Going From In to Out of Office - Co-op During COVID

It was finally here. My first co-op!  My hands shook as I rode into the Financial District. I was wearing my best blazer and the singular pair of black dress pants I owned. I arrived at 8 am sharp, at the request of my supervisor. Iron Mountain’s floors in One Federal Building were clean, modern, and exciting. My supervisor walked me to my cubicle – to me, a palace (I had two computer monitors and a company laptop!).

As a co-op at Iron Mountain, I was responsible for a variety of tasks from my supervisors. The first big project I worked on was the Annual Security Survey. I was tasked with developing a survey to assess the physical security requirements of over 1200 warehouse facilities. I was responsible for compiling official business metrics and entering data into the company database. I created travel security presentations for corporate executives. I loved going into the office – I met new people every day and got unlimited free coffee from the cafeteria. And then COVID-19 happened.

In late January, my supervisor mentioned that a new disease had emerged in Wuhan, China. It was spreading, but it had only infected a few hundred people, mostly in China. He was concerned about our business travelers who regularly visited China and other countries in Asia. We set up an excel sheet (thanks CS1100!) that generated the emails of IM employees who were traveling to and from Asia. I crafted an email with general hygiene tips from the CDC – wash your hands, stay away from those who may be sick, and cover your cough. By February, I was checking CNN every day for updates on this “novel coronavirus.” A friend mentioned that I might be a little too worried about the coronavirus – there were only a few cases across the country in Washington – it probably wouldn’t ever affect Boston. 

Unfortunately, it did. By mid-March, we were working almost entirely remotely to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. I went into the office a total of three times after that – to help post hygiene signage and gather the rest of my things I left at my desk. My co-op changed significantly. In addition to my regular responsibilities, it was now officially part of my job to stay informed about the coronavirus. I began attending weekly (remote) COVID-19 meetings with the business continuity team and took notes on how different departments were handling the COVID crisis. I helped create company-wide informational materials about COVID protocol. I worked from home until I finished my co-op cycle in June.

I learned so much about an industry that I didn’t know existed before this co-op experience. I got my first ‘real’ office job. I learned about the physical security requirements of warehouses – which includes security cameras, key card and pin requirements on doors, and compliance with fire and emergency drills. I got firsthand experience in business continuity during a worldwide natural disaster, the COVID-19 pandemic. I learned how to work remotely. 

While the pandemic is still very much ongoing, we are learning to live with it. Human beings are unbelievably resilient. We are continuing to take classes or go on co-op. We might also be taking time off. There is absolutely no right way to deal with COVID. We have to be there for one another – even when we’re six feet apart.