Essential(me): Feeling up to the task, in demand? 

HR Speak: If you can figure it out, let me know...what I as a psychologist have come to understand and appreciate in terms of the psychological impact of the essential, root word, "essential", when applied to both YOU and ME, especially as applied to our life "vocations"...

Employ(mees): Either an employee, or the parts of one's job, that is...

Essential: "...designated as required to work when an office is officially closed or about to close, due to...usually in operations that must be provided around the clock..." versus...

(NON): "...not required to work when an office is closing, or already have been closed...stay-at-home..."

Coming to Terms with Human Resources: As in coming to terms with their ("Human Resources") terminology, as well as coming to terms with whether you, yourself, are considered an "essential" employee, and, finally, whether you, yourself, upon reflection, feel "...indispensable, irreplaceable..." or, by contrast, you find yourself, perhaps in an annual review, find your "position" now "indefensible"... 

Up to it? Have you ever had to defend your job, or otherwise "justify" your existence? Tough job, both. Well, throughout the ages as well as more acutely the last few years, due to the pandemic circumstances (vicissitudes!), other ongoing "forces of nature", and now the "War in the Ukraine" we have once again been hearing more than our average daily fare from the HR departments, who seem to have evolved a language of their own, which one needs an HR 'dictumary' ("dictum" being a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source, voice) to fully process, let alone appreciate. What I've come to understand myself is an essential part of their job security. But lately, we've seen and heard some repeated, familiar iterations, as well as some brand new, evolving terms. I boil it down to some more simple terms, categories, that I have come to appreciate (each and every one!) and hope will assist your self-evaluation, if/when it comes to engaging those HR folks:

1. "Stay-at-Home!" At any given point, this has applied to almost all of us, whether we were told not to come to the office, place-of-work due to some temporary workplace circumstances associated with the pandemic that interrupted our category of commerce, or because we were told to start, continue our jobs remotely, after which a portion gradually returned while the rest have continued to stay (but approximate their pre-pandemic job duties from their place of residence), but not apparently out of the reach of the long arm of HR...

2. Front and Back Liners: From the most obvious, the ones that provide services vital to our every breath, those that literally take our vitals, to the ones that literally stand out front -- out in front of the grocery lines, the clerks, cashiers, etc., all the way to the ones literally in the back -- back of the store and back in the labs, prepping the produce to put on the shelves, and the lifeblood for the doctors and nurses, and, of course, the ones that kept everything thing clean while themselves staying unseen (but not out of sight of the folks in the HR department, who keep an eye on all)...

3. Supply Liners: From those who crew aboard the ships waiting to come to shore with our stuff, to the ones waiting on shore, to the truckers, railroad engineers, to the thousands of local delivery drivers, and, of course, all the stockers, liners, of shelves. Too many to count, but I'll once again count on the able folks, counters in the HR department to be on hand to count all the hands involved...

4. One Liners: The unsung but not unappreciated, who have kept us in good humor. Hope those of you in the HR department have counted me in this group...

All in, All: I'm sure we can count on all of you, one way or another here. One way or another, you too are essential. This, according to my own HR department, for I have now spoken for YOU, in my own words.