Facing New Challenges: Recovering from Bell’s Palsy and Shifting to a Flexible Work Paradigm

Abstract

In this essay, I reflect on my experience being diagnosed with Bell’s palsy while in a new job, and how this diagnosis frames my appreciation and advocacy for flexible work arrangements in libraries. As we move out of the height of the pandemic, offering flexible work arrangements is one way in which libraries can cultivate a culture of care that prioritizes the health and wellbeing of all employees. I reflect on how my sudden diagnosis impacted my work and became a catalyst for critiquing my own expectations for my productivity in a remote work environment, and how libraries can begin to unravel these norms on an institutional level.