Two common misperceptions about blue collar workers and managers are about how they learn and how they deal with people. The consequences of these misperceptions can certainly have an effect on how they are trained, especially when promoted “off the tools” into management.
The second of these, that blue collar workers and manager don’t know how to deal with people is addressed here. If you read my post about the first misperception you know that I ended with this: “They get together and talk about things, creating a mental picture for their audience of co-workers and advice and experience, from which they all learn.”
We labor under a misperception dealt us by the movie industry, media, and, yes, our own gossip. What gets spread fastest? Good news? Or stories about rough men (and women) that have slugged it out with other guys (and gals) on an oil rig, on a logging crew, in mines, warehouses or in bars? It’s almost as if the world view of blue collar is a steel furnace operator at work and a deerslayer on weekends and that communication is with fists, knives or guns. Hollywood would have you believe that all blue collar people are mean S.O.B.’s like that dude Paul Sr. on American Chopper. 
We labor under a misperception dealt us by the movie industry, media, and, yes, our own gossip. Not so. Blue collar workers and managers are the BEST social networkers on the planet.
Social networking is another one of those relatively new and re-defined buzzwords that refers to electronic connections between people. Interestingly though, the people that are successful at electronic social networking do something in addition to merely typing and waiting- they talk to people. Whether it be in person or on the phone, they make a personal connection. They understand the meanings of the term social, relating to other people, and networking, cultivating these relationships.
How do you think most work in the field gets done? Do you think that your crews always go out 100% prepared? Let me assure this is rarely the case. There is always some little something that was not thought of, and these things are taken care behind the scenes in the field. How they do this is relatively simple – they develop friendships and acquaintances with no expectation of having to give or receive favors. Sure, they know it is going to happen, borrow a fishing rod here, a crane there, maybe even have someone weld something in the field so they don’t have to go back to the shop.
The fact that they get it done means they DO know how to both communicate and relate to people. For those nay-sayers that would say “Yes, but with their own kind!” I challenge you to think about whether or not you ever tried to communicate with any other than your own kind and how that felt at first.
Why is this of any importance to the understanding of working with blue collar workers and managers? It means that you are now armed with a different view and more knowledge about their world, and can adapt to that.
Bart Gragg
Blue Collar University – It’s What’s Above The Collar That Counts!
Photos from iStockPhoto.com
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