Lesson 2 Professionalism: Subsection 3 Attitude
Why are you doing archaeology? Your reasons come across in your attitude to work. For the love of the job? For fortune and glory? To prove everyone else wrong? For the money? For the prestige?
Attitude is not something you should 'give' when a supervisor says and then shows you that you haven't bottomed your feature. Nor is it something to give when asked to straighten your section or if your happy with taking photographs. Nor should attitude be given to the principle contractor's safety officer when they tell you to put your hardhat or safety goggles on.
A good, professional attitude is a tool through which the practitioner can demonstrate their skills and their contribution to the project. Commercial archaeology is all about delivering the project on time and in budget whilst still recording the archaeology.
Commercial archaeology is all about the numbers.....how many persondays to complete an area the client needs back in a hurry, how much extra time is needed to finish the newly discovered round barrow etc......
If a practitioner is obviously wasting time.....and remember on a commercial dig you are being watched at all times, by the supervisors, their managers, the client, the principle contractor etc.....this reflects badly on yourself, the supervisors and the archaeological company employing you. Constantly being late or absent, only working when the supervisor is on site, going to the loo every ten minutes (unless you have a medical condition), etc all get noticed, and noted.
You may think you are invisible and no one notices when after a break you always walk all the way to site, then all the way back to the site hut because you 'forgot to get some numbers'............or that you always have an 'excuse' to go back to the hut ten minutes before a break starts. You are not.
The School of Jack is aware of situations when the principle contractor's site manager has suggested that individual archaeologists be sacked for such reasons. You can imagine what an awkward position this put the supervisor in, and how this could strain the relationship between archaeologists and construction crews on site. On a commercial dig the archaeologists have to work alongside all sorts of other industries. Often the smooth running of a dig relies on a good working relationship with the earth-moving subcontractor and the principle contractor.
If the practitioner is to make it in the cold hard commercial work they need to present a professional attitude at all times. Teamwork, a willingness to muck in, to help with the onerous tasks like cleaning the site hut or tool store, or to put up or take down fences are all admirable traits. As are following the principle contractors 'safety' rules and a polite manner towards all other subcontractors on the site.
Why are you doing archaeology? Your reasons come across in your attitude to work. For the love of the job? For fortune and glory? To prove everyone else wrong? For the money? For the prestige?
Attitude is not something you should 'give' when a supervisor says and then shows you that you haven't bottomed your feature. Nor is it something to give when asked to straighten your section or if your happy with taking photographs. Nor should attitude be given to the principle contractor's safety officer when they tell you to put your hardhat or safety goggles on.
A good, professional attitude is a tool through which the practitioner can demonstrate their skills and their contribution to the project. Commercial archaeology is all about delivering the project on time and in budget whilst still recording the archaeology.
Commercial archaeology is all about the numbers.....how many persondays to complete an area the client needs back in a hurry, how much extra time is needed to finish the newly discovered round barrow etc......
If a practitioner is obviously wasting time.....and remember on a commercial dig you are being watched at all times, by the supervisors, their managers, the client, the principle contractor etc.....this reflects badly on yourself, the supervisors and the archaeological company employing you. Constantly being late or absent, only working when the supervisor is on site, going to the loo every ten minutes (unless you have a medical condition), etc all get noticed, and noted.
You may think you are invisible and no one notices when after a break you always walk all the way to site, then all the way back to the site hut because you 'forgot to get some numbers'............or that you always have an 'excuse' to go back to the hut ten minutes before a break starts. You are not.
The School of Jack is aware of situations when the principle contractor's site manager has suggested that individual archaeologists be sacked for such reasons. You can imagine what an awkward position this put the supervisor in, and how this could strain the relationship between archaeologists and construction crews on site. On a commercial dig the archaeologists have to work alongside all sorts of other industries. Often the smooth running of a dig relies on a good working relationship with the earth-moving subcontractor and the principle contractor.
If the practitioner is to make it in the cold hard commercial work they need to present a professional attitude at all times. Teamwork, a willingness to muck in, to help with the onerous tasks like cleaning the site hut or tool store, or to put up or take down fences are all admirable traits. As are following the principle contractors 'safety' rules and a polite manner towards all other subcontractors on the site.