Taking the Good With the Bad

When your Cube City colleagues are traveling for business, this can be a good thing or a bad thing.

GOOD: They're out of the office, so you don't have to physically see them.

BAD: They might have a really long, boring plane ride and decide to be constructive...in which case you'll get a bunch of feedback from them once they hit land and an Internet connection.

BAD: If they're really bored and decide to spend their evenings working, you are severely punished the next morning when you check your email. This punishment trickles down into your day. It's like they know you are happy they're gone, and they want to destroy your hopes for happiness and relief as soon as possible.

I find that you need to be on your guard 24/7 when your colleagues are traveling, so I'm not sure if their lack of presence in the office is worth its weight in gold...but I'd like to find a silver lining.