15th April 2010, 05:01 PM
GnomeKing Wrote:...............Because so little value is placed on the quality of work compared to its quanity and conformity, and because Authority generally judges on 'charecter' ratehr than archaeological performance, it is easy for Dissent to be suppressed and good work buried.
I wonder at who you've been working for (OBVIOUSLY RHETORICAL - dont mention names) to have such a low opinion of employers.
I can't speak for others, but I try to be fair. When choosing a team, I look for a mixture of experienced diggers and keen inexperienced diggers. Teamwork is often important, but even the most cranky hermit can still work as part of a team (often on a lonely trench!). Aspects of some peoples personalities make them unemployable however, threatening other team members, indecent exposure and lying to hide their inexperience, then making stuff up that just isn't there spring to mind. As does terminal laziness or unwillingness to even pick up a mattock - a lady digger once said to me, i'm not using a mattock, thats mans work!
The archaeological world is a small one, its very easy to find someone who knows someone, and as we all love to moan and gossip, so word gets around. BUT, I always give everyone the benifit of the doubt.....until they prove me wrong - I once caught an 'experienced' digger re-drawing a plan of a feature in the site hut (some 20 min walk from the site) to make it more circular. I could never understand why, they just rubbed it out, then re-drew it freehand! When I checked it against the feature, they'd got it right first time! This was the last in a long line of unacceptable behavior, meaning I told my manager that I didn't want that person on my team anymore.