Old habits die hard. After the government asked its staff to start working from home, a veteran public servant forgot that he no longer needed to pretend that he is working while binging on Netflix the whole day.
The man who has spent his entire career chasing allowances was used to working only when allowances were available. When not, he would report at 10 am and hang his jacket on the seat at 11 am when going for lunch. He would come back at 3 pm in time to close work at 4 pm.
This schedule was disrupted by the pandemic, and the demand that civil servants work from home meant only Zoom allowances were available. There was therefore no motivation to work.
The man would wake up early enough, hang his court as usual on the home office seat, then seat on the nearby couch to binge on Netflix all day.
Why would he need to pretend that he was working? Of course, it is a stupid thing, but it is the fastest way to secure the much needed peace of mind. The jacket is a symbol of being at work, and it is something he believes. As long as the jacket is on the seat, he feels at work.
