I worked as a contract forester for PGE in response to the 2020 wildfires, and frankly I was disgusted with what I saw.
Every single rule they try to impose on their contractors is a double standard.
I endured the most absurd level of micromanagement I've ever seen when it came to tracking company trucks of contractors. Start/stop times are carefully scrutinized as well as lunch breaks since management has nothing better to do. PGE employees are allowed to drive their personal vehicles, while contractors are forced to drive a fleet vehicle.
PGE employees get paid for all drive time. Since there is no yard for contractors, PGE exploits a loophole so contractors don't get paid for their first half hour to and from job sites at the beginning and end of the day since the work truck is parked at home.
PGE field employees are allowed to grab lunch wherever they desire. Contractors are told it's unfair to drive into town to grab lunch every day.
PGE employees get to participate in regularly occurring conference calls to have discussions and ask important questions. Contractors are always excluded from these discussions. Only upper management seems to be worthy enough to PGE to be included in any sort of discussion. Field employees are seen as little more than disposable.
If you have more of a traditional forestry education and background, and have more than one ISA certification, you are seen as a threat and dealt with accordingly. The majority of PGE foresters are hired on from their tree crews.
Forestry managers are way out of their depth and are completely clueless when it comes to assessing wildfire damage to trees. Rather than collaborate and work as a team, they leave everything up to you. Everything is subjective and they make up their standards as they go. It's nearly impossible to pin anyone down and get a definitive answer in writing from these clowns because they are so afraid of being held accountable or called out for their incompetence.
Consistently short-sighted and inane guidelines and unsupportive feedback, coupled with shifting directives and standards from managers creates a truly toxic Us Vs. Them feedback loop between PGE and forestry contractors. You are not set up for success as a contractor for PGE. If anything, they want you to fail, so they have an excuse to let you go.
The managers of the forestry department are the most pompous, condescending people I have ever had to work with. It felt like high school all over again, with people always poking fun at one another, and constant judgement to try and fall in line.
If you consider yourself a self-starter that is capable of advocating for yourself and enjoy autonomous work without being micromanaged every 5 seconds, look elsewhere for work. I can safely assure you that you will not last long here. All of your drive and ambition will be quickly zapped away.
Beware of the wolf in sheep's clothing.
