Crap. I just realized I don’t want to be at the G20. Sure, I’m not working like everyone else, but I really don’t feel prepared for the giant clusterfu** they’re arranging for us. They picked some of the most commercially dense land to host this thing, right in the core of the city. If you asked me to name the big 3 of Toronto transportation, I would say: Gardiner, Union Station, Yonge Street. These pathways spew out thousands of commuters into the core, and then suck them back up at night. Good idea, guys. Let’s have the G20 right near the heart of that whole process.
Which begs the question; why not make the hectic conference-heavy days statutory holidays? Like a one-time G20 exception? We wouldn’t have to worry nearly as much about innocent bystanders in some stupid protester/police mishap. It’s guaranteed to reduce injury, and if they had thought of it on time, they could have reduced costs on safety and security too.
I used to be one of those people, zipping around the subway to work each day, and I know if I was still working in an office, I would definitely be taking these days off. However, I would be pissed that I was being expected to use my own personal vacation days, which is the same as using my money, for something that I didn’t ask for and provides me no discernable benefit.
But I wouldn’t just sit there and blame the government, though. I would go to my bosses and tell them why shutting down the office for two days is the financially correct decision. Then, my bosses would call an emergency board meeting. I would present my argument with an incredibly zippy powerpoint presentation, especially considering I had virtually no time to prepare it. "Thank you, Umar," they would say, and once I had left the room, they would throw their papers up in the air with jubilation, "he's done it again!"
Because of the spectacle, you’re going to get about as much work done as when it’s a snow day. People will show up around noon, and talk for an hour about how bad it was getting into work. Then they’ll take lunch. Coffee break. Probably turn on the computer at this point. Settle in. Hey! It’s 3pm already! Gotta get a headstart getting home – G20 factor, you know?
In the end, it’s going to cost companies plenty to supply the office with power and other “overhead,” for what will be a handful of largely unproductive days. Employers could treat it like a weekend: if people want to come in for any reason, they’ll get credit for those hours. Others can choose to stay home. It’s not so much that workers will remember their employers with reverence for giving them this time off; it’s that workers will never forget the employers that screwed them over by making them work during the G20 shit-show.
But who knows? Maybe people will convince their bosses to award them a couple of “sick” days off. If I were still working at an office, I would think the G20 was a perfect opportunity to take a break. Why not disrupt your everyday routine and try to use the free time to listen to the issues, opinions, and learn about why the whole world is going to hell? Too many people have opinions but don’t know why.
I get it. The government spent a lot of money on this thing and it would be nice if we paid attention. But instead of having the time to reflect on the issues and happenings, we’re going to be plowing through it in order to get to work on time. Hey Government! They! Whatever you are! Don’t go and create a very substantial physical barrier right in the core of Toronto and then ask us to deal with it during office hours!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment