Being a woman who supervises men (ages 18-32), I feel like I have to watch how I react or modify my reactions as to not be @itchy, or motherlike.....I try very hard to keep the environment light hearted and fun. This kind of work can be gruelling in itself. Cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Dust all year round. Mud in the rainy season, etc. We deal with heavy wood, stinky wood, and all kinds of variations of saws that do all types of things. Now I have been on the production floor full time and worked my way into management...so I did start at the ground level, actually for 2 years. We cross-train on every position here and change it up very frequently. There are a lot of reasons I do this. A few are the person does not get burned out doing the same thing day in and day out, repetative motion does not become a factor (muscles are definately used here) and many more. Well back to the horseplay thing. Guys just have to pick on each other. All in good fun for the most part. Rule is NO Horseplay period! You can find all kinds of law codes and documentation in OSHA manuals, etc. regarding horseplay. Here's the scenario, Four people are building pallets as a team effort (two tables) and one person is building a component for them to use. This person is not a builder, however is doing the best he can. This person also has a little trouble taking the "all-in-fun" picking...so they pick harder. Everyone getting the picture? This person is getting very aggrevated and retaliating thus removing his focus on what he is to do. The guys see that they are getting under his skin so they increase the picking ever more. Flames are now shooting from his eyes and steam is coming from his nostrils....he tosses a small block over in their direction (maybe it was more of a throw then a toss) and screams "leave me alone".......Retaliation now comes with another person throwing something back and it makes contact with the already "I have had it" person..... IT'S ON!
Now at this time I have been in my office and have already made one trip out to make it known to stop with the bantering...this time, I'm out the door with the " I have had it" attitude......pointing "YOU" and "ALL OF YOU, STOP!" Of course then it is "he started it", and na ah, "He did" So looking like the frustrated elementary school teacher with her hands in the air "ENOUGH" for pete's sake just grow up and build pallets!
So, Yep, I let them get me to react. I felt the tension in my forehead and the shop super said WOW, you look pissed. No shit Sherlock, if I wanted to be around people who acted like grade schoolers I would have become a teacher. So back to the question....where do you draw the line with regards to horseplay? Give an inch....loose a mile.
