The day started well for me as I got to partner up with Paul, great chap with decades more life and experience than I have, for the purpose of hanging doors!! I've never installed a door in my life so I was extremely excited.
The doors in question are not as difficult as I had feared/hoped. They came assembled inside their own frame with trim work attached. Leveling the doors out was complicated by the squareness and plumbness of the openings left for the doorways but not impossibly so. The first two doors went in easy peasy pumpkin pie. Then Paul and I decided to take a morning break. (Him for a smoke, me for my diabetic snack.)
That's when crapola hit me in the kisser.
During the break, one of the bigger wigs decided it was an ideal time to pull me aside and have a discussion with me. While I've come to respect this man, highly!, his pulling me aside for a disciplinary chat was not very well done. It singled me out in front of my peers - never a good thing. Then the matter itself left me more mortified and annoyed - highly for both.
Essentially: Someone overheard a conversation I had with a young lady of my acquaintance while we were at the Wolfeboro decon job. This person felt that my statement to the young lady inappropriate and made them feel uncomfortable for the young lady.
Her hair was down, not normal, and I complimented her appearance with it down.
The problem for me was that I was quite inhibited to respond appropriately to the situation as presented to me. Firstly, the complaint was completely out of line. "One of" compliments between co-workers during social activity does not constitute any level of hasrassment - subject or third parties alike. Secondly, my respect for Jonathon prevented me from setting him straight as to how I was approached and to my "real" response to having my behavior dictated by ... well I have to say it... a professionalism neophyte.
And I think that is the essential problem here: With proper diversity and sensitivity training people learn what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior. What is out of line behavior or what is, alternately, out of line reaction to appropriate behavior. It is a truth that some people do act badly and some people just react badly to innocuous behavior. Training, for staff and leaders alike, is integral to help avoid harassment or slander.
But the day went downhill from there for me. My calm was so disturbed by this that we screwed up installing the next two doors and finally did one without a hitch just before lunch. At lunch I made some polite excuses, attempting social grace, and left for the day.
I had no intention of returning due to my embarrassment and frustration.
No comments:
Post a Comment