pinksonia | An Open Letter to the Members of My Crew:

Dear Crew,

It's not really that great idea to let me know exactly how little you want to be at work. For the time we are in the field I am your boss and at some point in the future I will have to write reviews on you -- and in case you didn't know I have an unfortunate habit of being unfailingly honest. Therefore it is not in you best interest to do the following:

Show me the Radar on your iPhone every 20 minutes. I know there is rain in the forecast. I look at the weather channel and various weather related websites every morning before we come out. I still can't let you go home until it is actively raining, and raining pretty hard at that. If there is a really dangerous situation I want to keep tabs on, I will ask you for help, otherwise your constant mentions of the radar only serve to annoy me. If it does end up raining, no one leaves the field until we all can leave the field. This means waiting for pictures and points. Yes I know that means you have to stand and wait in the rain. You wont melt, I promise.
On a related note, The segment is done when the segment is done. Yes I like to stop at hard points like fences, roads or creeks, but I also need us to be working as close to nine hours as possible. Asking constantly for a stopping point will only annoy me; if I give you a stopping point, and we end up getting there at 2:00, I will make you work further and that will only annoy you. I know, I was in your position for many a day.
Don't sit on your screen to screen. That shouldn't even need to be said. Really you should only be sitting on your screen at breaks or when writing in an effort to make your handwriting more neat. If you are not physically able to maintain a standing position for more than 30 minutes at a time, this is not the job for you.
I know the briars suck. I'm standing here right next to you. You are just going to have to push through them. I need you work faster, and I need you to stay on transect. The whole crew needs to be able to rotate through the easier transect so that they can have a break periodically, and right now they can't because I can't trust you not to get lost and trespass.
It is the middle of hunting season. You know this because we have either seen hunters or their vehicles parked on the side of the road every day this week. KEEP YOUR SAFETY VEST ON AT ALL TIMES. I do not want to look over and not see orange because, firstly, I really don't want to see anyone shot, and secondly you could lose both of us our jobs.

Really guys, if you follow these few suggestions (okay that last one is a hard and fast rule) our time in the field together will be much more pleasant for all involved.

Thanks,
Allison