When I started with the new shaft sinking project, it took me a while to get to know everyone from the various departments and contractor firms. Usually when I'm there I'm dressed in full PPE (personal protective equipment) since I'll be going down the shaft or have just come out and am covered in cement and rock dust.
At one of the first meetings I attended, one of the engineers introduced himself. But, we had met previously and I mentioned that. He was a bit embarrassed and one of the managers tried to help him out by saying: "You just don't recognize her with her clothes on."
I immediately burst out laughing, but the two men were mortified when they realized what they had implied. I think they saw sexual harassment lawsuit flashing in front of their eyes. Since we all knew they had meant not with my PPE on and I couldn't stop laughing, they visibly relaxed. After that, the entire thing has become a running joke. I was standing chatting to the engineer during one inspection, when the manager (who was about 200 m away) leaned out of his truck and yelled: "Do you recognize her now?" Apparently the engineer still gets ribbed about the incident whenever I'm around. Also, when one of the top managers came for a visit, the entire story was repeated to everyone's delight.
The lesson is to keep on laughing - with or without clothes :-).
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