My Men

“May I see you for a moment?” “Sure, come in.” Hal’s blue eyes had their usual twinkle, making me feel welcome. I sat down across from him. Lacking Burt Lancaster’s physique, Hal would poke fun at himself about being a little Napoleon, but, like the emperor, he exuded unflappable confidence. Still muscular, as he must have been to win the college wrestling trophies on his shelf, he would challenge men in our group to arm-wrestle. Invariably, he won. He seemed like a winner in life, too, and his charisma was the main reason I had accepted my position. “What’s up? How’s the job coming along?” I shifted in the chair. Hal had promised to support me, but this was the first time I came to him with a complaint. “The job is fine,” I said. “I like my project. Phase separation technology is just what I wanted to do. The only thing is –“ He prodded amiably, “Is something bothering you?” “Yes,” I said, then laid it out in a single sentence afraid to lose my resolve. “When I walk to the lab, these men outside the maintenance building whistle and make tasteless remarks.” “What do they say? I’d like to know so I can deal with it.” “Oh, you know, they call me babe and mama and ask what’s a girl doing in a man’s job.” A little smile played on his lips, “So, did you tell them to go back to their cave?” I was startled and reassured by his empathy. “I tried to be polite and told them to please not be rude.” Hal shook his head. “You’re too much of a lady. You should tell those guys to go pound sand. But I’m glad you told me. I don’t want anyone treating my engineers with disrespect.” He buzzed his secretary. “Linda, get me Dr. Winston on the line, please.” A man’s voice came over on the speaker phone. “Hey there, Hal, how are things?” “Not bad, Wally. When are you coming over for a game of bridge?” “I’ve a meeting today, but how about tomorrow? What time are you guys playing?” “At noon. We’ll buy you coffee, and I’ll introduce you to a new engineer we just hired. She’ll be working on the solvent recovery project with your team.” “That’s great. We need help on that. The state’s breathing down our necks.” “Alina Sherwin is here with me.” Hal motioned me over to the speaker. “Hello, Wally, this is Alina. I look forward to working with you.” “Welcome on board. It’s a pleasure. I’ll see you tomorrow – how’s your game?” “Pretty rough,” I laughed. “But Hal’s a good teacher. Soon I might even trump him.” “You think? I’m the only one who can beat him. You want to partner with me?” Hal leaned towards the speaker phone. “Sure, she could, but you gotta help us first. Some of your guys need to learn how to treat women at work. I want you to talk to them.” “Which guys?” Wally pushed back. “What did they do?” Hal raised his eyes to me. “It’s not important who they are; they all have to act professionally. They should know not to whistle and make inappropriate remarks, like calling a colleague ‘babe’ and ‘mama.’ This is not a corner pub.” Wally was silent for a moment. This was probably a new concern for him. “They were just being friendly. They meant no harm. Come on, it’s no big deal.” “Wally, you’re wrong. It is a big deal. I don’t want my engineers to be jeered. You gotta talk to your guys. Soon. She’s going to the lab this morning. If they don’t act with respect, then she won’t be happy. And I won’t be happy. We need to work together on this.” “Well, okay. I’ll talk to them. Alina, if they bother you again, you call me, all right?” “Thanks, I will.” “I’ll see you tomorrow. Hal, you better watch it or Alina and I will beat your pants off.” “Not on your life. She’ll be handicapped by you. G’bye.” Hal hung up and gave me a conspiratorial grin. “He’s a good man, but a bit old-fashioned. Let me know how it goes today.” The next day Wally and I lost the bridge game to Hal and Rich by a narrow margin. But I was glad we met him in a social setting. Wally had a soft, jowly face, tousled ash-brown hair, and a piercing gaze. I suspected that not much got by him. He was in a tough situation, too. The production site used to be owned by a giant German conglomerate, and was recently acquired by a US corporation. The ten or so German PhD chemists who had remained, perpetuated outdated technology, prompting the new management to hire local scientists and engineers. Wally was the first, and so far the only, chemist with a doctorate from an American university. He came on board around the same time as Hal, and could be a natural ally for our group. I was beginning to recognize office politics and getting an inkling of Hal’s mastery.