Engineering Interdepartmental Memo 2278.48: 1300 A: READMENOW

Posted on Wed May 13th, 2015 @ 7:36pm by Lieutenant Rianna DiMarco

--Interoffice Memo, Priority Flag: High--
Title: READMENOW
From: Lt. Rianna DiMarco, CEO: USS Farragut
To: Engineering Group 'LugMonkeys'

Ladies, Gents and Other:

Some pretty big stuff has come down the pipe that I want to catch you all up on, but first stuff first: I want to let you know who I am. In case you haven't ran into me in the hall yet, the name's Ri DiMarco. I'll answer to boss, I'll answer to Ri, but unless there's a wandering pip swooping by, you don't call me lieutenant. As I meet you, I want to shake your hand and look you in the eye, hear your name and a little about you. There aren't no numbers here in the pits, kids. You're your name with me. I'm a working lug the same as all of you, I just happen to be the one organizing all of you this time around. Hopefully through the years I'll see you all with your own ships running departments of your own, so for now- learn the best of what I give you.

Second: I don't know everything and neither do you. We're a family here in engineering. Each one of us is here to learn from one another. We have specialists and system engineers for a reason. Anybody caught playing cowboy without reason is going to be pretty darn miserable stuck in this tin can with the rest of us reminding him or her about it. We don't do shifts, we do teams, so you'll know who you work with left, right and center. Nobody goes on a duty call solo. Nobody gets stuck soloing the sludge jobs. We take it as a team, get it done and move on. If you make a mistake: own up to it. We all do. Since we work in teams, we'll hop that fuss and get it righted in a cinch. If you hide it, see the cowboy rule. If people get hurt, well, that's a whole other can of kick butt left to open. Do your best, be fair, be smart and remember that we're all team players here.

Next up: the big news. We're going on with the big trip out. Most of you were already ready for this in theory. You said your goodbyes, wrote letters, whatever. That's all good and fine. Psyched yourself up for the send off and bam: it's over, right? Nope. It hasn't even hit yet and it won't until the first holiday or the first birthday, the due date- then you'll realize how damn heavy this all is. What I want you to know is that you're not alone in all of this. That's my other reason for us working in teams. Your team is your support group. Your mini family. Your brothers and sisters. When you get stressed or lonely, you call. I don't care if it's zero hour, you call your buddy, your team lead, me. You be there for the next person that needs it because not one of us will be immune to the stress or the loss or the lonely. Together we'll pull through, correct and make it back home with enough stories to fill our grand kid's ears for years. So stick with us tight.

In order to drive this community lynch pin home, there'll be a required monthly dinner in the engineering mess. I expect to see all of you there even if we have to pull a half rotation just so everyone has a chance to meet and mix. Nothing fancy, nothing posh: just us being us building on a strong foundation. I might make a few announcements, if there's a change in teams, it'll be done there. Suggestions, comments, requests, etc. all get tackled over food. I've found that chewing cuts down on griping and moods tend to be better when your belly is full, so shut up, show up and deal.

Last off.. as you can see, I don't mince words none. I'm pretty sure you see no frills, right? So let's get to the rules the way I see them. Here in the pit, you go by the following:

-Be a part of the team. Lone wolves get desk duty.
-Hook-ups happen. Be discreet and don't bring it on duty. I need every man and woman doing their job, not worrying about how their sig-other is doing right then. Can that crud. Also, no one wants to hear about your love life. Or witness it. Eww.
-Discrimination will get you a spanner in the face. Seriously. Man, woman, race, religion: I don't care. You're here to do a job, so do it. Catch wind of it off duty and ENGINEERING and you will have a chat all-together-like.
-Mind your superiors. We're all family here, but if someone from another department comes in, you straighten up and salute if regs merit it. I won't hear about any of you being slack.
-No messes. You create a hazard, you clean it up pronto. If someone breaks their neck because you left the floor covered in ooze, you'll need a matching neck brace, chum.
-No stills without the CO's okay. If you're found with one, it goes out the airlock and you go to the brig. If you show up on duty drunk, see the cowboy rule, win a free trip to the pokey and my eternal scorn. Hungover is okay so long as you can function. Any other type of drug not approved by medical and you're so far up the creek there's no return, bub.
- Fighting happens. Don't hurt each other too badly. If security has to be called, it better be something good. I'll always stand up for you unless you're being dumb.
-Be a stand up guy. I don't care if you're rough around the edges or a total silver spoon; all of you are mine. You know what it means to do the right thing, so do it. Don't gossip. Don't put others down. Stand up for the little guy. Don't lie if you can help it. If you believe in it, back it. Sweat awesomeness.
-We kill at interdepartmental sports challenges. If you can't sports, learn to sports even if it's foozball.
-Additional rules will be made and posted in our mess as needed, including personal rules if I need to make up special ones just for you.

Engineering is going to be the best department on ship: I know this. Let's make it happen.