Whoo-hoo, work from home. Except . . .

Hold the boxer shorts, we have some thoughts

I have an editor who is working from Hawaii. She and her husband pandemic-packed up the family to spend a month there.

They waited out the quarantine and are now living in a tropical paradise. She’s still working full time, of course. When I had a question she told me to call her “office” phone. It went straight to the island.

It’s all the rage. There’s almost a competition among the remote workers to see who can get into the deepest, most remote, wooded retreat. My wife read about a guy who was working from a Greek island.

Also, a long list of tech companies have embraced the concept. Employees, they say, don’t have to come back to work for months. Or maybe ever.

And why not? Everyone is working through computer screens and we are all doing our jobs in our boxer shorts. (I’ve heard. I have no first hand experience. So to speak.)

But can we just pump the brakes on this for a moment? First, you kids get off my lawn. And second, I’m not sure this is the great news everyone seems to think it is.

For starters, companies have been suspiciously eager to approve of the idea. Sure, work from anywhere. As long as you are reachable and get the work done, no worries.

Except, there is one little detail. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg came right out and said it. People who move to places with a lower cost of living “may have their compensation adjusted based on their new locations.” (Forbes) And Facebook isn’t the only one floating the idea.

So how is that that fair? Presumably you are doing the same work, and the same quality of work, in your new location. Why do you get your pay cut because you changed Zip codes?

Also, there is a more sinister conspiracy theory. If companies are going to recruit talent from faraway places (and they are), where does it stop? There have already been open discussions about how in the new virtual world, international boundaries will be erased.

Tech companies can hire very well qualified people who live in countries with a much lower cost of living. They can undercut their own employees.

Which would be a mistake. If we’ve learned anything from a virtual world, it is that Zoom-world has its limitations.

Take sports, which generally seems to be handling the virus protocols well. You can watch the Giants, for example, but you know that broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow are isolated in their booth at Oracle Park, even if the game is in San Diego.

Reporters get Zoom interviews daily. Although that limits the kind of private clubhouse interactions that make good coverage, they’re still getting lots of news fodder.

So we see the game and read the quotes, what’s the point of sending reporters to events?

Well, because of what happened last Thursday, when the Giants were going to play the Padres in San Diego. Just as the game was about to start, to the bafflement of all, the teams walked out of the dugouts and began milling around in foul territory.

Nobody knew what was happening. In San Francisco, Kruk and Kuip were reduced to trying to lip-read manager Gabe Kapler appearing to tell the umpire, “The game is cancelled.”

It was a COVID-19 scare that postponed two games, as you know. But for a long time there, nobody knew what was going on. What was needed was for a member of the media, the eyes and ears of the public, to go to Kapler and get the story.

It works better in person. Most things do.

Now certainly, there is a lot that can be done virtually. And there will probably be some business trips cancelled that didn’t need to be taken.

But as we try out the idea of staying at home, I’m not hearing people say they are having a wonderful time. Zoom happy hours often turn to how bored we are, or even lonely.

My guess is, when this pandemic ends, there will be a part of us who would like to have a place to go, at least a couple of times a week. To get up on time, shower and put on a shirt with a collar. Then go down to a communal space to meet with others who share your interests.

One more thing. It wasn’t that long ago that companies were trying to sell us on the Previous Big Thing. That was the “open office.”

No cubes. No walls. No privacy. Just long work tables with computer stations. It was suppose to foster lots of conversation and interaction.

I remember a group of us going to a meeting about the new “space," and looking at each other with the realization that your co-worker would literally be sitting two feet away.

Now she’s on the Big Island.

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A warning to the 49ers, before the game in which they didn’t take the warning

In last Sunday’s Santa Rosa Press Democrat column, I mentioned the concern among football teams, NFL and college, about starting the season with almost no live tackling or contact.

The previous week, Navy was shellacked by BYU. It happens.

But the story that came out of the game was that Navy had been extremely cautious about COVID-19 exposure. It was decreed that there would be no live contact during Navy’s practices.

In fact, after the blowout, even the Navy coach admitted the lack of contact had an effect.

Now, what about the 49ers, who took the same approach — no take-to-the-ground tackling? Well, let’s just say the game with the Cardinals wasn’t their finest hour.

As Nick Bosa said when he warned people about Coronavirus back at the Super Bowl, “Shoulda listened. Shoulda listened.”

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49ers lay an egg. We make an omelet

You can say Arizona has played the 49ers tough the last two years, but that was still a disappointing loss to the Cardinals on Sunday.

It was, as I said in the Santa Rosa PD 49ers blog, a rare trifecta. The offense, defense and special teams all made killer mistakes.

And no, Jimmy Garoppolo did not have a good day. But remember, neither did a lot of others. That blocked punt was inexcusable for a competent, professional football team.

Watching Dontae Johnson, a cornerback, meekly lean into his block and then get blown back into the lap of the punter was not inspiring. Granted, he was trying to block two rushers, but c’mon, get low and make an effort.

Anyhow, some thoughts on that game.

Contact C.W. Nevius at cwnevius@gmail.com. Suggestions and compliments gladly accepted. Criticism, not so much. Twitter: @cwnevius