Have snow days gone the way of the typewriter? With the advent of online learning and home offices, it may be impossible to stay home on the rare southern snow day and just enjoy the day. One of my favorite memories as a child in Georgia was awaiting the weather report and word of school cancellation. We actually had to wait for the county-by-county listing at the bottom of the television screen. Ever so slowly the alphabetical list of closings would reveal whether you would be attending school or getting a fun day at home. Even at the University pf Georgia we had the occasional snow day since the picturesque, hilly campus could be rather treacherous to traverse. Showing my age here, but we did not have online classrooms or even email to receive instructions or assignments in those days.
Early in my career, most employer policies also followed the local school system closings to determine if the office was open. Before I had a laptop and easily accessible highspeed internet at home, it was a bit of a holiday from work just like the school days. Some work could be done from home if you had planned ahead and brought physical work home with you. Making calls was possible, of course, but there was nowhere near the connectivity with co-workers and clients that exists now through technological advances.
So what does that mean today? Besides losing a little extra sleep and perhaps some chilly fun outdoors, productivity isn’t lost, and continuity of learning exists. Inclement weather closures not only cause students missed learning opportunities and scheduling issues, but small businesses are harmed through the loss of retail sales, lost billable hours and project management continuity just to name a few. Luckily, technology has enabled us to continue client services remotely and keep up to date on project deadlines. In fact, for those of us who normally work in an onsite office, it can even be a great way to catch up on lingering small tasks.
In my media relations role at Michael Mackenzie Communications, life and work continue since our clients based throughout the U.S. and Europe aren’t impacted by our weather conditions. The media, even though fairly singularly focused on weather during a snow event in Atlanta, are still working elsewhere. Even more importantly, some of our technology clients have customers impacted by weather, particularly power outages, so timely communication capabilities are critical.
So should we look at the new snow day as a relaxing way to catch up on our to-do list and handle essential services or an end to a childhood treat? In either case, I will happily wear my slippers and work by the fireplace while I have a cup of tea. The Zoom and Teams meetings continue and our clients in colder climates lose the opportunity to tease us about our inability to navigate snow in Atlanta! Full disclosure – I will take an occasional peek out the window to see the rare snow for the short time it’s available.
This blog is courtesy of MMC Media Relations Manager Malinda Lackey.