About ten years ago I wrote a column on being ethical in an unethical business (contracting). That column dealt almost exclusively with the construction contracting business and those ethically challenged individuals that we have all had to deal with in our careers. Flash forward ten years or so and take a look around. The issue in no longer, exclusively, ethical. It has morphed into a societal problem that crosses all socioeconomic and business boundaries. Where, before, one hoped that the person he was dealing with would honor his word and perform as per agreement, times have surely changed. Today it is hoped that one can come away from a business engagement without being smeared all of over social media, thrown off a project for some social faux pas, doxed or attacked in some other way.
Before I continue, I want to make it perfectly clear that the following is this writer’s opinion and it does not reflect the opinions of the magazine, it’s staff or management. Who would have thought that, just ten short years later, the previous sentence would be necessary?
The current state of social unrest and division in our country has risen past the point of annoying and entered the realm of downright dangerous. What with disparate groups so enamored of their own point of view that civil discussion of opposing viewpoints can, and has, lead to physical violence, property damage and even destruction of entire businesses. That brings me to the point of this column.
How can you, as a service contractor and/or subcontractor, navigate this new paradigm? If you deal with general contractors, architects and other professionals regularly, a full understanding of the political landscape is a must to avoid running afoul of some new rule, regulation, or current social parameter. Whether you agree with the new social constructs or not, you had better take them into consideration when dealing with your business associates. Things seem to have gone right past the sublime to the ridiculous (again, my opinion) in everyday dealings with people, and that doesn’t even touch the new “green” and other regulations promulgated by folks with new sensibilities and agendas. If you think this is an exaggeration, just look what they have done to the gas can!
Something as mundane as talking to a receptionist can be fraught with danger if you should be so insensitive as to not use the preferred pronoun or smile the wrong way! Think this is hyperbole? It’s not! The overly sensitized in our society at large have, by necessity, been integrated into our businesses, and they are not amused by such old-fashioned concepts as politeness and the ideas of actual (I almost said “normal” but self-censored) genders. This situation plays itself out many times every day, and a subcontractor who inadvertently violates one of the new paradigms can find themselves in a lot of trouble without even knowing it.
Human resources divisions in some of the larger construction companies have actually begun giving printed handouts with the company’s policy on social issues which a sub must sign before he can begin work! Woe be unto a field guy who admires a pretty woman (or vice versa?) working at the site. He doesn’t even have to say anything, or whistle, or anything! If the other person is offended, that is sufficient. Guilty before trial! Off with his head! As you might tell, I’m no fan of this trend.
That’s just the beginning. If you are a service shop, you are in and even more precarious situation in trying to deal with all of the disparate people to whom you provide your services. There have always been those customers who, for one reason or another, rub you the wrong way or that you might have friction with. If you are a smart businessman, you take them as they are, minimize personal contact, and go about your business of servicing their plumbing or HVAC problem, take their money and leave.
Today, you are more likely to have a pleasant customer who, immediately after your departure from their premises, savages you and your company on Yelp or some other social media site. Why? Well, it could be something as an offhand comment about a political or social figure that your customer holds the opposite view of. Mind you, it has nothing to do with the performance of your work, your timeliness or cleanliness while in their home. It, quite simply, is a spiteful reaction to something you said or a piece of clothing you might have worn (another reason for service people to wear uniforms) or a sticker on your toolbox or truck!
You might think that these examples are isolated incidents. I know I did, until I got into a friendly conversation with a young journeyman at a supply house while admiring the new truck he was driving. While the tone of our conversation was friendly and collegial, I could not help noticing the underlying tenseness in him. This is a facet of the trade that is new and frightening. It’s tough enough to do our work without having to check our own sensibilities at the door.
This new wrinkle in our society will continue to impact our trade, like ripples in a pond, moving outward into the future. How it will affect your bottom line remains to be seen, but my guess is, like all artificial constructs, this will reach a peak and die out. In the meantime, you have to play by the rules as they are. In the meantime, good luck—you’re going to need it!
The Brooklyn, N.Y.-born author is a third-generation master plumber. He founded Sunflower Plumbing & Heating in Shirley, N.Y., in 1975 and A Professional Commercial Plumbing Inc. in Phoenix in 1980. He holds residential, commercial, industrial and solar plumbing licenses and is certified in welding, clean rooms, polypropylene gas fusion and medical gas piping. He can be reached at [email protected].