We are observing the anniversary of the great conflict in the waters off Midway atoll in the vast Pacific, of course. I am missing a Zoom call on some elements of it now, since there is family business in progress at Refuge Farm. It is not my family involved, though I am paying the freight for another family’s labor. Eugene and his boys are ripping up old disintegrating planks on the deck that surrounds the farmhouse and apparently intending to replace them in time. I would have pictures, but the day is gray, and the presence of two delightful young ladies, granddaughters of the working crew, are frolicking about the house.
Scheduled work was timed to be complete before a small gathering planned to commemorate the completion of Chairman Socotra’s first seven decades on this planet. The changing seasons did not cooperate on the labor schedule. Safely abed last night, the retractable awning was bundled up tight against the warnings of narrow bands of meteorologic violence. I turned over against the roar of wind and thud of pelting rain on the metal roof and sighed. Some of the work requires a nice dry surface, and I shrugged under the eiderdown and slept.
Eugene’s two truck arrived ten minutes early, and threw themselves into moving the assorted debris, man-made and naturally arriving, and began pounding and yanking. That forestalled participation in the Midway battle call, due to questions about storage of heavy long-lead time logistics items and modest additional costs for unexpected rotting wood replacements.
With no outdoor table and chairs, smoking was restricted to a limited area near the loading dock, and several of the younger staff appeared willing to avoid the loathsome specter of real people doing actual labor. Some of the aggressive clouds of night hung on through mid-morning, but rifts in the coverage began to appear, along with tantalizing rays of orange light that appeared to resemble sunshine.
I could only surmise the reason the little girls were with the crew. This being countryside, I assumed it was a factor of family task management. I was not fortunate enough to have daughters, only two bluff and handsome boys. So, the girls amused themselves, placing digital phones on the backs of fathers or uncles as they attempted to swing hammers.
Amid the mild chaos, the Legal folks voiced concerns. They felt partial cash payment, intended to be motivational, could be offset by damage or injury to non-covered liabilities. They recommended immediate evacuation of all personnel subject to contract or sub-contract connections to the larger enterprise, a check of existing coverage with the homeowners people, and prohibition of play areas in the midst of a construction site.
Senior Staff agreed to meet apart from the Long Green Table in the office complex adjacent to the loading dock. At that time, Production recommended re-crafting a past story of appropriate provenance for daily distribution and provision of clean ashtrays in some location suitable for breaks. Then they decided to take one.
The Chairman asked HR whether it was possible that the other landscaping project would now be happening simultaneously with delayed fine finish work on the deck. HR nodded but said they would have to check with Compliance and Legal before making a formal opinion.
Compliance also commented on the remarkable spectacle presented by one of the husky laborers, whose contortions over a removed board had pulled his t-shirt up apart from his belt, which had sunk into a lower position than normal. The possibility that inadvertent exposure could be construed not as a micro-aggression but as an overt act intended to create a hostile work environment.
The Chairman sighed. “I am not prepared for another meeting with Legal this morning,” he said. One of the little girls ran past the office corner window. “And besides, for the people actually working this morning, it is a family affair and, if necessary, will be handled under the appropriate court.” He then pursed his lips and moved to the window to see what actual physical work looked like.
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