As a fabricator I’ve had the privilege of being invited into many families’ homes. “Privilege” is the key word here. I do not feel like I am entitled and can do anything I want or behave any way I want. This is also true of my employees, who are an extension of me. I’d like to share some of my experiences.
In 1988, as a young (25-year-old) stonesetter, I was working on a 16-story office building in Bridgeport, CT. My work was inside of the main lobby, and some tenants had already occupied the upper floors. Indoor smoking prohibition laws were in effect, and the office workers had to go outside to smoke. As construction workers, we did not have to heed those restrictions. Returning from my lunch break, as I entered the building, I walked past some office workers on their way outside for a smoke break. I then took a big drag from my cigarette and proceeded to flick the burning butt on the granite floor and then stepped on it to extinguish it. Looking back, I had a serious sense of entitled arrogance, and I wasn’t representing my employer in a good light.