As a non-essential government employee, myself and many others have entered furlough territory – that is, a period of time in which government funding for the department lapses and we’re forced to take an unplanned “vacation”. The same has happened for thousands of other non-essential Federal employees in affected agencies – including those charming TSA agents that frequently grace our trips to the airport, and more importantly the ATC (Air Traffic Controllers) which maintain communications and control the airspace to ensure that civil aviation disasters are kept to a minimum. Of course, this is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a government shutdown.
Folks in these and many other positions will go without pay for the duration of the shutdown, and while historically back-pay has been provided for those affected by such events, it’s not always assured. In the meantime, bills and the costs of life pile up, which can put some families in tight spot – especially around the holidays. To further this, important services go neglected or otherwise unfulfilled and businesses that catered to the Federal workforce will likely see a drop in business. Essential Federal employees are working without pay, and the contractors won’t get paid at all even if back-pay is granted. As for myself, I’ll be missing out on some important training that will be needed to perform my role overseas. It’s a Kobayashi Maru – a no-win situation.
I am fortunate enough that this income interruption does not affect me adversely, but I am sensitive to the situations and hardships that those other than myself will face due to this lapse in funding. On the other hand, there’s unfortunately nothing that we can do about the situation that will affect it in any meaningful way. The inevitable result of this has been no small amount of griping from colleagues and others affected by the shutdown, lamenting the wasted time and otherwise being unable to curb their boredom. It’s at this point where I tend to lean towards a different perspective than others in my class.
While it is a shame to miss out on valuable training, I will never complain about being provided free time; i
To that end, I’ve tried to make the most of it, catching up on personal interests, steam backlogs, gatherings with friends, spending time with those I care about; generally trying to enjoy and make the best of an unfortunate situation. I’m more likely to look back fondly and cherish the memories I’ve made during my time in furlough, rather than the humdrum of training we would have otherwise had – but it’s important that we get back on track soon, so to that end I hope the funding situation is sorted out quickly so we can get back to doing what we ought to be doing. But until then, I’ll be making the best of it!
