I do this everytime it snows and school is cancelled. So, I’m just going to get it out of my system before I jump into the car and battle 5 inches of unplowed snow:

When school is canceled, only essential personnel are supposed to report. Usually, this means one custodian and the principal. The custodian is there to take care of the building and check on it. The principal is there in case parents attempt to drop off any children. (And they do.)

Back at administration HQ, where I work, the argument over whom is essential and who is not created a tremendous vaccuum of leadership. In other words, rather than make a decision, it was decided that everyone at the administration building is essential personnel. This includes the folks with a job description to answer technical question from the schools only. So, 300 of us are all converging on one spot with only two different access points at roughly the same time from all over the city on unplowed roads.

If I cannot make it to work, I am charged a vacation day. If I don’t have a vacation day, I’m docked. (Cannot use a sick day.) I can opt to stay home and take a vacation day, but a department must have coverage. This was defined for us last year because coverage doesn’t mean one person in a department of 30. Coverage is approx 50% of your department. I’m in a department of 4, so rather than coordinate on the phone at 6am, it’s easier to just come into work.

Most other business have canceled their work day or allow employees to work from home. Times like this I ask myself why the VPN has been nixed for five straight years. The answer is not security, by the way.

So, off I go. Ugh!

Sorry to burden you with my complaint. I know, in my head, that others have it worse.