Fighting Burnout

[opposablethumb]

I imagine that I am similar to many of my fellow tree workers in Southeastern Pennyslvania at this stage of this year. While I am glad that I was never laid off this winter, I am most certainly burned out. We were hit with a succession of heavy snowstorms, punctuated by a particularly severe ice storm, followed by particularly low temperatures through early spring. I have worked an average of 60 hours per week, 6 days per week, since the beginning of the year.

On the positive side, the intensity of this season has made me a stronger, more skilled, and more confident tree worker. I still have a long way to go, but there is nothing like storm work to help a guy learn at a faster clip than the normal day-to-day.

In fact, I not only feel like I am better at my job than I used to be, I also enjoy climbing more than ever because all of the frustrations that come during the steep learning curve of the first few years of production work are dimming - I can set lines faster; thanks to my HAAS I can cruise into a tree faster; thanks to my Stihl 150 I can lug a chainsaw all over the tree with greater ease; etc. etc.

So, to be clear, I am in no way burned out on tree work. In fact, I love it more than ever. And I hope I can continue to work 6 days a week 50-60 hours a week, for many years to come. Thanks to our current epoch in the industry with the amazing tools we have - SRWP, better saws, better ropes, Big Shots, and on and on..., remaining a production climber well into my 40's (I'm 32) seems like it could be a reality, even for this scrawny, not-very athletic arborist.

So, to define my terms, as Shigo would have it, I am not burned out on tree work.

After much time trying to clarify why I am burned out, I have come to the realization that I am burned out on the "culture" of production tree work.

To be specific, I am referring to the following characteristics of the culture of production tree work:

1) The power of profit to overrule industry safety standards, company safety policies, and individual employee's well-being
(Read: stop being a lazy (insert your choice of vulgar words referring to human anatomy here) and climb that dead tree)

2) The evasion of responsibility by those in authority for proper job planning, proper communication with customers and employees, and for dealing with the consequences in the wake of accidents and incidents.
(Read: sh1t rolls downhill.)

3) The glorification of "top climbers" who are valued above all for their ability to tolerate extraordinarily high levels of risk for the sake of profitability. Considerations of their abilities to work safely, lead effectively, and interact with fellow employees professionally are secondary to their ability to "git 'r done".
(Read: The one with the biggest stones wins)

I am not asking for a personal therapy session. From my limited work experience, as well as reading between the lines here on the buzz, I imagine that the characteristics listed above are fairly typical of the culture of our industry. I am simply asking for a broader discussion about broader themes in the way our industry REALLY functions, aside from the ideals set by ANSI standards, by the image of our industry portrayed in TCC's, and the ISA. While these are certainly a part of the reality of tree work, there is a great deal in our industry that is in direct conflict with these ideals. We've all read the Awakenings forum.

Please feel free to vehemently disagree with me and argue me into a corner if your experience has proven otherwise.

But if I am somewhat accurate, I would love to hear others experiences as it relates to our industry's culture as well as specific strategies that you have employed so that you can continue to do what you love, which is climb trees, care for trees, touch trees, and help our customers enjoy the benefits of their trees so that we can make an honest living, go home every evening, and drink a beer in the shade.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[guymayor]

Rob, first, I entirely comiserate about the culture of production tree work, if it involves evasion of responsibility by those calling the shots. I also agree about ANSI Standards being some kind of incomprehensible ideal that conflicts with many work practices. The ANSI A300 Tree Care Standard is not as easy to follow as other countries' standards.
If your boss is not providing a written work order that states the objective and the specifications, like the A300, UK, Aussie, German etc. Standards require, that's a major part of the problem. If they push removal of trees that could be pruned and preserved, that's a fast track to burnout ime.

Not sure what the beef about risky trees is; if you feel a dead tree's unsafe to climb, aren't you able to call for gear and strategies to make it acceptably safe for all concerned?
When other climbers are climbing trees that you would not, either your concerns are disproportional, or the other guy has a death wish. Which do you think it is?

It sounds like you are already making an honest living, going home every evening, and drinking a beer in the shade. No reason that can't continue into your 50's and 60's (slowing down at 63 myself), IF communication gets cleared up, and safe alternatives are made available.

 

[Daniel]

Having a 75' bucket takes a lot of load off the climbers..... when most trees are accessible from the bucket. there is a lot less wear and tear on the body. Combine that with a skid steer with turf tracks and an operator that runs it like its part of his body, and tree work gets PD easy. Can you imagine the hardest part of the job is raking up? It's a paradigm shift.

When you no longer need to climb, move wood, or chip, the question is do you know what to do when you get in that bucket... how are your saw skills? how's your rigging? You falling cuts?What kind of pruning do you do... DO you waste time thinking about things or making bad cuts etc... OR is it all second nature, not much to think about, it all just flows smooth, fast and easy... that only comes with time and experience... hopefully some good teachers along the way too.

often times what looks like crazy or like brass balls is just a climber with more skill and experience doing a job that's no big deal to him. What looks like "their ability to tolerate extraordinarily high levels of risk", might just be someone operating at a different level. Is it possible that you just don't know enough to recognize the difference? of course that can go both ways.. sometimes people don;t have the knowledge to recognize a reckless maniac and think he's just good...

Sounds like you made a breakthrough this year.. I agree that storm work puts experience on quickly... Now are you good enough to find a better job, more suited to your skill and mind set?
Personally I always speak for the tree and argue for preservation whenever practical. Better watch that Karma otherwise, and its not the boss's karma for selling the work, as much as it is yours, cause you got the saw in hand... Its great when the client listens, as long as I can deliver.... REDUCTION PRUNING...
that said, Its amazing to me how many older climbers seem so incapable of learning new tricks... Its not that hard guys!

 

[flyingsquirrel25]

Rob,
I understand your pain. I have found there are hard times and then there are good times. Sometimes I get home from work and dont want to got to work. The biggest thing that saves my bacon, is I have the choice of the projects to do on the weekends and afternoons. If I find myself getting burned out, I do a job that uses my brain, makes me think and makes me feel good when Im done, because lord knows there is so much that just leaves you shaking your head. I understand that may not be an option in your current situation, but sometimes it does not take much.
A love for this job will go a long way too. Its obvious that you have that. Just stick with it, and sooner or later the right opportunity will come along.
I will finish by saying, if you turn down a tree, dont feel bad about it, dont second guess yourself. As long as you can justify your descion to yourself thats all that matters. If someone pushes you to do a tree you are not comfortable with, its time to walk PERIOD. There has been too much death in our industry lately.

 

[treehumper]

There is a cultural problem in our industry for the most part. As an organized, skills based trade attempting to move toward a knowledge based profession we are in our infancy. The tensions that exist between old school production and safe work practice philosophy means that the frontline worker is caught trying to balance the two. What you see in the ideals of the ISA, TCI, TCC, ANSI, et al., is what we are striving to gain. Continue to work towards that.

You're growing personally as a climber and are now coming up to your next plateau. While you may not personally feel that something is safe or conversely the risk is too high, others find it just another day at work. Therein lies your next level. Evaluating how those climbers that you respect operate in those circumstances can help you develop your abilities. Talk to them ask them how they adjust there approach in the face of the apparent risks.

Burn out is very real and can hit one rather hard unsuspectedly. This is about being hyper aware of your body. Working 6 day 50-60 hr weeks is taxing. How are you adjusting your caloric intake? What do you do to recover, day to day, then on your rest day? Watching the Tour de France, I can see many parallels to our performance. These guys and more importantly their teams, strategize around the whole year, not one or two races, or a couple of weeks or months. They look at how they will accomplish the goals they deem within their reach based on the collective skills and tools available. Then as each race is faced they adjust and adapt their plans to fit with the realities of the circumstances of the moment.

If you feel that the company is willingly shirking it's duty of care with respect to safety, then it's well worth looking around at the market for someone who has attained your level of competency. Interview other prospective employers with questions specific to their attitudes towards honoring the ANSI, or at the least, OSHA standards. Do this before you need a job and then you'll be in the driver's seat. It took me a while before the right employer was found but they are out there.