Census Sagas

My crew leader, Big Mama, doesn’t want me taking any initiative and feels I am being difficult with her because I’m unclear on her text messages. I’ll ignore that I’m more experienced and smarter than you. Her one point was that I told people to use their binder number to document where they drove to, instead of cross roads as she told us to do. The binder number is also in the illustration in the manual. And is what HER boss said to do; I specifically asked this question when another enumerator who was present when I met with big boss (I was doing Big Mama’s job Sunday) asked about this point. Got an answer and clarified it for others. Big Mama can say what she wants about how she trained us but her team is all over the place on this point. And she is letting it go through so don’t give me this shit about ‘you policy’.
Fortunately the other assistant was sitting with us and chimed in about what Big Mama says in her messages. Us white folk were ganging up on her. Please don’t cry racism.
Big Mama says if we are confused by her messages we should ask her to clarify them. We tried to tell her the message is clear; we are doing what she tells us to. She is simply confused about what she is thinking and what she actually tells us.
Fine. And when I thought I could now clarify my issues, I had trouble getting her to stop interrupting and talking a blue streak! Then she gets real defensive – I already picked up on that – see a previous post.
I’m not working her duties this weekend – she will be using the other assistant. She is forwarned. And I think I will make myself real busy this weekend and unable to meet with my team. Let someone else experience the Kafkaesque situation.
I’m tempted to say they need to get them folks back out in the fields but that is VERY inappropriate. So I won’t say it. They are using people who have no skills. I only have this Detroit area scenario as my experience.