News & Politics

What Was Your Worst Day at Pandemic Work?

Over social media, we asked—and you shared.

Photograph by Evy Mages

“cOnFidENtiAl.”

“Eight hours of Zoom calls.”

“Every day, someone leaves zero tip— —very often now, never happened before Covid.”

“I work with labor-market economists, so all the days are pretty dark.”

“None, really. But Fridays because there’s nothing to look forward to. TGIF is canceled.”

“Watching Trump lie at his press conferences in March.”

“I started a new job the day they sent everyone home. It’s been an experience.”

“I had a big meeting with lots of people, and there was so much noise and chaos from people talking, crunching, dogs, children, and TVs in the background that I got really overwhelmed.”

“Any day my 18-month-old wouldn’t disconnect from my leg.”

“My first day back [at a local news station] after recovering from Covid and the protests had just started.”

“Crying when my boss asked how I was doing.”

“Literally have nothing to do and have to send a report every day.”

“The first time they made me turn on my camera in the Zoom.”

“When I had Covid and still had to work [remotely], but then I was worried about losing my job because I couldn’t even get through a few hours and there were a bunch of layoffs.”

“Diagnosing patients with Covid.”

“Having someone call me a ‘mask Nazi.’ My job is to enforce mask wearing/safety at a farmers market.”

“The day I had to lay off 40 coworkers.”

“I lost my job due to the pandemic. First day at my new job, coworkers were not wearing masks or social-distancing.”

“Most of them. Most recently, hanging up on my supervisor after a nervous breakdown that caused me to take the following day off.”

“How about best day?! Found out I was cancer-free!”

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