1. As an attorney, I work with, well, a lot of attorneys, and one thing about them is 99% are
Type A people. If the job isn’t stressful enough, they have the uncanny ability of doing stress’s
job for it. So, when COVID struck, those stress levels went through the roof for everyone.
Everyone was adapting to the immediate shift to 100% remote work while management quickly
saw the writing on the wall in the form of budget concerns. (as a State employee, it’s all about
the budget). Suffice to say stressors flourished, and although there were a few challenge stressors
such as learning and implementing new technologies for remote capabilities, most of these were
hindrance based. Plus, the lack of social support with work colleagues basically evaporated
overnight. There were no easy pop-ins to ask questions or running into a friend to low-key air
grievances on the day in the break room. And just when it seemed our legal division was as
disconnected as possible, my usually aloof boss sent an email to everyone with a YouTube clip
of an inspirational song (I cannot for the life of me remember which one) and an inspirational
quote. She has done this every single day since March. People respond with their own thoughts,
inspirations, or relevant songs. From Prince to Bill Withers to the Boss, I look forward to those
emails because they offer some semblance of social support in a trying time. Also, in effort to
harness similar support, my supervisor instituted weekly check-ins for our small department
where could discuss work items easily and freely but were also encouraged to talk life. Not
having a set agenda makes it feel as if we really are all there, for that hour at least, to listen and
help each other out. Both of these adjustments have made the transition to this “new normal”
easier and reduced some of the stressors associated with the job and, honestly, with life right
now.
