At the place where I work, we make stuff. We make stuff that has to stay clean, because it can be used in medical supplies, baby wipes, and other similar need-to-be-sanitary type products. When making this stuff, in order to avoid the deposit of human DNA and other nasties, we wear uniforms and hair nets. You get so used to seeing people walk around with big white bouffants on their heads, you don’t even notice it. Except sometimes you do – in the most inappropriate of places.
So I was in a disciplinary meeting the other day. There were four of us in there along with the offender – something I hate to do (gang up on the guy) but sometimes a necessary evil. And anyway, we’re in there, and we’re giving this guy the details of the issues, and everyone is serious and professional and of course extremely uncomfortable. The guy is squirming a bit, and we are laying it out for him as firmly and clearly as we can. And suddenly I look around the table at all the serious faces, and every one of them is topped with this soft-serv-ice-cream-cone bouffant hat hairnet thing, and I am struck by how ridiculous we all look, and it is hiLARious. I choke down a giggle and laser-stare at my legal pad, bite my lips, close my eyes, and try to do various things to try to disguise my completely inappropriate and juvenile reaction. I held it together. Barely. I don’t think anybody noticed.
Human Resources. It leads to some magic moments.