University teaching solely in the home office – a “lazy” compromise

Inspired by the analyses of conditions in the UK under the title “The failure of the political elite in dealing with Covid”, a German author reports on developments that affected her during the pandemic and still affect her.

(DE) Pandemic fatigue is something we all have, I guess. Even if in Germany the government members do not have the same elitist attitude as in the United Kingdom, other reasons serious mistakes were made here, too, during the fourth wave approaching in autumn 2021.

Election year in the pandemic – counterproductive for fighting the disease

During the summer, the government was in election campaign mode and did not want to lose votes by bringing up stricter measures in the face of the rising incidence. As a result, many issues were postponed, such as booster vaccinations, contact restrictions, etc., which would have helped contain the delta variant. The interim period after the election, when the old government was in office only on a caretaker basis, resulted in no decisions being taken that should have been taken. And now, with the FDP (The Liberal Democratic Party) as a coalition partner, which has distinguished itself in recent years by defending liberties against restrictions, it will be challenging to steer a clear course. So far, in early January 2022, Omikron has not hit us as hard as other states, but the variant is definitely here and spreading. We can expect infrastructure failures due to high sick leave and quarantine. Experts predict a heavy strain on the health system, which has already been at its limit for a long time.

The approach of the old and new government was, is and will probably not be as effective and efficient as the situation would require. However, after two years of the pandemic, one may reasonably expect that there is some experience available that will produce better strategies and concepts.

Lateral thinkers – a movement without a goal

Obviously, this cannot be said for parts of the population.

That’s why I don’t think that the government is the worst at the moment. But unfortunately, the “lateral thinkers” in the population are becoming increasingly engrossed in conspiracy theories in their social media bubbles and are no longer accessible to rational arguments.

They use spontaneous strategies such as arranging “strolls ” instead of registering demonstrations and thus play a cat-and-mouse game with the police. And they make common cause with right-wing radicals who deliberately spread disinformation and exploit the situation to gain supporters and destroy democracy.

Concerned people who allow themselves to be drawn into the ideological cart of the right as well as the esoterics and anthroposophists who reject vaccination for crazy reasons contribute to the fact that we are constantly exposed to new waves of covid. Whether compulsory vaccination in the spring is the solution, I dare to doubt, because it will provoke reactance, more falsified vaccination cards and other after-effects. Above all, I don’t see how compulsory vaccination can be effectively enforced. Fines will be paid and probably seen as a kind of absolution. It is frightening that 30 per cent of the population apparently think they know better than virologists for some inexplicable reason. Most vaccinations are boosters under the current vaccination campaign, and hardly any first vaccinations. So this means that hardly any more people could be convinced of the benefit of vaccination.

Even in my wider circle, some people do not get vaccinated and are not open to arguments. This divides groups and drives a wedge into long-standing friendships.

Downsides of the home office

I look back on 2021 as an extremely busy year first and foremost. I spent the whole year working in the home office and have been teaching online for almost two years. I notice the absence of informal social contacts and the erosion of collegiality. Work has become highly condensed, and the line between private life and work is becoming overly blurred.

I’ve spent a lot of time in video conferences, which has advantages. But it makes you even more likely to attend workshops and conferences because you don’t have to go far. And at home, I find it much harder to find an end in the evening, to stop when it’s time, even though there’s still a lot to do.

Working at home also means cooking lunch for my husband and son. I like doing that, but of course, it tears up my working day. In between loading and unloading the dishwasher, doing the laundry, tidying up, and doing housework that is immediately invisible again, all that is distracting. I can focus much better in the office.

I also miss the exercise, the daily 30-minute bike ride to work, the unconscious mental processing on the way back, and the marked boundary between work and private life. I don’t even have an office at home, but I always move my laptop from the kitchen table to wherever I can find some free space.

Change in teaching at the university?

I’m the only one at my institute who has been teaching face-to-face in the winter semester. It was a big concern for me because I believe that studying is an important phase of life in terms of personality development and sociality.

My colleagues obviously don’t see it that way. Quite a few have settled very well into online life and see significant advantages for their quality of life. Some live in the countryside in large houses with gardens; other colleagues live in other cities. Commuting is actually part of the universally accepted fate of academics. But not anymore. Sharing information, arguments and opinions, and conversations in team meetings to compensate for the lack of informal communication also hardly occur. The isolation apparently has more positive than negative sides for some. Overall, many teachers do not want to return from the home office to the classroom at the university. It seems more convenient for them to work online and avoid some tasks. I received requests for reviews or references from students who told me that I was the only professor who held seminars synchronously, and with whom they had direct contact in discussions and pre-and post-discussions of papers. They only experienced other lecturers in pre-recorded videos. (The videos can be used several times. How time-saving!)

Some science ministers are already saying that current expensive buildings could be scaled down. So, for example, not everyone needs a workstation or an office at the university. Instead, the workspace could be arranged flexibly, with slots that could be booked online for short days of attendance when people want to meet or work on-site.

I believe that even if the pandemic is really over or at least has entered an endemic phase, there will be no return to the previous state. At least not at the universities. Many have settled into their own homes. Especially those who have long journeys find it more pleasant to save time and effort of travel.

Others, especially weaker students and doctoral candidates, become depressed. They have no structure and don’t dare to approach others when they need clarification. But that is only one problem amongst many. For example, in my seminar, this semester, the most important topic was time management and dealing with distractions, especially through mobile phones, apps, and social media. For that, new apps are available that allow you to turn off certain functions for a while or plant a tree if you’ve gone a long time without playing video games and the like.

I think that we are not even remotely aware of the problems that develop through isolation.

Lesson from the crisis – probably none!

Given the experience of the Covid crisis, I am not at all confident about how to deal with even more significant challenges such as combating the climate crisis or the growing social inequality and digital transformation.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I felt solidarity, cohesion, and a sense of community very strongly. In the meantime, egoism clearly prevails. I also don’t see that people of my generation will limit themselves in terms of travel, car mobility and other individual carbon footprints. I also think it is not very likely that younger people will do it. And if they do, then certainly only a tiny proportion.

Our daughter has been a vegetarian for a long time and is now vegan. In many ways, she is mindful but not supported by a political theory. I don’t see much of a critique of capitalism and degrowth (criticism of the constant economic growth impulse) among young people. I can also understand that youth and young adults are hungry for world experience. Nevertheless, self-restraint, which certainly hurts, would be necessary.

I also think that the Greens in our new government lack a sustainable, consistent concept. So I don’t see that a fundamental transformation towards moving away from oil, coal, extractive economics, and consumerism is being pursued.

Also, with all the many new despots and political tensions, I sometimes get anxious about the state of the world.

JG

Comfortable in home office

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