairly sleepy town but it has been absolutely electric for a month now. Lots of out of area customers for whom my patience is dwindling. I am exhausted answering the same 12,000 questions every day about toilet paper, sanitizer, pasta etc and unboxing things like a madman.
I was due to resign after a good four years here in April but that ain’t happening now! It is definitely whacky times.
Suburban Chicago- I’m going to work today. I learned over the weekend that a machinist in a small job shop is essential if our customers are essential. One of our largest job providing customers is a food company (think: boxes of cereal), and since we help keep their lines running we’re essential if they are. The boss is not forcing anyone in, and advised us to stay the hell home if we don’t feel well. And although we’re a small company, he’s divided us into shifts to increase the space between us.
I’m the IT Director at a manufacturer that makes some things for the Department of Defense, so we will stay up and running regardless of stay-at-home orders. How essential I am in this process is not exactly clear, but for now I’m still going into the office, as is the rest of the office.
I’m a forklift driver in the warehouse/shipping/receiving department of a manufacturing plant. Heard today that we are considered a supplier to an essential industry. I won’t say what that industry is but they must have some excellent lobbyists.
Yup, tool and die department. We supply an essential business so we’re staying open. For now anyway. Who knows what fresh hell tomorrow will bring. Really glad about it, too. Not only is it now my social life and something to do all day, but Wisconsin maxes out unemployment at 367 a week. I’d be screwed.
And no, I have absolutely whatsoever no anxiety about getting it.
Engineer at a major defense contractor. The Defense Industrial Base is “essential” so we’re open. Employees who can work from home have been instructed to do so, but much of the work (lab/manufacturing and/or classified) simply cannot be done remotely.
Drastic changes to the way we’re operating have been imposed, but we’re moving along. No known cases at our facility yet. The response when it happens remains to be seen. I don’t think it will be long.
It says “Essential Employee” right on my county work ID. Technically, I, as a police academy instructor, fall under our Public Safety Department. I am retired and no longer a sworn LEO. The state Attorney General ordered all police academies in the state to suspend all training until further notice. There is really nothing for the staff to do so they sent us home. That said, if ordered back in to perform some sort of public service, we’d all go willingly.
Aside from a couple small details, this describes my situation. We’ve all been going to work, sanitizing obsessively, and trying to stay in the six foot “bubble” around our work areas.
I am in the same boat. As a software guy I can do most of my work from home; I can even remotely log into equipment in the lab. We’ve been instructed to work from home as much as possible, but if we run out of work that can be done remotely we are allowed to come to the office as needed. We were even given a letter on company letterhead explaining that employees of a defense contractor we are “essential” to show to any police officers if necessary.
I’m a stocker/forklift driver at a big box store. We sell food, cleaning supplies, pharmacy stuff, liquor/beer/wine, and gasoline. All of those are considered essential here in CT (we also sell a bunch of non-essential stuff). We were all given a letter explaining that we essential in case we get pulled over after curfew, which I’m not terribly worried about because I have a short commute. Some of my co-workers have long commutes and definitely will be pulled over.
I’m not worried about my family because I don’t live with them and I’ve explained to my parents and uncle (my only family in-state) why I can’t visit them. My room mate works at the same store, so no worries there.
Too late to edit: We’re all being paid am extra $2/hr and I’m working more hours than usual. I’ve almost certainly been exposed already, so I’ll take the extra pay while I can.
Re: the social life thing. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to continue to work but the restrictions pretty much killed that. Start and break times are staggered and some of my co-workers have been deputized to enforce social distancing. So, for example, I had a group of break room friends. We no longer see each other and if we do we can’t sit at the same table. Oh well.
Work at a medical school on a US military base. I have to go in for full days Tuesday and Thursday, and telework the other days. There are certain things that I can only do on a secure DoD machine on site. The staff was split into 3-4 person teams to come in certain days so that someone is always here. Not that there’s that much going on at the office, but the university insisted the library stay open to support the faculty, so we’re here.