Pandemic Over, Teleworking Continues

On June 28, I began full-time telework for Fluor Idaho.

And that’s different from the last year and a quarter, I can hear you asking. Truth be told, not really. It does mean that rather than remoting into my computer at the RWMC, that computer is now in the basement and I’m working via a virtual private network, which is pretty nifty. I had wondered, when I applied for teleworking, how they would handle the computer thing, since the cubicle I had at RWMC was now gone with the wind. But that concern was solved.

It did mean moving my cheese for a day, as on Monday I had to go in to work at SSF for the morning until they had my computer ready. In hindsight, I probably could have gone straight to IT to get it and then go home, but I’m a ninny who doesn’t like using the phone and I dragged the morning on a bit until I got up the guts to call (that’s a drawback on working from home; my social skills have atrophied a little bit. Not the nicest thing, but that’s how it goes).

Other than that little wrinkle, I don’t expect much change, at least on the short term. Fluor lost the contract but got an extension through the end of the year as yet another company contests losing the bid. We’re not sure at the moment how the new contractor may regard working from home, so we’ll see. North Wind is part of the small business consortium that won the new bid, and small businesses are the Department of Energy’s special children, so we’ll see how the contest goes. Working for North Wind again might feel a little weird. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the benefit department. Probably won’t get as sweet a 401k situation as with Fluor, which has treated us pretty well.

My only worry is there may be some resentment against those of us who choose to work from home. I know I’m going to do my best to keep up with my work so they don’t notice the physical absence. I figure as long as the work gets done in a timely fashion, they won’t have much to complain about.

I am still part of the Emergency Response Organization at work, though, which is something I figured would end when I started teleworking. But no. I am in a new position, moving from Notifications to Information Management – meaning I’m the one putting the messages up on the big board for everyone to see. It’s less stress, which is good. It does mean, however, when there are drills or heaven forbid a real emergency, I do have to rush out there to be part of the team. Hopefully, we keep those few and far between.

Getting ready to post on the big board. . . 

“I Figured it Out”

I hate W-4s.

These deceptively simple forms play with my head – and my livelihood.

How many exemptions? How much to withhold? And how quickly do you have to change things when they go awry and you realize you’re letting the Feds hold onto way more money than you should?

One good thing: The company I now work for allows you to change your federal W-4 withholdings online, rather than via submitting a new W-4. That’s helpful. And while it’s less helpful that to change state withholding you have to submit a paper form (why, I have to ask) probably leaving that level pegged a bit higher is better, as we owe the state $59 in taxes for 2016.

A second good thing: I am effectively getting a raise in take-home pay, though insurance with the new company is spendier than it was with North Wind. That is, after the new withholding kicks in. Even then, it was more money, but now it’s even a little bit more additional money. Less I have to hide in the cast on me leg.

One bad thing: Still haven’t received that first paycheck. It’s all academic until the money actually starts coming in. All signals point to it arriving this week. Though you never know. And then I have to sweat as to whether the direct deposit thing is working or not afterward.

It Wasn't Supposed to Be This Way

So yesterday, shortly before quittin’ time, I got a call from Michelle.

She was at Walmart, trying to get a prescription filled for Isaac – and the pharmacy said our insurance card wasn’t working. Given the pharmacy’s previous track record (putting in an incorrect birthdate for Michelle, finding no insurance, and just shrugging their shoulders and billing is in full) we figured it was a screw-up on their part.

So she tried again. Pharmacy said no, your insurance has been cancelled. “That’s what they’re telling us.”

This continued into bus time, where I was away from my computer, unable to check anything. And our insurance company’s call center is in Missouri, and keeps Central Time hours.

So I stewed about the situation all the way home, got on their website when I got home and sure enough – the insurance had been cancelled as of May 27.

I can think of three things that might have happened:

1. I was recently moved from North Wind Services LLC to North Wind at work (going from one wholly-owned subsidiary to another). Maybe my insurance didn’t follow me over. Except that our separate dental and vision insurance is still there, all smiling at me.
2. A few weeks ago, said supplemental insurance asked if we had additional coverage. I told them, yes, we do for eye care. Maybe a wire got crossed there and somebody pulled the plug on things.
3. Maybe I have indeed been laid off and have been working for the past four days for free.

I have successfully eliminated No. 3 from the list this morning, as I am in the North Wind time card system, and they wouldn’t do that if they had laid off my ass.

I’m about 50% sure No. 2 has been eliminated, as we got another letter last night from the supplemental company asking if we were concurrently enrolled (not surprised to see they hadn’t received my information, sent to them three weeks ago).

So now I wait to see what’s happening with No. 1. I put in a call to our benefits specialist at about 8:30 this morning. While I was waiting, I decided to call the insurance company – and they confirmed the insurance was cancelled by the employer.

But there’s more to it – cancelled, and then supposed to be restored through a different portal at the company (accountants probably understand this). And it was supposed to be a seamless transition, per my employer (just talked with them) but one of the seams popped. They’ll put in an urgent request to the insurance company, which should get our benefits restored in 24 hours. I’m not necessarily holding my breath for that, as the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly.

Buckethead Works Hard for the Money

First of all, I’m not complaining. I love the job I have. I enjoy the people I work with. But this transition thing is a little bit of a drag. It does make me feel a certain solidarity with my children, who are suffering through final exams and a lot of downtime this week as their school year winds down. I just wish I had a yearbook to tote around for everyone to sign.

On today’s agenda: Meetings, One of which has already been cancelled, and the other which may or may not take place depending on if I can find out where it’s actually supposed to be. (I got a call last night about the meeting, but the details were a little hazy.) All of this is connected to the contract transition from CWI to Fluor Idaho, which only affects me in all of the bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo, since it’s still North Wind that cuts the paychecks.

That’s not the reason I’m writing, however.

It’s been ten years. Ten years working at the RWMC on a job my wife was convinced was just going to be a temporary thing. Ten years as of May 31. And I am the better for it.

I’ve already gone over the merits of the past ten years in this blog post, so I won’t go down that road again.

So that kind of negates my “That’s not the reason I’m writing, however.” Just wanted to mark the date in history.

And also to say this: I’m glad I’m here and not out hiking as we were Monday. Liam and I decided to try for the vent out at Hell’s Half Acre, but by the time we made it to the 3 mile marker (it’s 4 ½ miles out to the vent) we were both pretty knackered. Hiking on that lava rock is pretty rough, both on the feet and on the psyche. They say it’s 4 ½ miles out there, but I’m sure that was measured with surveying equipment from pole to pole, not taking the circuitous routes one hast to take through the lava beds. I’m pretty sure once all was said and done that we got a good ten miles in, which was the intent of the hike anyway, as Liam works on his Hiking merit badge.

So even though I am workin’ hard for the money, at least it’s not out in a hostile environment where you nearly wet your pants when you suddenly find yourself within yards of a rattlesnake. And since it was a holiday, I was technically getting paid about $26 an hour to do that hike. Though I could have been paid the same if I’d stayed home and watched MASH reruns. But there’s no merit badge for that.

But to get back to the reason I’m not writing this blog post.

I am, mentally, a lot better off now than I was ten years ago. Of course, ten years ago I was getting tossed out of a newspaper job ass-first for a screw-up and overt laziness. Now you’d think that wouldn’t be a good quality to bring in as a government worker (all the government worker jokes aside) but I have worked hard for the money, present days excepted. The work has been a lot more enjoyable. Maybe not satisfying to the soul of a writer, but because I haven’t been finding writerly satisfaction at work, I’ve been doing so writing novels. I might have one ready to send to publishers this year (I know I keep saying that, but this time I believe it’s true). So generally I am a happier man, career-wise and feeding-the-soul-wise.

Take that, Karl Marx.

Now I’ve got to go vacuum the cereal off my shirt.