Essential workers, what's one thing you think people don't understand about what it means to be employed as an essential worker right now?

Question

As an essential worker, what's the No. 1 thing you wish non-essential workers understood about your situation? Have you encountered any attitudes or beliefs about what it means to be an essential worker that you find unfair or untrue? Is any of that trickling down into unfair treatment, from your employer or from customers?

LISA MCCARTNEY · Answer

A couple things for me:
1) I take news about covid in on my own.  
2) I wish people wouldn't lecture me about what they think I should be doing.
3) If I am cleaning our carts (I work in a regional big box store - think like Walmart)  and I tell you the carts have been sanitized, please dont say I'll clean it with purell.   Makes me feel I'm breathing in harmful chemicals for no reason.
4) Most people dont realize how hard our job can get.  I know you're scared but dont take it out on us.

All I can think of right now.

Denise Downs · Answer

I work in HR in a NYC hospital.  We were told we were essential even though we are not based at a hospital but in a completely separate building in headquarters.  We commuted back and forth the office for all of March and then beginning April 1 work remotely 100%.  We've taken on hotline jobs, working at hospitals and doing other types of admin work that has to get done.  We need to be on site for volunteer work at hospitals.  During the month of March and then after NYC shut down, we were commuting in/out of NYC and many of my colleagues questioned why we were 'essential'.  We were told that all hospital workers are essential. Fair enough.   Now I am working from home 100% which has it's challenges, but nothing like yours or that of a health care worker.  My sister works for the US Postal Service and she is essential. She goes to work every single day.  But she's not with the public like you.  I hope you are taking care of yourself.  Trying to rest, eat well, and drink water.  Your only defense right now is the precautions the CDC has recommended AND being healthy.

Essential workers, what's one thing you think people don't understand about what it means to be employed as an essential worker right now?

You're invited.

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