One of the things I feel like gets taken most for granted within any office is the ease of communication. Beyond an Instant Message or scrolling email thread, your coworkers are never far away. In the Senate, they’re often just around the corner.
When one needs a second pair of eyes on a document, has a question in mind, or wishes to collaborate on a piece of work, it’s never hard to find a person to help. Functioning as a team, we’re easily able to support our fellow Alaskans by virtue of our close contact. With it we are able to share out information faster, hold the same line in responding to constituents and interested parties, and best connect available resources to the constituents who need them. Unsurprisingly, our entire working environment has changed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Now, texting takes the place of talking. Talking points are discussed and centralized in shared working platforms over quick conversations. And weekly calls represent the only face time I would normally get daily from all of the co-workers I have grown to love. Though still a part of a team, things can feel quite alien. Working in isolation has also slowed down the pace of work, at least for me. I still feel productive, though like many other people I’ve talked to, communication difficulties and changed working environments have stunted general productivity. Everyone I know seems to be working doubly hard to maintain a sense of normalcy, though the unpredictable nature of everything facing us ultimately seems to require a reconciliation between the ideal and the pragmatic. The unknown consistently seems to come between the work one would like to do, and the work one is able to do. As everyone trudges on, we continue to work our hardest to serve our fellow Alaskans. It isn’t lost on us how many people are relying on us, now more than ever. So while our environments may feel alienating, we’re trying to be consistent. Consistent in the quality of our work, the effort we put to it, and the outcomes we’re able to provide for our constituents. While so little remains in our individual control, collectively consistency is what allows us to keep things straight amongst such a great period of chaos. Hopefully, the results help out each Alaskan in need.
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Mike Juvrud