This week, I have a really simple (albeit possibly self-serving) post. Please trust me when I say this is directed at anyone in IT who reads this blog and is expressly not about myself. It’s not what I usually write, but I felt compelled to get this out there because I’ve been thinking about it and talking about it with several folks and it seems to have struck a chord with a plurality of the people I’ve talked to.
I should hang this up outside our data center
I was watching a news talk show the other day and at some point, they decided to pause the show and just send a message to viewers. It started with them acknowledging the weirdness of broadcasting (partially, I think) from home, and then thanked the medical professionals that are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. I thought that was a nice statement – and I want to be absolutely clear about this: I agreed wholeheartedly. The doctors and nurses that are battling COVID-19 are heroes in the very literal sense of the word – they are acting in the face of certain fear, bodily harm and possibly the loss of their own lives to care for those in need. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. Full stop.
Then the newscasters went on to thank those they said weren’t getting enough credit – the EMTs, firefighters, police, and other first responders who were in our communities keeping us safe and responding to medical calls – oftentimes with insufficient personal protection. I have several friends who are in those sorts of roles and they definitely are covering us when we can’t cover ourselves.
Then they went on to thank the essential workers that are still on the job, such as grocery store employees, municipal workers such as those in water treatment plants, road crews, and the like. I was also mostly bullish on this one; they’re right – civilized life wouldn’t be possible for the rest of us if they weren’t keeping the lights on.
Then they wanted to thank the “unsung heroes” (their words) who are delivering packages day in and day out so we can get our Amazon (their selection) orders. This is where I started to get a little less enthusiastic. Okay, sure – they’re delivering packages, but they aren’t really interacting with people – and are (at least where I am) wearing masks and gloves and seem to be working reasonably solitary jobs.
Then they thanked the fast-food workers who are “keeping us all fed.” Okay, stop it. If I was less than enthusiastic about the delivery drivers, I certainly am not behind celebrating the McDonald’s or Starbucks drive-thrus being open. Frankly, you shouldn’t eat that stuff anyway, and it’s certainly not a good idea to be serving it up during a pandemic. Those employees should be home staying safe because fast food is not essential - ask a dietician.
And that was it. Then they were done. They moved on to something else – probably a story about which Kardashian is launching a new credit card with the Tiger King brand.
But I think they missed something. I think they missed something - no, someone – important. They missed you.
I can’t write you all a “thank you” note, but if I could, I would.
Hang in there, everyone.
They missed thanking you – IT professional.
They missed thanking you for going into the office to make sure everyone else can work from home. They missed thanking you for making it so that hospitals have the tools and technology they need to make life-and-death-decisions. They missed thanking you for shipping them a new laptop when they couldn’t get to the office because they have a sick family member. They missed thanking you for having the foresight to build a network that extends out of the office. They missed thanking you for writing the code that allows you to order packages from Amazon. They missed thanking you for ensuring that their delivery order arrives in the right place – on time. They missed thanking you for making sure they can video chat with their relatives and friends over a drink at the end of the day. They missed thanking you for getting the VPN beefed up to handle 10x or 100x the connections. They missed thanking you for setting up the field hospital network in record time so they can see patients.
They missed so much about how IT is behind-the-scenes, making socially distanced life in this pandemic possible. So, while you may not be a doctor and you may not be face-to-face fighting the illness with patients, know that I see you. You have made living through this possible. Imagine how we would have handled this in the 70s or 80s? We couldn’t do 90% of the things we do remotely now. What were you going to do – call the Sears catalog? You made this possible. You made this manageable.
And yes – I really believe this – you are saving lives with your work even if you don’t work at a hospital because people can work remotely and out of harms’ way because of your skills, contributions and effort.
So, thank you, IT professional. Your work is appreciated. You are appreciated. Stay safe.
I always have questions and challenges:
Have you had to put yourself “in harm’s way” to be in an office during this, or be near crowds of people to make sure the infrastructure or apps are online and ready for others?
Has anyone thanked you for your efforts and labor during this? If so, did you appreciate and/or think it was sincere?
Who haven’t you thanked recently that maybe you should?