'The feeling in the office was just resigned. It’s been made very clear to us that unless there’s some new apocalypse variant, we’re not going to get to work from home.'
Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photo: Getty Images The return to in-office work was rocky for New York City’s municipal employees from the start: Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered them back to their desks full-time in September at the peak of Delta infections. City workers protested, and a wave of resignations followed. In spite of repeated calls for remote work, de Blasio hasn’t budged — even as Omicron began to sweep through New York in December.
David: The feeling in the office was just resigned. It’s been made very clear to us that unless there’s some new apocalypse variant, we’re not going to get to work from home. The morning of the 14th, I’d woken up with a headache and a cough, so I was out sick. Getting tested was like a full-day affair. My rapid test came back negative, so I was back at work Thursday morning. No matter how dangerous this is for all of us, we’re going to be here unless there are actual positive tests.
Frank: We were sent home Friday so the office could be deep-cleaned, as though touch contact were a thing, even though we’ve known for a year that’s not how you get COVID. And so then we were sent back into the office because it’s clean. Which is ignoring how the virus actually is transmitted. Frank: David and I sit right across from each other in the same low-walled cubicle. We actually asked if one of us could move. As much as I like basically living with David, it didn’t seem very safe, and there are all these open desks. And they said no! Because there may be someone sitting at those desks in the future. It didn’t really make sense, and it felt really petty, just really bizarre.
A lot of people have left because of this return to the office. Two people a week, I would say, over the past several months. Ferris: When I heard that, I was like, Okay, profit over people, cool cool. We care about businesses more than the workforce. Great. Frank: The day before yesterday, Ferris comes back from Duane Reade with a bag, saying, “They restocked the at-home tests” — so I grabbed my coat and was spreading the word and everybody ran out and bought a bunch. It just felt totally crazy.
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