Case Study: Bizarkawitz Irrigation, Inc/Personal Issues with Pat This is a "Scenario" question about our fictional company Bizarkawitz Irrigation Inc which sells plastic plumbing products. Scenario: Two days ago, company President Craig Bizarkawitz had a large staff meeting to discuss safety procedures. Specifically, about the process to ID staff in and out of the building. Every staff member has an ID badge that is used to electronically enter or exit and is used also for attendance tracking. For the reason of attendance tracking and for security, each individual must swipe their card before entering. What that also means is that if two staff members arrive at the exact time, each must swipe their IDs and further, staff are not allowed (even out of courtesy) to "badge" others in or out. Craig had learned that some staff had begun becoming lax around the use of their badges and decided to have a staff meeting to address the issue. Staff invited included Sanaa, Natalie, Shelby, Pat, Cody, Haley, Cassandra, Raymond, Jennifer and Danielle. After the meeting, President Bizarkawitz noticed that some of the staff were behaving unusual. He decided that perhaps that behavior was due to the fact that he had emphasized the importance of security and perhaps, some of the staff felt that they were being chastised. At first, he dismissed the situation, however, yesterday and today he noticed that the staff members were being aloof, reserved, unapproachable and standoffish. President Bizarkawitz finally realized that there must be another factor at play, something he did not know about or understand. Finally, he approached a trusted employee that he believed he could confide in. Their conversation went like this: President Bizarkawitz: It seems that the staff have been upset for the last couple of days. Ever since the meeting, but we only reviewed safety protocols. Raymond: Yes, they are upset about what you said in the meeting. President Bizarkawitz: What did I say? We discussed the ID badges and that was all. Raymond: You said in front of everyone that you cannot stand Pat. She was very offended. President Bizarkawitz: I never said that. Nor would I ever speak that way in front of a group. Raymond: We were all there and heard you say it. President Bizarkawitz: Let me think. Hmmm. Wait a minute, I know. We were talking about using the proper methods for entering the building and I said that 'I can't stand pat and allow people to let others in without using their badges'. Raymond: I don't follow you. President Bizarkawitz: 'I can't stand pat is a PHRASE! A phrase with verb inflects that means, if you stand pat, you refuse to change your mind about something. An example might be in a battle you might say, "On the other side, the men stood pat and were unyielding" or a financial example could be, "It makes no sense for the Fed to do, anything but stand pat till the economy's direction becomes clearer". Raymond: Where does the phrase stand pat come from? President Bizarkawitz: You mean the etymology? Probably originally a poker phrase, with "pat" equaling "optimal", meaning that drawing more cards is unnecessary. Later the phrase came to be employed in other spheres. Raymond: Oh, but now all the staff thinks that you singled out Pat and said in front of everyone that you can't stand her! President Bizarkawitz: Oh no! What am I going to do?

A) If you were President Bizarkawitz what would you do to resolve the problem?

B). If you were Raymond, what would you recommend to the President?

C). If you found yourself in a similar position what would you do?