Being respectful to the people repairing your home is only common sense. However, common sense is in short supply. In this day and age, you’d think that everyone would understand that men and women are equally capable of pursuing any profession they desire. Alas, some folks are still so set in their ways that they can’t imagine a woman working as a plumber. Well, fortunately, there are employers with good values who will stand up for their workers no matter what.
Redditor u/uniqnorwegian shared a dramatic story about a colleague of his. The female plumber had a very uncomfortable interaction with a sexist client, however, his ill-mannered behavior backfired massively for him. Read on for the full story. Bored Panda got in touch with the author of the story, u/uniqnorwegian, and he shared some more of his thoughts about what happened with us. You’ll find our full interview with him below.
You would think that clients would value talent and skill instead of worrying about what gender tradespeople are
Image credits: LightFieldStudios / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
One construction worker shared how a sexist client reacted when he saw that the plumber who came to his home was a woman
Image credits: Pressmaster / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
Image credits: inessaarteni92 / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Yan Krukau / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: monkeybusiness / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
Image credits: uniqnorwegian
The client was an older man who had very different opinions about work and households
We asked the author of the post what his first reaction was when he saw the client being disrespectful to his colleague. “My first thought was something along the lines of, ‘Oh, you’re one of those people.’ Meaning someone who is dead set in their ways and unwilling to change or accept that women are not just meant to look good and bear children,” u/uniqnorwegian told us.
According to the author, the client in question was an older gentleman “who grew up in a different time, where the woman typically was at home while the men went out to work. The culture around work and households was different then, but he did not follow the change of time.”
We asked the OP whether he thinks the man changed his perspective after what happened. “I don’t think he changed his opinions or ways after this, although I can’t say for sure. I would, however, not be surprised if he decided to badmouth the plumbing company because he did not get his way. ‘The customer is always right,’ as they say. People do forget the rest of the saying, though: ‘The customer is always right in matters of taste.’”
Bored Panda wanted to get the author’s perspective on what working in construction is really like. In his experience, even though the job is very physically demanding, it does have a lot of upsides.
“You should be social and enjoy meeting new (and very different people), depending on where you work,” u/uniqnorwegian told us.
“I worked mostly in people’s homes and not on larger construction sites, so some days, you’d meet 3-5 different homeowners or tenants. Some people are happy to see you and will make you lunch; others don’t trust you at all and will watch your every move,” he said.
“You’ll also meet people like the gentleman I described in my post, so knowing when to stand your ground is a good ability to have. The most challenging part is dealing with difficult clients, but that’s true for any job, I suppose.”
Unfortunately, many tradeswomen have to deal with social stigma
According to a survey conducted by Rated People, over a third (39%) of tradeswomen said that they have experienced gender discrimination at work from customers. They noted that some of their clients do not take them seriously because of their gender.
Meanwhile, nearly a tenth of respondents revealed that their customers refused to let them do their jobs simply because they are women.
15% of respondents opened up that they are concerned for their personal safety, while 9% said that they face social stigma from their family and friends for their trade. Meanwhile, 9% noted that the biggest challenge they face at work is sexism.
These are tough circumstances to deal with when you love your job, make good money, and are good at what you do. Changes in societal perceptions and norms don’t happen overnight. They take years to shift. That being said, every single person is capable of being more open-minded, courteous, and tolerant right now. Politeness is underrated.
And it’s not an excuse to say that someone is set in their ways or has a more ‘traditional’ mindset. The world around us is constantly changing, and we all have to adapt to these changes, otherwise, we’ll be left behind.
The idea that women “can’t” be good plumbers (or plumbers at all) is ridiculous! A specialist is a specialist, and an expert is an expert. A specialist is a specialist and an expert is an expert. Your gender has nothing to do with your know-how of how plumbing systems work or your ability to do repairs.
A good manager will always step in to protect their employees from aggressive or disrespectful customers
What is important is the person’s experience doing the task they’re paid for. How good are they at their job? How many years have they worked in their profession? What is their education like? Who were their mentors? What are their credentials like? Who’s vouching for them? These are the questions you should be considering, not what their gender is.
Besides, why not let the results speak for themselves? If the contractors you hired are happy to see a colleague of theirs come in to do the plumbing work, it might be a good idea to trust them. If they do a great job—wonderful. If not, well, you’ll know to look for another specialist in the future.
Most clients worry whether the specialist is going to fix the problem, how much it will cost, and how long it will take them. When you get down to it, it doesn’t matter who the contractor is, so long as they do the job well, quickly, and for a fair price.
As the author’s story showed, some professionals are more than happy to stand up for their colleagues and cut ties with disrespectful, toxic clients. No, the customer is not always right.
No working professional should be treated with disrespect or outright contempt. In those types of situations, it can be hard to stay calm and professional. So, it’s often best to reach out to your coworkers or manager for help. They can either offer you advice on how to handle the situation, or they can step in and deal with the client.
Companies that stand by their values can leave a very powerful impression in their customers’ eyes. It’s easier to support someone who you know genuinely cares for their staff than someone who leaves everyone to fend for themselves.
Here’s how the internet reacted after they read the entire story
Other readers had similar stories of their own to share about discrimination at work
