Sick Days - The Currency of Grace

Maybe it's just me, but sick days are hitting differently these days. Early in the pandemic, lots of offices were moving slower in general, but now that everything is mostly "open for business," being down a colleague is tough. This month we've been down more than we have been up. We've had employees with COVID, employee kids with COVID, food poisoning, allergies, and sinuses, not to mention some folks just out for fun vacations. 

All this has meant that our daily practice of lifting up any capacity has become essential. Work is being passed around on slack and text messages, and all the gaps are getting plugged. Has it been seamless and without pain? Absolutely not. 

I was one of the sick people, and I asked for a lot of help, I took a lot of naps, and then I shifted into offering help and covering gaps. But it wasn't just me; everyone did it. It is part of what makes a small, nimble team hard and also magical. For me, this is an insight into making space in your office - space for being sick and for child needs and even vacations. This space meant people could rest when their bodies called them to do so and could rely on colleagues to keep everything moving. It meant some people worked extra to keep it all moving - an informal system of currency exchange - the currency of grace.