Author: Peggy Hagerty Duffy
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I Can Do That
My Favorite Things Early summer brings many of my favorite things. I get to visit the local nursery and spend way too much money on every annual flower that catches my eye. Lunches, dinners, cocktails, brunches, and even afternoon coffee take place outside on patios, piazzas, decks, and sidewalks. And sundresses and espadrilles are parts…
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How Did You Get Here?
Diluting Workforce Quality for the Better…Or Not How did you get where you are? No, I’m not referring to your route to work this morning or whether you took a plane or a train to get to the conference you’re attending or how you managed to sneak out of the office to go shoe shopping.…
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What Price Ambition?
Hey – Your Ambition is Showing By Ann Schmelzer, Guest Contributor (Editor’s Note: Ann is a top-level manager for a major international manufacturer. Someday we will all be working for her, and that’s not a bad thing. Although she is not in the deep foundations industry, she spends all day every day with men, most…
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Are You a Feminist?
What Does That Even Mean? Are you a feminist? What exactly does that mean? And is it important to you to identify yourself as such? Megyn Kelly, former Fox News host and current NBC news personality, was widely derided in 2016 by her refusal to label herself as a feminist. She stated that the term…
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What Time Are You Leaving?
How to Avoid Killing Your Colleagues It’s Thursday afternoon at 3:50 PM. You’ve managed to end a phone call with a very talkative client who just happens to spend $3 trillion dollars with your firm every year. If you can make it out the door in the next 15 minutes, you’ll blow through the parkway…
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Toolbox Talk – The Dangers of Heat
Precautions for Heat Hazards So, you did it. You slept with someone at work. Are you feeling liberated? Great. Hang onto that feeling, because it’s going to last for about another 14 seconds. As women in a male-dominated field, we spend a lot of time talking about men who treat us badly or who make…
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Revolutions Don’t Happen When Everyone Is Happy
Are You Uncomfortable? (Warning: This post contains a slang word that may be offensive to some. It should be offensive to all). Last week I was sitting in an uncomfortable chair, being assaulted by a stranger’s cell phone conversation overflow, and mourning yet another precious few hours of my life that were forever lost while…
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Tell Us More
Tell Us What You Think, What You Really Really Think So………what do you think? Seriously. We have addressed a number of topics here at Underpinnings over the past six months, and we’ve had a bit of discussion. Some guests also have contributed their thoughts, which have expanded our collective voice. In the near future, we…
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I Am Not One of the Boys
Sometimes Being Tough Means Being Stupid There are a number of milestones most women will experience if they undertake a career in a field populated mainly by men. At some point, you will get singled out in a very conspicuous situation (important meeting, large construction site) for being the only female within miles and will…
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Our Sacrifices, Their Future
Driving Toward the Future by Ann Schmelzer, Guest Contributor Did you see the Super Bowl Audi commercial with the young girl driving the boxcar? Here is the link in case you missed it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6u10YPk_34 The commercial drew some criticism in its pre-Super Bowl preview; Audi North America only has two women in senior leadership positions…