JIGGENS: When the radio is as important as my work laptop

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One of the benefits and/or curses of working from home these past couple of years has been the amount of dead silence encountered during a typical workday.

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With a wife who works nights and sleeps during the day and no kids at home, the silence can be deafening at times. When I require silence so that I can bear down and concentrate on what I’m doing, it’s readily available. There are times, however, when some sound is a welcome distraction, and that comes in the form of radio.

I make a habit of turning the radio on for at least a couple of hours each day to keep me company and to assure me that my ears are still functioning. With the volume kept at a low setting, I also like to keep abreast of the latest news and weather.

The Brantford FM station to which I’ve gravitated tends to have the strongest signal on the dial and plays music that’s much to my liking. Although I haven’t kept tabs on the amount of Canadian music content played daily, I’m guessing this station far exceeds the minimum 35 per cent mandated by the CRTC. I’ve never listened to this much radio before, and it’s reminded me of just how much talent this country has produced over the years.

As a 1960s and ‘70s aficionado, I really appreciate all the Guess Who, BTO, Stampeders, Trooper, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Lighthouse, April Wine, Chilliwack et al I’ve been listening to. That’s not to say I’m a fan of every Canadian artist. There’s always a sprinkling of other homegrown talent that doesn’t quite turn my crank, such as Bryan Adams, Corey Hart and Gino Vannelli, but it’s generally a solid daily playlist.

I’m grateful this radio station doesn’t play heavy metal, rap or new country. I’d rather listen to a vacuum cleaner working or a dog howling.

There are times during the day, though, when silence is golden. The phone isn’t ringing. No one’s knocking at the door. There’s no construction going on nearby. Work gets done.

In a couple of weeks, I’ll be returning to the office in a hybrid setting. Being able to interact in person with co-workers for the first time in 24 months will be a welcome experience and a step toward a sense of normalcy. Working from the home office a few days a week will largely be silence-filled yet should continue to be productive. On those days, I’ll continue to lean on the radio for part of the day to remind me that I’m not alone in the world.

The time spent working remotely has been a bit of a blur. The past 24 months seemed more like 24 weeks. If someone had told me at this time in 2020 that the work-from-home edict would extend beyond just a few weeks, I would have thought that individual was off his rocker.

It’s apt to take a few days to become accustomed again to the traditional office setting. Meanwhile, hybrid arrangements are positioned to become the “new normal” at offices everywhere. It’s been proven that productive work can be done remotely during this pandemic, and hybrid systems offer the best of both worlds. The ever-escalating price of gas will undoubtedly keep this arrangement going for some time.

On my days working from home, my friend the radio will continue to play just as important a role as my laptop.