Back on 22 April 2020, Winton Bates asked What are the implications of declining productivity growth in high-income countries? Winton had previously expressed some reservations about statistical measures that suggested a structural decline in productivity growth in developed economies, in part because of difficulties in measuring the impact of information and communications technologies including real price declines. Now more convinced, he looks at the implications for future income levels.
I am very out of touch now with productivity discussions, but felt that the rise of services created difficulties for productivity measurement and indeed for the measurement of real income growth. I saw three problems.
The first lay in the definition of capital investment itself where measurement based on physical capital underestimated real capital investment in services where investment in things such as improved processes had a high labour component, a low physical component. A second problem lay in valuing outputs especially in non-market areas. A third and related problem lay in the assessment of quality in outputs.
My feeling was that, in combination, these problems meant that the level of capital investment in services was underestimated, output was underestimated, leading to misleading conclusions about the nature and level of productivity growth in services. Overall, I thought that productivity growth in services had been considerably underestimated.
I still think that was right, but now I suspect that productivity growth in services has declined, in part because the previous gains from process improvement have been largely exhausted while the longer term costs from process improvement have become more apparent. Services have also suffered from a growing regulatory burden, especially but not just where Government funding is involved. I wonder, too, about the quality of services. Has this actually declined as I suspect.
These are not insignificant issues now that services constitute such a significant portion of the economies in developed countries, some 64%. I wonder how much meaning conventional productivity measurements now have.
Wednesday, May 06, 2020
Tuesday, May 05, 2020
Armidale Diaries 7 - birds, bees and social isolation
In these days of social distancing, I find myself spending time just sitting at the outdoor table in the back paved area absorbing the sun. It's out of the wind and is a real sun trap.
Sitting, I look across the little backyard and then a paddock to Queen Elizabeth Drive, once known as the Mad Mile. This, then the main drag to the University, acquired its name because people used to pu the foot down. Armidale was much smaller then and it was really a country road.
Constable later Sergeant Montgomery, the city's only motor cycle policeman, used to spend time there waiting to catch the unwary. Monty, as he was known, was an institution especially among the young who had just acquired or were on the point of acquiring a license.
In those more relaxed days, you could acquire a full unrestricted drivers license at 16. There were no minimum hours. You just needed to pass your driving test. Most country kids had been driving from an early age. For townies like myself it was a little more difficult, but most got their license at 16 or 17.
The stories about Monty are legion, some may even be true!. A big man, he had the reported habit of falling off his bike, in so doing acquiring the nickname "Autumn Leaves". He used to wait behind a particular billboard outside town to catch unwary highway travellers. We locals knew this habit and could take necessary avoiding action. Through travellers were not so lucky.
Monty was also a kind man. It's not easy being a policeman in a smallish community, for you are both a resident and an enforcer, different roles that can conflict. You need to temper the letter of the law with s degree of discretion and judgement, something that is more difficult now because procedures have become so rigid. In retrospect, Monty managed the balance pretty well.
I have mentioned the adjoining paddock before. The doings there continue to fascinate me. It's quite a big paddock by urban standards. The neighbours have a ride on mower. Since the rains came and the grass grew, they have been mowing regularly. A cacophony of sulphur crested cockatoos has gathered as a consequence.
There are hundreds of them. Each morning they gather in the trees on the other side of the Mad Mile Then, mainly travelling in pairs, they engage in a mad dance swarming from one end of the tree line to the other over an 800 plus metre path. The trees shake under the impact. In the evening they gather in the hundreds to feed on the paddock.
I said a cacophony of cockatoos. The poets tell us that bird song is meant to be melodious and indeed it can be. But these birds squark! A friend looked up descriptions for them in a crowd. Choices include a clattering, a chattering or a cluttering. I prefer cacophony!
Not all birds are so noisy. A crested pigeon has taken up feeding in the backyard. I used to call them woodcocks in Sydney, but I am assured that the correct name is crested pigeon. There are a pair that sit on next door's TV areal., but its the male who comes to eat.
He was very cautious initially, but now he just ignores me, moving only if I make a sudden movement.
In the age of social distancing, we are all forced back to our social media connections. There is a real issue here. From my viewpoint social media has been a godsend, but then I'm involved actively in the on-line world. This is not true for many. Covid-19 has suddenly short circuited all previous discussions about the on-line world and the importance of decent internet access. Even the Armidale Regional Council has been caught,struggling with virtual council meetings because some councilors in country areas do not have access to dependable broadband.
One thing I noticed when I arrived in Armidale was the apparent absence of bees. Growing up here, there were lots of bees. I managed to get stung several times. I knew that bees had been in decline in bee numbers many areas, so wondered if the district had been affected. Note I didn't say impacted. The rise of that word has been one of my pet hates.
I have a confession to make here, on bees not the use of English. I have been thinking that I would like beehives. I know that it's silly in some ways. There is a fair bit of work involved. But still!
Anyway, I put up a query on the New England Pandemic Facebook page asking about bees. I was reassured to learn that bees are still around, native and imported, just not where I was.I also learned a lot about flowers that bees liked, again both native and imported.
Ten days ago, the first bee arrived at the house. They must have known that I was looking for them! This morning as I sat outside another, the same?, cam buzzing around. I sat there and let it inspect my jumper. I don't know why my jumper should be attractive, but it seemed to be a subject of considerable interest.
Just at the moment, shopping has moved from a chore to a major excursion., a break! The stores are not crowded and toilet paper is back! In fact, most things are back including eggs and pasta.
I fear that my store trips involved detours. I know that this is naughty, As a male of a certain age, I should be staying home, not perambulating. The warnings are most fearsome, the police on guard. But still.
A number of nice lanes lie to the west of Armidale. You can drive down one road. swing to the left or right and then turn back to town. In all, the time involved is less than the standard metro shopping trip.
This is St Nicholas' Anglican church at Saumarez Ponds. It lies just to the west of Armidale. I can head west and then drive south and east to get to the shops.
Saumarez Ponds was a now vanished small farming community. I suppose that those communities are now coming back in a new guise with the spread of hobby farms outside Armidale. These began in the 1950s with the spread of those who wanted space for their chooks and horses. Some are just like large urban blocks, others have turned into mini-farms, some are outposts of the counter-culture community with mud brick homes and sprawling gardens. It's part of the richness of New England life.
It's time to finish. Next door neighbour Dave has just come with a load of wood for the lounge room fire. I do love living in the country.
Sitting, I look across the little backyard and then a paddock to Queen Elizabeth Drive, once known as the Mad Mile. This, then the main drag to the University, acquired its name because people used to pu the foot down. Armidale was much smaller then and it was really a country road.
Constable later Sergeant Montgomery, the city's only motor cycle policeman, used to spend time there waiting to catch the unwary. Monty, as he was known, was an institution especially among the young who had just acquired or were on the point of acquiring a license.
In those more relaxed days, you could acquire a full unrestricted drivers license at 16. There were no minimum hours. You just needed to pass your driving test. Most country kids had been driving from an early age. For townies like myself it was a little more difficult, but most got their license at 16 or 17.
The stories about Monty are legion, some may even be true!. A big man, he had the reported habit of falling off his bike, in so doing acquiring the nickname "Autumn Leaves". He used to wait behind a particular billboard outside town to catch unwary highway travellers. We locals knew this habit and could take necessary avoiding action. Through travellers were not so lucky.
I have mentioned the adjoining paddock before. The doings there continue to fascinate me. It's quite a big paddock by urban standards. The neighbours have a ride on mower. Since the rains came and the grass grew, they have been mowing regularly. A cacophony of sulphur crested cockatoos has gathered as a consequence.
There are hundreds of them. Each morning they gather in the trees on the other side of the Mad Mile Then, mainly travelling in pairs, they engage in a mad dance swarming from one end of the tree line to the other over an 800 plus metre path. The trees shake under the impact. In the evening they gather in the hundreds to feed on the paddock.
I said a cacophony of cockatoos. The poets tell us that bird song is meant to be melodious and indeed it can be. But these birds squark! A friend looked up descriptions for them in a crowd. Choices include a clattering, a chattering or a cluttering. I prefer cacophony!
He was very cautious initially, but now he just ignores me, moving only if I make a sudden movement.
In the age of social distancing, we are all forced back to our social media connections. There is a real issue here. From my viewpoint social media has been a godsend, but then I'm involved actively in the on-line world. This is not true for many. Covid-19 has suddenly short circuited all previous discussions about the on-line world and the importance of decent internet access. Even the Armidale Regional Council has been caught,struggling with virtual council meetings because some councilors in country areas do not have access to dependable broadband.
One thing I noticed when I arrived in Armidale was the apparent absence of bees. Growing up here, there were lots of bees. I managed to get stung several times. I knew that bees had been in decline in bee numbers many areas, so wondered if the district had been affected. Note I didn't say impacted. The rise of that word has been one of my pet hates.
I have a confession to make here, on bees not the use of English. I have been thinking that I would like beehives. I know that it's silly in some ways. There is a fair bit of work involved. But still!
Ten days ago, the first bee arrived at the house. They must have known that I was looking for them! This morning as I sat outside another, the same?, cam buzzing around. I sat there and let it inspect my jumper. I don't know why my jumper should be attractive, but it seemed to be a subject of considerable interest.
Just at the moment, shopping has moved from a chore to a major excursion., a break! The stores are not crowded and toilet paper is back! In fact, most things are back including eggs and pasta.
I fear that my store trips involved detours. I know that this is naughty, As a male of a certain age, I should be staying home, not perambulating. The warnings are most fearsome, the police on guard. But still.
This is St Nicholas' Anglican church at Saumarez Ponds. It lies just to the west of Armidale. I can head west and then drive south and east to get to the shops.
Saumarez Ponds was a now vanished small farming community. I suppose that those communities are now coming back in a new guise with the spread of hobby farms outside Armidale. These began in the 1950s with the spread of those who wanted space for their chooks and horses. Some are just like large urban blocks, others have turned into mini-farms, some are outposts of the counter-culture community with mud brick homes and sprawling gardens. It's part of the richness of New England life.
It's time to finish. Next door neighbour Dave has just come with a load of wood for the lounge room fire. I do love living in the country.
Friday, May 01, 2020
A note on the economic aspects of covid-19 and the associated shutdowns
The scale of the short term economic impacts from covid-19 and associated shutdowns are becoming clear. They were always expected to be substantial even with the cushioning measures introduced by national governments.
In a short BBC story (30 April 2020), Andrew Walker reports that a first estimate of Eurozone GDP between January and March showed a contraction of 3.8%, worse than during the financial crisis.
In China, CBNC reported (16 April 2020) that in March quarter Chinese GDP contracted by 6.8% in 2020 from a year ago. Domestic downturns flow to other nationals through trade effects. As an example, Xinhua reported (30 April 2020) that international brands had cancelled textile orders with Bangladesh suppliers worth 3.18 billion U.S. dollars, a major hit to the country's economy.
In Australia, the Grattan Institute has developed a useful economic tracker that aids measurement of the economic effects of covid-19 and associated measures. This chart, for example, shows the proportion of jobs lost/gained by industry.
Proportion of Australian jobs lost / gained since 14 March 2020 by industry
Grattan Institute. Data collected by the ABS for the week ending 4 April 2020 was released on 21 April 2020. Timing: Data released fortnightly. Chart last updated 21 April 2020.
In considering the economic impact of covid-19 we need to recognise that we are dealing with a multi-stage process. There is the first impact of the covid-19 shutdowns, cushioned to some degree by stimulus measures. Then comes the progressive re-opening of economies, followed by longer term adjustments. Jobs lost are not so easily regained. Many businesses will be forced to close. Others including financial institutions will be left in a weakened position. The ability of Governments to provide further support will be increasingly constrained by debt burdens.
In countries like Australia, one critical point will be the ending of current support measures. What will the economy look like one stimulus is withdrawn?
Monday, April 27, 2020
Covid-19, globalisation and Australia's vulnerability
Just at the moment, I feel like that top, spinning around in response to events. It makes we wonder what the longer term effects of covid-19 might be. Will there be basic change, or will the top having spun simply fall over a little distance from where it began its journey?
I think that a few things are reasonably clear.
At global level, the epidemic has continued the process of US withdrawal from world leadership. Like most countries, US politics is inward looking, focused on domestic issues and responses. The sheer size of the US has made this focus particularly strong, although you only have to look at the Australian media response on particular issues to know that it applies here too.
I have to be very careful in my comments on the US for, like most of us, my views are coloured by my reactions to President Trump. The US decision to withdraw at least temporarily from the WHO at a time of crisis forms part of a pattern of retreat. Whatever the WHO's weaknesses may be, it is the only global body capable of providing a degree of global coordination at a time when many countries are turning inwards, focused on domestic threats.
I would like to think that the US withdrawal will force other countries collectively to step up, but I think that's naive, at least in the short term. A fair bit of the discussion has centered on a US v China trope, including suggestions that China will use the opportunity to try to extend its international reach. Maybe, but I suspect that this is a second order issue. The real issue is the overall impact of the virus including government responses.
At this point we simply don't know how far the virus will spread globally with countries at different stages in the outbreak. We don't know what the final human and economic impact will beyond the fact that it is and will continue to be enormous. We have never had a shutdown like this before.
Comparisons have been made with the Great Depression. That's fair enough in providing a rough measuring block in terms of unemployment and resultant social misery. It's fair, too, in that policies adopted for national purposes fed on each other to create a downward spiral, replacing a previously globalised trading system with national autarky. There is also an uncomfortable similarity in that US actions based on something very similar to the Make America Great Again rhetoric played a major role in worsening the Depression. All this said, there is one key difference.
The Great Depression was a result of economic forces whose impact was accentuated by conflicting national trade and economic policies. This economic shutdown results from conscious decisions made on health grounds. The immediate economic effects may be somewhat similar, but the causes are different, as are the economic responses, with governments seeking as best they can to cushion at domestic level some of the more dire economic and social impacts.
While this domestic focus is understandable, I think that the most important issue is the decline and potential collapse of the global economic order that has underpinned growth since the Second World War, in so doing lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
There has been considerable debate about the virtues of globalisation and freer trade and investment. Globalisation has been in retreat for some time, attacked from left and right. Now covid-19 has turned retreat into at least short term rout.
We can see the impact if we take the Australian trade data as an entry point. The data comes from a DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) publication Trade and Investment at a Glance, 2019.
Starting with services exports, our top two exports are:
- education-related travel services: $32,434 million, third ranking in total exports at 8% of total exports
- Personal travel (excl education services): $21,580 million, fifth ranking in total exports at 5.4% of total exports.
Australians are great travellers. This is reflected in the import figures with personal travel (excl education services) totalling $42,496 million, Australia's largest import category at 10.7% of total imports.
In terms of very crude arithmetic, we spend $42.496 billion on international travel including accommodation etc, get back $32.434 billion. In the short to medium term, some of the spend on international travel will go to the domestic market as distancing rules are relaxed, although from two years out international travel is likely to expand again. In the meantime, the tourist destinations especially reliant on Australian tourists will be hurting.
While personal travel spend will re-balance to some degree, the damage to our education exports is likely to be much longer lasting. We are not alone here. In the UK, 2020 education exports are expected to be down between 80 and 100%. Our ability to rebuild our education exports are not being helped by Mr Morrison's domestic focus which effectively treat international students as collateral damage.
Turning now to merchandise exports, our top merchandise exports are:
- iron ores & concentrates: $61,357 million, first ranking in total exports at 15.2% of total exports
- coal: $60,356 million, second ranking in total exports at 15% of total exports
- natural gas: $30,907 million, fourth ranking at 7.7% of total exports
- gold: $19,393 million, sixth ranking at 4.8% of total exports
- aluminium ore & concentrates (incl alumina): $9,448 million, seventh ranking at 2.3% of total exports
- beef: $7,963 million, eight ranking at 2.0% of total exports.
You can see the dominance of minerals and fuels. The services exports which form the second largest component are heavily influenced by education and tourism Without having analysed the remainder in detail, I think that they depend in large part on travel and the movement of people to service international market places are have therefore also been heavily affected by covid-19 restrictions.
Australia has benefited greatly from globalisation including the rise first of Japan and then the Asian tigers followed by China. Now with globalisation in reverse we are exposed. If you take coal out, we are very badly exposed. Those sectors of the economy that depend upon taking in each other's washing, the consumption expenditure that forms such an important part of GDP calculations, are all vulnerable.
I think that it pays us all to think about how we actually preserve global trade, investment flows and indeed the movement of people as we come though this to the mutual benefit of all.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Covid-19: the immediate and longer term effects - a note
Since then we have had the support mechanisms announced by the Australian and State governments. Their sheer size has had a major cushioning effect. However, there is a clear downwards cycle as contraction feeds into contraction. Prime Minister Morrison said that the Commonwealth Government's aim was to put the economy into short term hibernation from which it could bounce back. The difficulty is that the longer the shut down continues the harder it is to bounce back.
My next door neighbour is a case in point. Two months ago he got a short term contract with an environmental science firm The contract was expected to lead to permanent employment. The firm really needed the position filled and had been struggling to find someone, so they grabbed for my friend. The short term contract was intended to compensate for the rushed recruitment. His work involved travel to different sites, itself an interesting experience when things were shutting down. Now with the work collapse, he has been laid off.
My friend is not eligible for any support payments, The shortness of his employment means that the firm cannot receive the job keeper payments. While he studied in Australia, has lived here for a number of years and is married to an Australian, he is not eligible for job seeker payments because, it seems, he is not classified as an Australian resident. Over nine months ago he applied for permanent residence, met all the requirements and was told that it would take six months to finalise his application. That decision has yet to be made with no certainty as to when it might be made. Meantime, he has a work permit but no certainty about work of any type.
I have told this little story for two reasons. The first is to illustrate the ricochet effect of the restrictions on economic activity. The second illustrates the way bureaucratic rules and processing procedures have on-ground impacts.
Like many, my focus has now shifted from the immediate impacts of the covid-19 emergency to trying to understand what the long term effects will be. While I have ideas here based on my social and economic analysis, there are obviously many uncertainties involved. What can be said with a degree of certainty is that the longer the lock downs here and elsewhere last, the greater the long term effects.
I recognise that this is almost a truism, lacking meaning beyond the very obvious. However, I have been monitoring multiple websites where discussion on longer term issues has been taking place from local level to national or global levels. I wonder whether or not it may be worthwhile spread sheeting them and then looking at time and structural issues to make some more sensible form of analytical judgement.
The John Clease lines outlined above were originally developed in a different context, playing to popular British stereotypes. I wonder whether or not it someone might try their hand at an Australian equivalent.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Armidale Diaries 6 - Living with social isolation: Autumn and the Armidale Creeklands
Autumn’s final burst of colour, photo Gordon Smith, UNE campus, 2015
It's full autumn now in this little university city.
As I write, I'm looking out the window across the back yard past the neighbouring block to Queen Elizabeth Drive aka the Mad Mile, a main drag to the University. It acquired the Mad Mile title many years ago when the longish straight stretch then just outside the city boundaries encouraged foot to the floor acceleration. The autumn colours are not as spectacular this year because of the drought. You can see the impact on the trees with straggly leaves and some dead branches.
It's been beautiful weather over the last few days, classic Armidale autumn weather, with warm days and cool nights. It's the type of weather that encourages people to get out, to meet and wander. That's more difficult now, but it's still happening within social distance rules.
I bless the city elders who were responsible for that track. When it first opened back in (I think) the 1970s, it was seen as something of a waste of money. Certainly for the first part of its history it was seen as something of a waste of money and indeed it did become something of a no-go area. How things change!
The start of the track lies just up Elm Avenue, the traditional drive leading into the University. This is a beautiful road with its elm trees and open space. From Elm Avenue you turn right and start walking. The track winds as the creek winds, leaving the creek and then coming back. I haven't attempted a full return walk yet. I need to get fitter and allow several hours for the return walk. I suppose I could get a bus back, our local bus service is still working, but I want to walk the whole distance. For the present, I start out, walk a certain distance and then come back by a different route.
The thing I most notice is the people. As I came onto the track a day or so ago, there was a man running with his young child sitting on his shoulders. I smiled as we said hello. it reminded me of when my girls were young and I could play with them.
Yesterday there were dozens of people on the track, mothers pushing their children in prams, family groups out walking or riding bikes. Noticeably, everybody said hello or good morning. Sometimes when you meet singles walking with their heads down, alone with their thoughts, you hesitate. But when you say good morning or afternoon, they look up with shy smiles and respond.
We can't really talk, but it provides a human connection.
As I walked, I thought that without covid-19 I might never have known this track as well as I do now. Of course, I have walked and enjoyed bit of it. Down near Stevens Bridge in the center of town is the BBQ area where we used to take the girls and Aunt Kay for a BBQ lunch. Here the girls and I ran along the creek bank trying to get kites airborne. But this is very different from seeing the Creeklands and the track as a whole entity,
It would be nice to think that when this is all over, we might promote the Creeklands' track as a route in its own right, something to enjoy as an entity. It's taken covid-19 to make me really realise its unique value.
Thursday, April 09, 2020
Reflections on life, Armidale and Covid-19
Armidale Street scene. Photo Gordon Smith
Unlike marcellous, I am not especially musical. It will be no secret that I grew up in an academic bookish house, but it wasn't an especially musical house. Mum could play the piano and knew music notation and showed this to David and I, but there was very little music around in a day to day sense. It might have been different if I could hold a tune, but I quickly learnt that I could not. Well, more accurately I suppose, I formed the view I could not. Once that view was set, it became self-fulfilling.
I did like classical music, although I got bored with the compulsory attendance at symphony orchestra visits. The chairs in the town hall were bloody uncomfortable and I wiled away the time studying the performers rather than listening to the music. i have been listening to classical music for quite a while, but now that I am back in Armidale YouTube, I and classical music are constant companions.
I don't know, perhaps its the influence of English TV programs such as Morse - I have Wagner playing as I write - but I do think that it suits Armidale with its many classic buildings and academic tone.
Coming home has not been a disappointment. I feared that it might, but it has proved the opposite. I had not realised how much the sterility of Sydney had been draining me until I arrived home.
Don't get me wrong. In many ways Sydney is a wonderful place, but for someone like me who is not a beach person, has intellectual interests, but also likes mixing with a wide variety of people it can be a bit difficult. I also think that to do things in Sydney you need time and money. By contrast, in Armidale the total field may be smaller in absolute terms, but it's much more concentrated and almost as varied.
One thing I have to watch is the need to avoid parochialism. It's very easy to narrow your horizons when your immediate world is intensely interesting.
In this context, my old friend Neil Whitfield contacted me today to find out how I was travelling, noting that my posting here had almost collapsed.
Covid-19 has a lot to answer for.
I have found the withdrawal of social contact and the cessation of things such as the course I was running difficult to manage, going from limited social contact in Sydney to lots of social contact in Armidale to no direct social contact at all. It's disrupted my routine. And then, too, I have been putting a lot of time into Facebook groups directly connected with my interests and area since this is now the best way that I can contribute. I think that I am playing a useful role here, but it is time consuming. There has also been a lot of email traffic that I am still catching up with.
Covid-19 will pass in one way or another. I'm not especially worried about myself even though I fall in the age danger bracket. I am more frustrated about my present inability to manage the isolation in an effective and productive way.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Teleworking - a personal perspective
Back in 2006 I wrote a post on teleworking, working from home. While the post is a little dated, I thought that it was worth re-posting now that so many people are working from home because of covid-19. The challenges now are both more complex (whole families are at home and must be managed too) and a little simpler (organisations have had to adjust willy nilly whether they like it or not). However, some of the points are still valid.
"Sometimes I wonder why I work so often from home because, frankly, sometimes it sucks! At other times, I wonder why the rest of the world does not rush to do it. So in this article I want to share with you both the pluses and minuses of the teleworking life style, focusing especially on the things required to actually make it work.
To do this, I thought that the best approach would be to focus on some of the challenges that must be overcome if teleworking is to work.
Teleworking: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Teleworker
I have rarely heard loneliness discussed in the context of teleworking. Yet teleworking can be a lonely and isolating experience.
Think of it this way.
In the normal working life, you say goodbye to the family, leave home and go to work. At work you say hi to your co-workers. You sit down and start working. Someone comes up to ask you something. You have a break chatting to colleagues. If, like me, you are still a smoker, then you pop outside to have a smoke often with colleagues. By the end of the day when you come home, you have had hundreds of small personal interactions. Exhausted, you collapse onto the couch in front of the TV and turn into a couch potato.
Contrast this with teleworking. The family leaves. You sit down and spend the rest of day in front of your computer alone. Your only interactions are email traffic and phone calls. At the end of the day your family comes home. You are ready to talk, to interact. They want to unwind, to watch TV.
Now none of this may matter to you. But the point in this story is that if you are a person who does like personal interaction but who wants to telework, then you need to find a way to build personal interaction into your weekly round.
Teleworking: The Need for Discipline
We all require structure in our working lives. In the office this is provided by the routines of daily work. We have to present in a certain way. There are working rules that we must comply with. Often, these things are implicit rather than explicit. But they are always there. We know that they are there and comply without even thinking about it.
At home these rules are all relaxed. Want to dress casually? Do so. Want to want TV? Do so. Weed the garden? Do so. Stay in your pajamas? Do so. Now all this may sound wonderful, but if you are a naturally un-disciplined person like me then you can run into problems. So you need to actively create your own working routines.
In my case, while I normally dress in casual fashion, some days I will put on a suit and tie just to reinforce the fact that I am at work even though I am at home!
Teleworking: Separating Work and Home Life
Going to work creates a natural divide between the home and work environment, a divide lacking for those who work from home. This divide is less than it was simply because the technologies that allow effective teleworking mean that even those working in conventional structures now work increasinglyï¾ at home. But the divide is still important.
The danger for the teleworker in forgetting this divide is that personal and work time can simply blur together, adversely affecting both. When the home and the office are the same, the dividing lines blurred, then it is very easy to start worrying about work matters, about the things that you have not done, during what should be personal time.
In the conventional working environment you generally have to put these worries aside because the office is elsewhere. Somehow, the worries become greater if the office is just down the corridor because you know that you can do something about the outstanding issue just by walking a few places.
Teleworking: Managing Family Expectations
Another linked problem is the need to manage your family's unconscious expectations and reactions to your presence at home. You are there, so you are available to do things that would simply not be possible if you were working elsewhere. Would you mind hanging out the washing? Can you pick me up at such a time? And so on.
Now normally you may be happy to do these things. After all, one of the reasons for teleworking is to give you greater flexibility. But at the end of the day you still have to work so many hours to achieve your targets. And every hour taken out of your normal working day makes that more difficult.
Take my own case as an example. I have a 45 hour weekly time target. This is a real time target, not just elapsed time during the normal working day.
Because of the nature of my work I keep time sheets. When I stop work for whatever reason I log off. So when I pick the girls up from school, tidy up the house so that the cleaners can actually clean, or hang out the washing, all this is dead time from a work perspective. The result is that I find that to achieve my 45 hour target I have to work in the early morning and at at weekends. The family then thinks that I am working excessive hours, that I am always working, when the reality is that I am simply trying to catch up.
Now I am not complaining. The point is that if you want to telework, you have to lay down rules with your family so that they understand that just because you are at home does not mean that you are available for other things. Unless, of course, you wish to be.
Teleworking: Managing Unconscious Work Expectations
Now something of the same type of unconscious expectation applies to the teleworker's work colleagues.
I first came across this problem some years ago when I was working with AT&T preparing their first Australian country plan.
AT&T were in advance of their times in that they were prepared in some cases to allow flexible working arrangements. My direct client, the manager in charge of the project, had been given approval to work from home because she had a new baby. She experienced some real problems because of the unconscious expectation at work that she would in fact be available in the same way as an on-site staff member.
Just to tease this out a little. When people work together, the assumption of almost instant availability is built into the working round. I am working on a problem, an issue comes up, I pop down the corridor or even to the next desk to sort it out. Both formal and informal meetings occur frequently, often at short notice.
Now the gearing of work life to this almost instant availability can be a major problem in the normal office because it can waste a lot of time. For that reason, most time management courses include various ways of minimising the problem. However, It remains a deeply entrenched feature of office life simply because it is so easy and useful.
The off-site teleworker can suffer as a consequence. Bosses and co-workers continue to work as they always have. Because the teleworker is not there, he/she may simply be excluded from relevant meetings. Work and responsibilities flow away from the teleworker to on-site staff. The teleworker becomes isolated and alienated.
In this context, it is not surprising that one area where teleworking has spread successfully is among senior managers and partners in professional services firms because they can control the game to some extent. So long as billings and management tasks are maintained, colleagues and staff have to adjust, to learn how to work with the teleworker.
Ordinary staff do not have this type of power position. The only solution is to ensure that the individual teleworker, his/her managers and the organisation itself work through the issues in advance. As part of this, the teleworker needs to learn how to proactively manage relations with colleagues downwards, sideways and especially up.
Teleworking: When Things Go Wrong
Murphy really was an optimist.
While overseas, burglars stole my wife's new computer. Fortunately, they left the office machines simply because they are older. A few weeks later, my main office machine hit problems requiring a full day to fix. As I write, the fax machine is away being repaired.
The point of these stories is that systems fail. In the conventional organisation, quick back-up including other equipment is usually available, minimising adverse impact. The position for the of-site teleworker is more difficult in that equipment loss or failure brings work to a halt until the problem is rectified.
To avoid unnecessary loss of time, these potential problems need to be addressed up front. This includes the organisation of access to service people, arrangements for replacement equipment if required and the development of protocols in regard to security including just what information can be held on a hard disk.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that teleworking can be of mutual benefit to both employer and employee. However, success requires conscious action by both organisation and individual to ensure best results."
"Sometimes I wonder why I work so often from home because, frankly, sometimes it sucks! At other times, I wonder why the rest of the world does not rush to do it. So in this article I want to share with you both the pluses and minuses of the teleworking life style, focusing especially on the things required to actually make it work.
To do this, I thought that the best approach would be to focus on some of the challenges that must be overcome if teleworking is to work.
Teleworking: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Teleworker
I have rarely heard loneliness discussed in the context of teleworking. Yet teleworking can be a lonely and isolating experience.
Think of it this way.
In the normal working life, you say goodbye to the family, leave home and go to work. At work you say hi to your co-workers. You sit down and start working. Someone comes up to ask you something. You have a break chatting to colleagues. If, like me, you are still a smoker, then you pop outside to have a smoke often with colleagues. By the end of the day when you come home, you have had hundreds of small personal interactions. Exhausted, you collapse onto the couch in front of the TV and turn into a couch potato.
Contrast this with teleworking. The family leaves. You sit down and spend the rest of day in front of your computer alone. Your only interactions are email traffic and phone calls. At the end of the day your family comes home. You are ready to talk, to interact. They want to unwind, to watch TV.
Now none of this may matter to you. But the point in this story is that if you are a person who does like personal interaction but who wants to telework, then you need to find a way to build personal interaction into your weekly round.
Teleworking: The Need for Discipline
We all require structure in our working lives. In the office this is provided by the routines of daily work. We have to present in a certain way. There are working rules that we must comply with. Often, these things are implicit rather than explicit. But they are always there. We know that they are there and comply without even thinking about it.
At home these rules are all relaxed. Want to dress casually? Do so. Want to want TV? Do so. Weed the garden? Do so. Stay in your pajamas? Do so. Now all this may sound wonderful, but if you are a naturally un-disciplined person like me then you can run into problems. So you need to actively create your own working routines.
In my case, while I normally dress in casual fashion, some days I will put on a suit and tie just to reinforce the fact that I am at work even though I am at home!
Teleworking: Separating Work and Home Life
Going to work creates a natural divide between the home and work environment, a divide lacking for those who work from home. This divide is less than it was simply because the technologies that allow effective teleworking mean that even those working in conventional structures now work increasinglyï¾ at home. But the divide is still important.
The danger for the teleworker in forgetting this divide is that personal and work time can simply blur together, adversely affecting both. When the home and the office are the same, the dividing lines blurred, then it is very easy to start worrying about work matters, about the things that you have not done, during what should be personal time.
In the conventional working environment you generally have to put these worries aside because the office is elsewhere. Somehow, the worries become greater if the office is just down the corridor because you know that you can do something about the outstanding issue just by walking a few places.
Teleworking: Managing Family Expectations
Another linked problem is the need to manage your family's unconscious expectations and reactions to your presence at home. You are there, so you are available to do things that would simply not be possible if you were working elsewhere. Would you mind hanging out the washing? Can you pick me up at such a time? And so on.
Now normally you may be happy to do these things. After all, one of the reasons for teleworking is to give you greater flexibility. But at the end of the day you still have to work so many hours to achieve your targets. And every hour taken out of your normal working day makes that more difficult.
Take my own case as an example. I have a 45 hour weekly time target. This is a real time target, not just elapsed time during the normal working day.
Because of the nature of my work I keep time sheets. When I stop work for whatever reason I log off. So when I pick the girls up from school, tidy up the house so that the cleaners can actually clean, or hang out the washing, all this is dead time from a work perspective. The result is that I find that to achieve my 45 hour target I have to work in the early morning and at at weekends. The family then thinks that I am working excessive hours, that I am always working, when the reality is that I am simply trying to catch up.
Now I am not complaining. The point is that if you want to telework, you have to lay down rules with your family so that they understand that just because you are at home does not mean that you are available for other things. Unless, of course, you wish to be.
Teleworking: Managing Unconscious Work Expectations
Now something of the same type of unconscious expectation applies to the teleworker's work colleagues.
I first came across this problem some years ago when I was working with AT&T preparing their first Australian country plan.
AT&T were in advance of their times in that they were prepared in some cases to allow flexible working arrangements. My direct client, the manager in charge of the project, had been given approval to work from home because she had a new baby. She experienced some real problems because of the unconscious expectation at work that she would in fact be available in the same way as an on-site staff member.
Just to tease this out a little. When people work together, the assumption of almost instant availability is built into the working round. I am working on a problem, an issue comes up, I pop down the corridor or even to the next desk to sort it out. Both formal and informal meetings occur frequently, often at short notice.
Now the gearing of work life to this almost instant availability can be a major problem in the normal office because it can waste a lot of time. For that reason, most time management courses include various ways of minimising the problem. However, It remains a deeply entrenched feature of office life simply because it is so easy and useful.
The off-site teleworker can suffer as a consequence. Bosses and co-workers continue to work as they always have. Because the teleworker is not there, he/she may simply be excluded from relevant meetings. Work and responsibilities flow away from the teleworker to on-site staff. The teleworker becomes isolated and alienated.
In this context, it is not surprising that one area where teleworking has spread successfully is among senior managers and partners in professional services firms because they can control the game to some extent. So long as billings and management tasks are maintained, colleagues and staff have to adjust, to learn how to work with the teleworker.
Ordinary staff do not have this type of power position. The only solution is to ensure that the individual teleworker, his/her managers and the organisation itself work through the issues in advance. As part of this, the teleworker needs to learn how to proactively manage relations with colleagues downwards, sideways and especially up.
Teleworking: When Things Go Wrong
Murphy really was an optimist.
While overseas, burglars stole my wife's new computer. Fortunately, they left the office machines simply because they are older. A few weeks later, my main office machine hit problems requiring a full day to fix. As I write, the fax machine is away being repaired.
The point of these stories is that systems fail. In the conventional organisation, quick back-up including other equipment is usually available, minimising adverse impact. The position for the of-site teleworker is more difficult in that equipment loss or failure brings work to a halt until the problem is rectified.
To avoid unnecessary loss of time, these potential problems need to be addressed up front. This includes the organisation of access to service people, arrangements for replacement equipment if required and the development of protocols in regard to security including just what information can be held on a hard disk.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that teleworking can be of mutual benefit to both employer and employee. However, success requires conscious action by both organisation and individual to ensure best results."
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Armidale Diaries 5 - covid-19: one damn thing after another
Exactly three months since my last Armidale diaries entry. It's been a roller coaster. After drought and fires, the rain came and then corona. In the middle of all this, the local council almost dissolved in a firefight among councillors.
Covid-19 has affected us all. It's been a roller coaster.
Many consider that autumn is the best time in this little city with warmish days and cool nights. Yesterday was a truly gorgeous day, one of those days that support the popular view. I had been caught up in trying to sort things out. Now, stir crazy from being at home, I decided to go down town. There was nothing particular that I needed to do. I just wanted a break, time to reflect, perhaps see some people.
On the way into the council parking lot, I drove past the historical society chambers. I had planned to call in, but it was shut. Memo to self: find out what is happening. I think that we should stay open for drop-ins and if we cannot, I have to find a way of accessing a key to allow me to access the resources there. The more I have to stay at home, the more I should focus on research and writing. However, reflecting, this raised another issue in my mind.
I am a member of the DE Stevenson discussion group. The generally older members are spread across the Anglosphere, which means that discussion provides an insight into the social impact of Covid-19 in a variety of countries. The night before I had been reading about self-isolation and self-distancing, including the decision by some Los Angeles counties to quarantine the over seventies to their own homes, allowing no external visits except to see the doctor.
Apart from the loss of agency involved, this raises a very particular issue in an Armidale context. Because of city's role as an educational centre, it has a very skewed demographic biased towards the young and old with not so much in the middle. This means, among other things. that the city's social infrastructure is heavily dependent on older people including those over seventy. The middle group don't have the time and are in any case focused on social activities and infrastructure relevant to their specific life position such as school or business groups. Remove older people through rigid self-isolation and you not only increase problems of isolation and mutual support but risk the collapse of the city's social infrastructure.
I found the Cinders Lane car park almost empty, a sign of things to come. I walked down the little side alley between Tattersalls Hotel and Boobooks into an empty mall.
At Boobooks, I got my coffee and chatted. Co-owner Debra said that they were staying open, but were reducing their opening hours. I think that both Boo and Reader's Companion are setting up home delivery too.
Sitting there with my coffee, I reflected on the roller coaster events.
Only ten days ago in COVID 19 Conundrums and failures in communications - a regional perspective (March 11 2020) I provided a personal perspective on the then pattern of events.
I mentioned the way that rumours stepped into the information vacuum. On 15 March I had a reasonably dramatic illustration when a neighbour called in to see how I was. These neighbours have been just so kind to me since I arrived in Armidale. I was spooked when I was told that I needed to be especially carefully because there were eight cases at the University of New England of whom four were in hospital. UNE is just up the road.
I knew the story couldn't be true, for that size outbreak would have attracted media coverage. One of the advantages I have is that I have both connections and my own platform. I then went to Laurie Bullock, Northern Tablelands' editor for ACM to alert him. I didn't think that we should attack the rumour directly, just provide factual information on the current position.
Laurie said that they had heard similar rumours and forwarded my email to UNE who came back to me with advice that there were no cases and also provided a link to UNE's Covid-19 information page. I drafted a form of words, cleared it with UNE and then publicised it as widely as I could. I have to say since then, and I am not claiming responsibility, a lot more factual information has been made available.
In my 11 March post I also mentioned that we were pushing ahead with the history course I was running. Within days, we had to shutter the course as Armidale U3A closed down for the duration. Armidale U3A has 650 older members and the risks had become to great.
I am trying to use a combination of emails and Facebook to keep some momentum going. One thing that I had not properly realised here is the patchiness of internet usage. When I checked at our last session, only three internal students were actually on Facebook for example.
One of the biggest problems we all face is the degree of uncertainty.
As I sat at Boobooks, youngest and husband were in self-isolation. Their personal trainer had a client who tested positive, so the trained was being tested. They had therefore isolated themselves waiting for the results of the test on the trainer.
At the same time, eldest was in the Dominican Republic on holidays. Even as she was flying there the borders started closing. Now the question was could she get home to Copenhagen and would they let her in if she did?
As it happened, even as I was sitting at Boobooks the test of the trainer came back negative, while eldest was able to get onto a charter flight to Denmark arrange by Tui, She is now home with partner. Obviously I am relieved!
From Boobooks I decided to have lunch at the Bistro on Cinders. I couldn't really afford it, but thought that this might be the last time for a while.
I arrived at 12.30, the only person there. Chatting to the owner, he said that they were closing table service that day. They had set things up so that they could provide takeaway. It's a popular place, but I did wonder how all the places now providing takeaway would survive.
We talked about the new council restrictions. The council is closing library, offices etc from Monday, relying on phone and internet connections. The various cafes in the mall were apparently closing down too. I did wonder how people were going to cope. Each morning just before opening there is a queue of people waiting to enter the library to read the papers, use the computers or just sit reading. For some, this is their main social outlet.
By 1.30, the numbers in the Bistro had increased to half a dozen. I let the conversations wash over me. The new support arrangements for small business are clearly important, as are the conniptions in council.
On the way out, I met a friend that I hadn't seen since my return. Like me an ex-board member of the New England Writers' Centre, her professional role is a graphic designer at UNE. We talked about how well the Centre was going under the leadership of Sophie Masson and about graphic design at UNE. I also plucked her brains about some of the new software that might help me. It was nice to have a conversation that had little to do with covid-19!
From the Bistro I went down to Coles just to check the shelves. Again the car park was half empty, ditto the store, but while many gaps remained on the shelves it seemed clear that supplies were improving.
In all this, spare a thought for the Asian specialty stores dependent upon imported product. Chatting to the owner of the small convenience store near me that carries a lot of lines from the Sub-continent, he said that sourcing of Indian food had become almost impossible.
I finally got home. My half hour coffee had extended into multiple hours, but I felt better for it!
Postscript
At this time, this is funny. You need to start at the bottom, day one. Thanks kvd for the tip
Covid-19 has affected us all. It's been a roller coaster.
Many consider that autumn is the best time in this little city with warmish days and cool nights. Yesterday was a truly gorgeous day, one of those days that support the popular view. I had been caught up in trying to sort things out. Now, stir crazy from being at home, I decided to go down town. There was nothing particular that I needed to do. I just wanted a break, time to reflect, perhaps see some people.
I am a member of the DE Stevenson discussion group. The generally older members are spread across the Anglosphere, which means that discussion provides an insight into the social impact of Covid-19 in a variety of countries. The night before I had been reading about self-isolation and self-distancing, including the decision by some Los Angeles counties to quarantine the over seventies to their own homes, allowing no external visits except to see the doctor.
Apart from the loss of agency involved, this raises a very particular issue in an Armidale context. Because of city's role as an educational centre, it has a very skewed demographic biased towards the young and old with not so much in the middle. This means, among other things. that the city's social infrastructure is heavily dependent on older people including those over seventy. The middle group don't have the time and are in any case focused on social activities and infrastructure relevant to their specific life position such as school or business groups. Remove older people through rigid self-isolation and you not only increase problems of isolation and mutual support but risk the collapse of the city's social infrastructure.
I found the Cinders Lane car park almost empty, a sign of things to come. I walked down the little side alley between Tattersalls Hotel and Boobooks into an empty mall.
Sitting there with my coffee, I reflected on the roller coaster events.
Only ten days ago in COVID 19 Conundrums and failures in communications - a regional perspective (March 11 2020) I provided a personal perspective on the then pattern of events.
I mentioned the way that rumours stepped into the information vacuum. On 15 March I had a reasonably dramatic illustration when a neighbour called in to see how I was. These neighbours have been just so kind to me since I arrived in Armidale. I was spooked when I was told that I needed to be especially carefully because there were eight cases at the University of New England of whom four were in hospital. UNE is just up the road.
I knew the story couldn't be true, for that size outbreak would have attracted media coverage. One of the advantages I have is that I have both connections and my own platform. I then went to Laurie Bullock, Northern Tablelands' editor for ACM to alert him. I didn't think that we should attack the rumour directly, just provide factual information on the current position.
Laurie said that they had heard similar rumours and forwarded my email to UNE who came back to me with advice that there were no cases and also provided a link to UNE's Covid-19 information page. I drafted a form of words, cleared it with UNE and then publicised it as widely as I could. I have to say since then, and I am not claiming responsibility, a lot more factual information has been made available.
In my 11 March post I also mentioned that we were pushing ahead with the history course I was running. Within days, we had to shutter the course as Armidale U3A closed down for the duration. Armidale U3A has 650 older members and the risks had become to great.
I am trying to use a combination of emails and Facebook to keep some momentum going. One thing that I had not properly realised here is the patchiness of internet usage. When I checked at our last session, only three internal students were actually on Facebook for example.
One of the biggest problems we all face is the degree of uncertainty.
As I sat at Boobooks, youngest and husband were in self-isolation. Their personal trainer had a client who tested positive, so the trained was being tested. They had therefore isolated themselves waiting for the results of the test on the trainer.
At the same time, eldest was in the Dominican Republic on holidays. Even as she was flying there the borders started closing. Now the question was could she get home to Copenhagen and would they let her in if she did?
As it happened, even as I was sitting at Boobooks the test of the trainer came back negative, while eldest was able to get onto a charter flight to Denmark arrange by Tui, She is now home with partner. Obviously I am relieved!
I arrived at 12.30, the only person there. Chatting to the owner, he said that they were closing table service that day. They had set things up so that they could provide takeaway. It's a popular place, but I did wonder how all the places now providing takeaway would survive.
We talked about the new council restrictions. The council is closing library, offices etc from Monday, relying on phone and internet connections. The various cafes in the mall were apparently closing down too. I did wonder how people were going to cope. Each morning just before opening there is a queue of people waiting to enter the library to read the papers, use the computers or just sit reading. For some, this is their main social outlet.
By 1.30, the numbers in the Bistro had increased to half a dozen. I let the conversations wash over me. The new support arrangements for small business are clearly important, as are the conniptions in council.
On the way out, I met a friend that I hadn't seen since my return. Like me an ex-board member of the New England Writers' Centre, her professional role is a graphic designer at UNE. We talked about how well the Centre was going under the leadership of Sophie Masson and about graphic design at UNE. I also plucked her brains about some of the new software that might help me. It was nice to have a conversation that had little to do with covid-19!
From the Bistro I went down to Coles just to check the shelves. Again the car park was half empty, ditto the store, but while many gaps remained on the shelves it seemed clear that supplies were improving.
In all this, spare a thought for the Asian specialty stores dependent upon imported product. Chatting to the owner of the small convenience store near me that carries a lot of lines from the Sub-continent, he said that sourcing of Indian food had become almost impossible.
I finally got home. My half hour coffee had extended into multiple hours, but I felt better for it!
Postscript
At this time, this is funny. You need to start at the bottom, day one. Thanks kvd for the tip
Saturday, March 14, 2020
A Shakespearean take on content warnings
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
COVID 19 Conundrums and failures in communications - a regional perspective
Vacant toilet paper supermarket shelvesSitting here in Armidale I have felt relatively isolated from the Corona virus scare. It's not as though I felt that Armidale would be isolated from the outbreak, although its distance from the metro centres does provide a measure of protection notwithstanding the university and boarding school, the volume of traffic in and out of the city. Rather, I simply didn't join in the panic fueled in part by media coverage and earnest politicians.
I am of an age now where I fit into the highest risk category. Despite that, I felt that the probabilities of catching the virus were still relatively low, while if I did catch it I had a 94% chance of surviving the experience. I am also fairly fatalistic. Beyond taking sensible precautions, I didn't think that there was much I had control over. I also didn't want to destroy my life style, including driving into town (at the moment, the statistical probabilities of being hurt there are higher than my risks of catching the virus) to shop or go to meetings.
Women fighting over toilet paper. Channel 9 NewsGiven my views, I watched the Great Australian Toilet Roll rush with a degree of bemusement. This emptied the shelves in Australia's supermarkets.
Why toilet paper? It's a product actually produced in Australia. Further, unlike long life foodstuff (another item being stripped from shelves), there are alternatives. I'm not sure that I especially want to go back to newspaper, this was still around in some country loos when I was a young child; it's very uncomfortable, but there are other alternatives.
My attitude in all this was dinted a bit when I went into an Armidale supermarket and found the toilet paper shelves stripped. Surely, I thought. Armidale people are more sensible than this? I then suddenly realised that the local social media feeds were full of concerns and fears.
I could see the point in the discussion. At a technical medical level, the Australian response has been good. We have a world class health service and our civil institutions are still generally competent. But looking at the various comments I could see that people were concerned about inconsistent messaging, lack of information and a growing feeling of a rolling crisis that left them not knowing what to do. fearful for themselves and their families. The end result is extreme concern flowing into not very sensible responses and reactions.
At a purely local level and regional level, there is a problem too in that the coverage is very metro and state based. You can find out what is happening in Tasmania. it's a state, or in Sydney, its a metro, but Northern NSW is a blank within which rumor flourishes.
The presence of a case in Tamworth was covered before people realised that the Tamworth in question was in the UK. The presence of a case in Newcastle was covered, but only in the Newcastle Herald. The case of the Southern Cross University lecturer who reported positive was covered in the metros, but only because it forced the temporary first closure of university campuses.
As mentioned, rumour steps into this blank. Hunter New England Health has reportedly tested 2,000 people for COVID 19. Why haven't we heard anything about the results? Are they covering something up? London to a brick, the answer is no, but people worry.
Apart from inconsistent messages, the feeling of a rolling crisis is accentuated by the way that ministers keep on jumping ahead of themselves, This is a rolling staged crisis. In focusing so much on what might be done when things get worse, State and Federal Ministers (and the media) are adding to the sense of doom, placing people in the position where they are effectively making decisions on a what-if.
With the growing sense of crisis, people are rushing to get COVID 19 tests whether they need them or not. This has overloaded the health system, leading to official calls to people to exercise restraint, to suggestions that doctors should triage patients to focus on defined high risks categories.
That's fine, but an unwell friend who reported sick was told by her employer that she could not come back to work until she had done a COVID 19 test. She met none of the criteria specified for required testing beyond cold and flue symptoms, You can see the employer's point of view, and in this case working from home is a possibility, but it adds to strain on the health system.
So far there are no COVID 19 cases in Armidale or within a 250 mile radius. There is no point in being tested unless you have travelled or have met someone who has travelled in circumstances where they might have come in contact with the virus. Beyond simple sensible precautions such as hand washing, there is no need to alter your life style.
I am running a history course through U3A with 45 internal students of whom an average of 35 attend each lecture, all in the older higher risk age range. Obviously I have thought about my group, about the implications of COVID 19. If COVID 19 reaches Armidale, we will have to suspend classes. Meantime, it's full steam ahead.
Postscript
Of the many memes going round is this response to the advice that we should avoid touching our faces:
Sunday, March 08, 2020
What is the white supremacist patriarchy?
The course itself is going okay. I have 45 internal students (around 35 come on average, which is more comfortable) plus 148 following along via Facebook.
That's not bad for what is, after all, a niche offering. However, the pressure not just of the delivery but the preparation of course ware for 18 lectures and nine discussion groups is very time consuming.
I console myself with the thought that once I am through all this I will not only have the base for future courses but also the structure of my long delayed full history of New England. Meantime, I was cleaning the house this morning preparatory to doing more writing when my attention was caught by an ABC Radio National program, the Minefield.
I may not agree, but I quite like this program because it explores ideas. It is normally presented by Waleed Alyand and Scott Stephens, but this morning it was presented by Kaye Quek and Meagan Tyler both academics from RMIT in a special edition to mark International Women’s Day, Program guest was Celeste Liddle, described as an Arrernte woman, feminist, opinion writer, trade unionist and public speaker as guest. The short ABC summary of the program reads:
The corporate rebranding of International Women’s Day (IWD) couldn’t be further from the day’s revolutionary roots, or any meaningful discussion of women’s liberation. It negates any discussion of the nature of power under patriarchy, and how relations of power between women and men might be genuinely transformed.During the discussion one of the presenters used the phrase "white supremacist patriarchy". As i listened, I wondered just what this phrase meant in general and in the context of International Women's Day. Clearly the speaker thought that the tag had meaning.
If we take the individual words, both white and supremacist are adjectives qualifying patriarchy. Patriarchy itself can mean:
- a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is reckoned through the male line.
- a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.
- a society or community organized on patriarchal lines.
White is a slippery term. At one level, it refers to skin shading. However, with the return and rise of racially based (and racist) language over the last fifteen years, "white' has become something of a pejorative racial insult. This is made clear in this case by the attachment of the word supremacist, normally interpreted in this context to mean someone who believes not just in such a thing as the "white race" but in its supremacy over others.
If we combine all this, we appear to have a presenter who appears to believe that:
- there are patriarchal societies whose core element is that they are white and supremacist
- and that such societies are a significant problem in the context of International Women's Day.
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