Each morning, opening the door to the factory, I was struck by the strong smell of oil and the noises of machines. My college internship at this large plant involved walking through the factory to get to the engineering offices. I tried to get to my office without slipping or getting my high heels stuck in the old wood flooring.
The head of this crowd would shout and blow the whistle so loudly that everyone would hear and laugh. When this type of thing happened, it was just considered "boys will be boys", so managers did nothing though they were aware of all this. This whole situation was humiliating, and I began to hate going to the offices.
After a while, I realized that the man with the whistle delighted in embarrassing the ladies. Out of necessity, my idea was born. One morning, as I walked through the factory door and made my way around the machines, he began to blow his whistle. I stopped and turned to face him, looking him directly in the eyes. Surprised, he stopped the whistle.
Breathing deeply, I said aloud, "I just wanted to tell you that I wish you wouldn't do that. It's very embarrassing. How would you like it if someone did that to you or one of your family members?"
I think I shocked him, and he looked down. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again. We were just having fun. My name is Tom," he said.
I met his gaze but smiled this time. "Let's be friends from now on."
Sure enough, the next morning, Tom smiled and waved. I smiled and waved back. We continued to have this happy exchange for the rest of my internship.