As the global TeleGeography team transitions to remote work, we've been dealing with Coronavirus-related anxiety in our own ways.
Some of us are stress baking. Others are doing workouts from their living room. Many are balancing work with homeschooling and caring for family members.
We've adopted pets. We've watched movies. We've shopped for loved ones who can't get out.
We've Slacked articles that made us feel a pit in the bottom of our stomach. We've also shared very stupid memes about working from home and social distancing.
And we've all benefitted from the kind words of our own Rob Schult, a former Junior Officer in the U.S. Navy.
Rob has spent enough time on a submarine to know what it takes to get through prolonged periods of quarantine. If anyone knows how to keep calm and carry on, it's him.
There's no reason to keep this good advice to ourselves. Today—instead of our normal submarine cable fare—we're sharing his note on surviving in a sardine can and taking care of our fellow shipmates:
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The last couple of days I spent some time reflecting on this “new normal,” with 100% of our team remote working and everyone faced with what is effectively a stay at home order.
These are just my thoughts for the day.
You can work where you live! Now a submarine is an extreme, but you certainly can’t go outside. Let’s appreciate that we have windows and can see the sun! You only have to return to port (or go outside) when you run out of food.
Let’s appreciate that we have windows and can see the sun! You only have to return to port (or go outside) when you run out of food.
Everyone is in the same boat! Presumably, a majority of our research contacts and customers are all working from home and are dealing with the same uncertainties.
Now, more than ever, reaching out to them and making contact is important. Replacing face to face engagement opportunities with phone calls is important. Communication is important. Let's all keep in touch. (Thankfully we’ve improved on the Family Gram.)
It takes a long time to eat it all! Ok, this one is not work-related.
I look in my cupboards and I see those cans of pinto beans and tuna, bags of green split peas and garbanzo beans, and make it a daily challenge to make a dent. On a submarine, when you deploy, you’re walking on cans until you’ve eaten them all.
Fresh produce is the first to go, but you can eat three-bean salad for a really long time. (Not that I’d recommend it). Flour and butter makes lots of things better.
You can eat three-bean salad for a really long time. (Not that I’d recommend it). Flour and butter makes lots of things better.
Every sailor is responsible for the ship! Like Bill Belichick says, “Do your job!” (and yes, his father coached at Navy.)
We all have a role, whether it's to gather surveys, develop new data sets, write analysis, build analysis tools, etc. On the submarine, before the ship dives below the seas, there is a “first check” rig for dive and a “second check” rig for dive.
We all rely on each other to contribute and deliver on our particular compartment of responsibility. Use check lists. Keep training. (And don’t cry for Belichick after Brady leaves.)
Every sailor is responsible for the ship! (Part II) Watch out for your shipmate!
Cooperation between our teams has never been more important. Any opportunities or ideas we can move forward now will only help us push beyond this period of uncertainty.
Everyone is managing their own challenges and anxieties, but none of us need to do it alone.
Surfaces must equal dives! (Or I guess you could say, "What goes down must go up!")
We've never been through something like this before. And it's hard to know what will happen next.
A nuclear reactor will enable a steam cycle and the screw will turn. We just have to keep the ship pointed in the right direction and make sure we have sufficient air in the ballast tanks to rise to new heights again.
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The TeleGeography team is still here, reporting for duty.
Whether we're stress baking, homeschooling, or writing new analysis for you to enjoy—we'll be prioritizing the care and keeping of our shipmates above all else. We hope our readers are well and are doing the same.
Rob Schult
Robert Schult is a Research Director at TeleGeography and manages the company’s wholesale pricing and enterprise network research groups. His areas of expertise include telecom service pricing, corporate WAN technologies, and Cloud service integration.