Tag Archives: supervisors

A Day in the Life of…..Emily Doe (Project Supervisor, Fieldwork)

I’ve been working at Allen Archaeology for the best part of four years. I started as a bright-eyed and enthusiastic PA (Project Archaeologist) then worked my way up to the role of Project Supervisor. As you can imagine having such a role has its pros and cons. With highs of being the one who holds the power to allocate slots to reveal the secrets of the site, and lows including being the bearer of bad news when it’s time to go back to work when the lovely English weather is throwing its worst at us and we have deadlines to meet!

There is never a dull day as a supervisor, as it’s a very varied role and often keeps you on your toes depending on the site and how far along you are with it for. You could be machine stripping a site for days on end not finding anything or be on tender hooks as there is so much archaeology your eyes can’t keep up with it. Though on a more established site where you may be for months on end, days can take a more regular form. With starting each day afresh with your eager team ready to get their hands in mud. I would allocate slots for each of team member to dig, record and interpret. Sometimes help is needed with training new staff in recording/ excavating methods or interpreting what a section is telling us by looking at the wider picture and relating it to other features or slots within the same area. Lunch time and break times give everyone the chance to relax and refuel for the rest of the day ahead. If I’m lucky I may get the opportunity to dig features myself but if not then archive checking is a frequent and important task.

Emily machine watching
Emily watch the machine strip a site

Mental Health Awareness

By Craig Huddart, Senior Project Officer

The taboos surrounding mental health finally seem to be lifting but it is still a sensitive and deeply personal issue that people aren’t always comfortable about airing or even ‘admitting’ to. People can struggle with mental health issues on a daily basis or it can pop up out of nowhere and take you by surprise, manifesting in many different ways. With one in four people in the UK suffering from a mental health disorder, having an understanding employer and a network of sympathetic colleagues and friends can literally be lifesaving. Although big steps have been taken in the last few years, further measures can and should be taken to help people suffering with mental health disorders.

Mental health disorders appear to be particularly prevalent within archaeology and, as a large proportion of archaeologists are on fixed term and short-term contracts, they often slip through the cracks and don’t get the help that they need. There needs to be a major attitude shift within the industry and employers need to start recognising employees (temporary or not) as just that, employees. Having suffered with depression myself, I’m writing as someone who has had rather mixed experiences within archaeology, but on the whole I was lucky enough for my symptoms to be recognised for what they were and I was given help, understanding and time to be in a more ‘comfortable’ frame of mind.

I feel that staff with any type of supervisory responsibility, who manage people in the office, in the field or remotely, should be given some basic form of training to enable them to recognise certain signs, to be able to have a conversation with someone suffering from mental health issues and to know how obtain the relevant help. This kind of help can be genuinely lifesaving, so let’s try and make a change in someone’s life and be seen as a considerate profession. You never know, one day that person needing help could be you.

Here at Allen Archaeology we are trying to ‘buck the trend’ and make a tangible and positive difference in the lives of our staff. We have started the process of sending supervisors on Mental Health Awareness First Aid courses and arranging bespoke in-house training of all staff, hopefully within the next twelve months. Additionally, all staff (and in particular supervisors) are made aware of existing mental health guidance and are actively encouraged to be on the alert for any tell-tale signs amongst friends and colleagues. We understand that a happy and healthy team is the key to successfully moving forwards.