Staying calm
Sometimes I get excited when a marginal worker calls in sick. With 31 degrees Celsius forecasted temperatures for the day last week, he wasn’t the only one to stay home. And that’s annoying because the day plan and staffing levels work together. We know that one site requires four workers, for example, so when it goes down to three it stresses the others.
The worker in question is a bit weak and his absences from work are frequent. Privately, I was ready to call him a little bitch; and then, after plugging away all day down a man, I did it publicly.
Be a pro
I firmly believe that when you sign up for a job, then maybe you should show up. Landscapers work outside all year, in all kinds of weather. You can expect some discomfort on really hot, rainy or cold days. This almost defines landscaping. And I love being outside.
If you can’t handle the weather, then I would suggest switching to an indoor cubicle job. Whatever you do, support your team. Recall that there are signed contracts which obligate us to deliver certain weekly services. There’s nothing optional about landscaping contract work. Both parties agree to a list of weekly services and they have to get done. You can’t stay home because it’s going to be hot.
It is getting hot
As soon as I called the dude a little bitch at lunch time, I opened up the Globe and Mail newspaper only to discover an article about the entire globe being hot. This is almost mid-July in 2023, and records for high temperatures globally were set. It is getting hot.
Back in 2017 when I published my short e-book (available on Amazon, obviously) “How to become a landscape pro” my tone was very rosy. It still is. Landscaping has its rewards and you can make a decent living in it, if you hustle.
Then we got hit with an unprecedented heat dome event in 2021. It was crazy. For weeks the temperatures stayed in high 30 degrees Celsius; and you couldn’t buy a fan anywhere. The only upside was that my wife wore very little at home. Hundreds died in British Columbia.
It got so hot, some sites installed misting stations and left water coolers for us. It was so hot, we started our days earlier, we worked in shade as much as possible and we sometimes went home earlier.
The 2021 heat dome event made me a little bitch.
New e-book edition
Today I am working on a second edition of my e-book because I want it to reflect what’s really happening. Anybody considering landscaping as their job or career should get the straight goods. Some things stayed the same but some changed. Like the Landscape Industry Certified program. The second edition will reflect that. It will also be available in audio; my very first audiobook project.
And the heat dome will get mentioned. Not that people do not know it is getting hotter and hotter.
Conclusion
As the planet heats up, it will be interesting to see the effects on the landscape industry and its workers. There are already issues with plants and watering. Worker health and availability might be huge issues.
