A Hybrid Boomer is an individual born between 1946 and 1964 who has not retired from working. We are still in the employment category of “employed”. Rather than reporting to a traditional office environment or company sponsored facility or building, Hybrid Boomers primarily work out of their homes except for one or two days a week.
What happened?
We were cast into this type of work model when COVID-19 reached pandemic levels around February or March of 2019. Remember the excitement of leaving to work from home for what was thought would be for a little while? For the first week or two it was rollover, get out of bed, take care of personal hygiene, and work in your pajamas! For those times when we needed to appear on camera for a video call, we just slipped on a nice top and a pair of leggings. The video call was the only time that I would wear make-up! Even people’s dog(s) or other pet was excited to have their owners home all day. My dog became very spoiled really fast!
The pandemic got worse and hundreds of thousands of people were dying everyday. The phrase “front line workers” was tagged to describe those whose jobs required them to report to a company provided facility. These were fireman, medical professionals, grocery store clerks, etc, who provided some type of essential service that takes care our of basic human needs.
But they were getting sick with the virus and suffering. It was scary! Those who could were tucked away at home only going out for groceries. It was a privilege to be able to work from home.
Isolation
But then as time wore on, loneliness set it. The isolation was deafening. Sitting at my kitchen table or in other parts of my home doing online meetings all day was nerve wrecking! Peers and family members who were also working from home began to express the same feelings. We felt guilty for feeling this way because it was a privilege to work from home when so many others could not. How dare one complain!
So accustomed to being out and about even during the lunch hour, working from home felt too confining. Yet, risking going out during the pandemic could lead to my getting sick.
The Blog – What is a Hybrid Boomer
So, the Hybrid Boomer blog began with writing about what my life has become working out of the house everyday, except for one day. Writing about the journey is therapeutic. Reporting to an office five days a week is possibly a thing of the past. The blog is my outlet for sharing the experience of the combination of remote work, work from anywhere and work from the office. The hybrid model consists of reporting into the office one or two days a week for special face-to-face meetings, teambuilding events, or collaboration exercises. Do I love it? Not completely. But I do not completely hate either. I have mixed feelings about it. Isolation from co-workers is still a struggle! I miss the hallway conversations, office gossip, and the daily face-to-face interactions with teammates. Baby Boomer’s are accustomed to going into “work” somewhere that is outside of the home.
Again, the blog is about sharing my experiences, frustrations, and thoughts about what it is like for a Baby Boomer to make the transition from the everyday office environment to a hybrid work model. I am a Hybrid Boomer!
I would love to hear from you about your experiences if you are like me in your work-life. Send me an email. With your permission I might feature your story in one of my weekly posts!
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