GUESS I SHOULDA KNOWN.....

Here I thought...

I’v got my Census Takers their Binders

Now, I can observe them on their rounds

Correct and guide when uncertainty occurred.

Everything would start working as planned.

What a cockeyed optimist I am.

First, a little time-line info.

On Tues, 5/4 around 6:00PM - I received Binders for my crew.

When I got home, I emailed my crew,

Letting them know I had them,

And would assign them Wednesday, 5/5.

Because I don’t trust things to come to me correctly

From ‘those who shall not be named’

I spent Wednesday morning going through the binders.

Making sure what was supposed to be there, was there.

Then assigned the Binders to my enumerators on Wednesday.

Spent some time reviewing procedure etc with them one at a time

And wished them well and sent them on their way

I reminded them I had to ‘observe’ them doing some interviews

During the first week.

Thursday I scheduled and observed two of my enumerators.

And scheduled three more for today, Friday.

Well, imagine my surprise when Thursday evening, around 9:00PM

An email was delivered. ( I didn’t get it till Friday, today)

It stated that

“...Give a list of all the AA Binder #'s you have assigned to your district.

Include a brief summary of how the enumeration process is going along. Give an expected time frame of when you will finish the binders you currently have. “

And I thought,

you mean the Binders I JUST GOT and JUST CHECKED OUT?

What data was I supposed to base this summary on?

Fantasy? Best hopes? Wish fulfillment?

...Time frame to completion?

How about the same time frame it will take for

‘those who shall not be named’

to get their act together.

Needless to say, I didn’t send them any such thing.

Because if the past is any indication,

This information would be used to blame.

“”Why don’t you have this done as you said in your estimation?!?!”

Incompetence and disorganization seems to mean blame those below you.

Those who are actually out in the field, doing the work.

As someone who spent thirty years working in Government told me.

Get used to it.

So, I’ll just keep plugging along.

Helping my enumerators where and when I can

Fending off those from above

Who seem intent on creating confusion, discontent

And distrust to those above.

Is it too early to have a cocktail at 10 in the morning?