Dispelling a Myth

So, I know many people who think, “You work from home!  You must get sooo much done!”  I laugh and then explain that yes, I do get a lot done, at work! 

I know people picture me as sitting on a call, folding laundry, making dinner and probably even vacuuming the house.  So, in an effort to try to dispel this myth, I tried it out.  On a slower than average day during a holiday week, I decided I would try to multi-task and get something done around the house while working.  Here is how it went:

1 – I loaded the washer while on a call and didn’t actually get it started because I was at a point I needed to look at a document, so back to the desk I ran and the washer never got started.  FAIL!

2 – I thought about folding a load of clothes while listening to a webinar.  I found myself taking notes and pushed the laundry into a basket on the floor only to trip over it later.  FAIL!

3 – I was going to water the trees outside our home.  I realized an hour into the watering and ONLY when water was running into my open basement window that I had not shut it off.  FAIL!

Trust, I can multi-task with the best of them, but trying to tie two worlds together, isn’t easy or recommended.  For those who think we “virtual” employees are getting work done around the house, you are wrong.  There are times, after hours, I pick up a call on a tractor, on a boat, at a football game or maybe at the store, but that isn’t my normal day.  I am here, at my desk, working just like the folks in an office building.  My office, however, never closes. 

Salmon Nation

Last week I received sad news about a fellow Fargo Rosenbluth employee who passed unexpectedly.  I went to funeral home page to read her obituary and send a note of sympathy to her family.  Keep in mind, I haven’t seen or spoken to this woman in probably 8 years.  What I found didn’t shock me, but it did make me proud. 

Of all the notes sent to the family, over half of them were from Rosenbluth peers who had heard that she passed and wanted to recognize her as a valuable part of a team!  She wasn’t the GM of the office, she wasn’t a manager, she was simply a good person who worked hard and enjoy being a part of Salmon Nation and making a difference for Rosenbluth customers. 

You hear terms like “Bleeding Rosenbluth Blue” and “Salmon Nation” and it’s hard to describe what they mean, but I would try by saying that it’s a real feeling and sense of belonging.  It isn’t something you find out there in companies today.  Rosenbluth hired people and made them into a large family.  We did and still watch out for each other. 

As we near WINiT and GBTA Convention 2015, I will see many old Rosenbluth friends.  We will share a drink, probably a story or two and go our own ways knowing that what ties us together started many years ago by a family simply trying to help immigrants make it to this land of freedom and opportunity.  We will go on Living the Spirit because that’s what we do!  Keep going fellow salmons, keep going!!