Social distancing, sheltering in place, lock down, working remotely are all part of the new norm. Like a multitude of companies throughout the country, SSFM has embraced this changed work dynamic. We’ve asked our employees to tell us how they are doing.

Lucy Chun
Planner

Working from home has been a transition for me. At first, I felt isolated, stressed and anxious. It’s hard to NOT think about the possible impacts this virus. Focusing on work helps to calm my nerves. It also helps to make time every day to text with colleagues, check in personally and share stories. Even though we are not in one room, we are all in this together. Now I ‘ve found the beauty of working from home. Time is more flexible. Instead of commuting in the morning, I can exercise, take care plants and flowers on my lanai, play with my cat and start a quiet and productive day of work.

Here is an illustration of how I prepare myself to work from home.

Renee Ishisaka
Project Engineer

I miss my standing desk and the ergonomic setup the most, followed by access to the plotter and printer. If I need to make submittals it means a trip to the office. And especially on demand coffee since I don’t have a coffee maker at home.

Tyler Allen
Structural Engineer

I’m using a fold out table as a temporary desk, for its size but it also allows me to vary the height of my table so Ican work standing, sitting on my computer chair, or sitting on a stability ball. Finding enough table space for all my references, screens, laptop, and coffee cup is the challenge. Luckily I have a quiver of surfboards next to my desk which I use to layout my hard copy references.

Justin Sakamoto
Structural Engineer

I don’t really pay attention to the news or social media, but from what I can gather, so far the general mood in Hawaii is that things are pretty scary (although personally I am not that worried). I think most people understand that, in general, COVID-19 is not very life-threatening to the average person, however, the fact that it can be passed on with relative ease to an elderly/at-risk person is why social distancing is so important.

Amy Salvador
Project Manager

My whole family is adjusting with this new adventure. My kindergartener started distance learning with her school today (last week was spring break), my 2 year old just started wearing regular underwear, my husband is also working from home and ‘complained’ that I type too loudly and I talk to myself while I’m working. We stocked up on non-perishable food items to avoid having to go out as much as possible. Unfortunately, because there is so much and it’s so easily accessible, we find ourselves constantly snacking on chips and sweets. Also, by my kindergartener’s request, our dinner menu consists of pasta, pasta and more pasta.
Funny thing is I have been working from home for a while now because I had a cough. I’ve actually only worked in the office for half of a day this whole month. So…when my husband (who is also an engineer) started working from home too, I think he thought it would be easy and fun…but by 9am on his first day working from home, he was already threatening to pack up and go back to work from his office.

Maile LaFave
Civil Designer

I try and keep my daily routine the same as if I was working from the office including logging on/off at similar times, getting dressed and ready in the morning, taking lunch break at the same time, and so on. I definitely miss being around my coworkers. It’s quite the adjustment going from spending a majority of my day in a big office with my coworkers, who I consider close friends, to working alone in my apartment. But, I know it’s for the best at this time and I’m sure we’ll have some sort of pāʻina once we all can get back together.

Jennifer Scheffel
Environmental Planner

As someone that has worked from home 1-2 days per week and as needed to take care of my kid (I’m a single mom), I pretty much have this work from home thing down. That said, there are definitely some things that I have realized in our new reality. I am much more of an introvert than I ever knew. I have found that I love being home and not going anywhere. It’s an odd realization for someone that has always had a very active social life. Waking up at 7:55 to be “at work” at 8:00. That’s awesome. Having windows open and the wind blowing in is priceless. I am no longer freezing as I was in the office with the super-cold AC.

This is something I have realized for a while, but I feel much more productive and relaxed when working from home. I love not having a 30 to 45 minute commute every morning and afternoon. I also love being able to take a brain break from the work and still do something productive (load/unload the dishwasher, throw in a load of laundry, etc.). This allows me to have a more restful evening, as well, so that I am even more refreshed the next morning. When I am in the office, breaks seem like wasted time and I find myself not taking them, even though they are necessary.