single. As one robber was walking me from the back of the store to the front, with a gun in my ribs, I managed to remain calm enough to figure out how to not get taken out of the store as a hostage. LW, your boss has shown you who he really is. I hope the party goes well; perhaps we could catch up on another day/ perhaps I could buy you a drink to make it up to you? The MDARNG units I have went to, have a lot of MUTA 6s or 2x2x2. Yeah, at the last staff meeting, there was some talk of replacing our annual watch this decades-old video active shooter training (whichI hate that video so much. Hey [Name], sorry I can't make your party tonight. should I tell my coworker about our colleagues criminal record, I deeply regret joining my companys leadership program, and more, my company is cutting my overworked teams pay as punishment for mistakes. as a manager, should I not wear a childless shirt in my off-hours? The military is their own worse enemy when it comes to this area. Work from home dont only give you the benefit of only flexible working time and let you sleep a little later than normal. Hey [Name], my stomach is not in the best of conditions at the moment so its probably best for everyone if I stay at home this evening. If he again says something ridiculous like asking if you "wouldn't be able to take it," you could say . But its traumatizing for the kids to practice these drills, and honestly, if we just had some gun reforms, there would be literally no reason we should have to be subjected to this in the first place. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/workplace-shootings-research-.aspx, https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/436994-active-shooter-training-fails-because-it-relies-on-fear/, https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2019/05/23/teachers-active-shooter-trainings-ineffective-stressful-column/3754113002/, https://www.insider.com/young-school-shooters-grew-up-doing-active-shooter-drills-experts-2022-6, https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/blog/advocacy/active-shooter-drills-harmful-or-helpful/. Learn more about me here. There is no value in a seven hour training for something that would last from 5-30 minutes, realistically. I work for a public-facing government agency. Large auditorium. Her lashes arent jet black! Training taken out of orientation, alert system stays. Dont worry about not looking tough. You should absolutely opt out if you want to. I do agree that theres a difference between physically practicing something and reading about it (and frankly, at some of my performing arts jobs, Id have really loved to have even talked through some sort of emergency response plan for an increasingly not-unlikely situation). So, maybe next time? From my recollection, they never talk about peoples legit reactions in the moment. training is going to be useful, sensible, or anything besides a nightmare. While the Army does provide some financial assistance for drill weekends, you may still incur unexpected costs like travel expenses or new gear. And 1 drill type is not sufficient: tornado response is different than responses to fire or ; so the more, the better. Federal law and regulations (in some states) protect active duty, guard and Reserve military personnel who are attending post-secondary education schools if they must miss school due to military orders. That said, we have surprisingly few firearm-related incidents here, given that Finland has the most guns at home per capita after the US and Yemen. [M]onkey. You are needed for babysitting 9. I can say that Im unsurprised, and that thats an attitude that explains a whole hell of a lot that people write into this blog about, like flat wages, exploitative culture, and the constant fear of losing a job and not being able to afford food/exorbitant rent/anything else that was once upon a time attainable. Never did an illness/epidemic one, which is too bad, because the covid response here was pathetically weak for the first year or so. My friends kids were FLOORED to learn about the debacle in the House & Senate chambers on January 6. Each year the US Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its data on volunteering in the United States. My heart goes out to you, OP. Many religions have weekly religious events. Nope. You need to see that your fear is that a single instance will make you one of the people he isnt nice to, and that is terrifying. I literally had a panic attack and left. It sounds like they just decided to do an active shooter drill. Ill come out again soon when Im in a better place. 10 Good Excuses for Not Working on Weekends 1. Im sorry about your boss, OP. You dont owe anyone any explanations. I had to call out that day for a family emergency. Or maybe if no one from your department is going to be there. update: how can I turn down training requests from my clients? Add me to the chorus of people saying #4 is both legitimate and honest. The active shooter training was performative and to tick off an insurance requirement. Are you prepared to weave this story into conversations for the next few months to cement its accuracy? Even seasoned writers need a helping hand at times, thats why we trust Grammarly Premium. If you know WHO is conducting the training maybe they could give info about what is happening that day. Our local high did one that lasted several hours. (You say you dont have traditional HR, but in a large organization theres probably someone youd go to if you needed to request medical or religious accommodations, report harassment or discrimination, or turn in paperwork for FMLA. Correct. The problem is you have random, unqualified people thinking they can provide effective active shooter information when thats clearly not the case. Active shooter drills and lockdown drills are one of the few that my kids take seriously. What kind of work does this company do that they think theres such heightened risk of a mass shooting in their workplace that this over-the-top training is necessary? Seven hours?! My apartment building has so many drills (false alarms) that maybe 12 people out of 102 units (some with 2 people, so more than 102 tenants) bother to evacuate when the alarms go off in the apartment AND hallway. But the last one was letting us know that there were rumors of a violent event being planned for the next day. You Had Other Car Issues 11. Ive been participating in active shooter drills since high school, know about run-hide-fight, and have friends who have lost siblings to gun violence. If you look at the links other commenters have posted, theres actually little evidence that making people go through traumatic active shooter drills teaches them anything that they can put in practice if it really happens, so the usefulness of these drills is questionable at best. If you felt deeply about every shooting you hear about as you did about the first, youd be in a padded room. LWs boss is nuts. I hope LW is able to realize his insensitivity is plenty of cause for reconsidering her stance on him and using all her effort to pushback on such terrible behavior from him. Can you handle yourself under the pressure? That means if you click and buy a product, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Also want to say: I hear that there are differences between younger folks experience and us middle aged people who grew up prior to mass school shootings being so frequent. See you in hell. Just be careful not to cough or sneeze or they could actually suggest a hospital visit. Yes, maybe some people had left for work already. And then if they pushed back, Id advise my staff to call out that day and I wouldnt question it. And then, afterwards, we got the WORST LECTURE EVER from a crying teacher telling us that if this was real wed all be dead because of our collective inability to JUST BEHAVE OURSELVES and BE QUIET for half an hour. Weekends are usually the time when we schedule important family gatherings like weddings, christenings, birthday parties, and anniversary get-togethers. Most units require at least a month notice, but the sooner the better when it comes to requesting to be excused from drill. Im a big proponent of safety drills. I actually now feel I did not stress enough that this is an exceptionally dysfunctional and terrible approach, and should only be used if a) LWs knowledge of their boss says it will work and b) theyre out of other options. I am glad we did because we learned they fancy themselves a superhero who can run through and put out fires and can stop a bad guy with the power of love. You have a side hustle 6. If youre curious I can expand on that, but I dont want to derail the thread. Just type I got a call from my father in the morning today, and he is here in town for some work business. Those types of drills like you did are really for the outside agencies to practice their plans, plus the company has a specific issue like chemical spill that they need to practice. Lost colleagues and students. Youre busy adulting and creating the life you want and deserve, maybe you have children, have important introvert duties or youve been silently spending your evenings working on that business youve always dreamed of. The familyproblem makes upthe best excuses. My school ran its fire drill annually, in the autumn term when the weather was still nice enough that we could reasonably stay outside for a bit without freezing. This is horrific. He likely is superficially affable, but what you have related is not at all the speech of a nice person. My apartment building fails fire drills because we have false alarms EVERY GOSHDARN WEEK. Echoing others concern about this training being from a valid source. Its a nightmare. You Have a Doctor's Appointment 3. Just try to get through it and then enjoy your weekend! It will not be possible for me to participate.. Warning mentions simulated situation and actual shooting. Thank you for sharing them! Commander's and NCO are told to have everyone present but service will not allow them to give true problem Soldiers discipline for attendance issues. (Id clue in a coworker who could text when that part is over. We had one at my former workplace. Author By Posted on June 8, 2022 Categories elle lively mcbroom age 2021 how to check engine hours on suzuki outboard. Hide in your house or go to goat yoga or whatever helps you. This. The answer is maybe. I really dont know what to say to that. I had to explain this to my coworkers, my age group doesnt need more active shooter training. the vast majority of these trainings rely on terrorizing people and teaching absolutely nothing of practical value other than you sure might get shot at work! Theres just not that much to cover. I doubt random company is coordinating with outside agencies. For some unknown reason, my school decided to get all the terrible feelings trainings done at once, so wed be subjected to trainings on school shootings, teenage suicide, and abuse and neglect issues all in a row. 7 hours is ridiculous Id definitely call in sick. She was fine, thank goodness. Follow Alisons advice to talk to someone above her. If you have an awkward situation that youd like example templates for, request a topic here. Have a good gaming night! Not sure if you can find information about it in English, but here in Japan we have frequent fire and earthquake drills; there is also a very loud and scary alert that goes from the earthquake detection center to your cell phone. Every person is different, and in the LW case I would agree she has done active shooter drills, so her choice to do something to avoid and additional drill of this type (talk to mgmt or call sick, I have my opinion but irrelevant to her choice). They dont call us a generation of flakesfor nothing. I supervise a manager who falsified an employee write-up but I dont think she should be fired, getting out of shared intern housing, why are so many executives condescending, and more. And I dont live in bad area.. Not minimizing the OPs fear but I relate to it. Im worried that would get her fired. You can offer a better alternative 5. Im just so tired of worrying. I learned in boarding school that a very light coat of green eyeshadow around the eyes works a treat to make that puked-all-night aura very believeable. A total of 27.2% of working people volunteered, compared to just 21.4% of unemployed people. I have interceded on employees behalf from that position many times, i.e. It waits till the last minute to give Soldier's orders which makes employers upset as well as Soldier. It is such nonsense. 4) Events start to fade, we dont want to be known by that one day, we can slack off on training. He may appear to be superficially nice but he is not kind. This is your time to show that you are the best and that you can definitely take the weekends off and enjoy the weekend. Unexcused absence from an annual training or from nine or more training units in a one year period often results in a discharge from the reserve component for failing to meet the training requirements. CLICK HERE to get your copy from Book Depository. If your employer or client asks why you can't or don't want to work on the weekends, you are not obligated to provide a reason. Sometimes the messages are after the fact, to let us know that the school was on lockdown, but everything is ok now. I dont think I could do a drill again. I hope you are able to easily opt out, OP. excuses to get out of drill weekend. Are there many gossipers in your work place? Call out sick. If you are in the National Guard or Reserves, you may be required to participate in drill weekends. You can also request a leave of absence for personal or medical reasons. You may not even know who the person is, but as long as your friends are going, youre good to go. My husband cant eat in public with his back to the door. Im just old enough to have gotten out of high school with very minimal active shooter type worries. This means that many people who are working full time are also studying. And make sure to tell them that its coming out of both ends. Ive always thought stomach flu was the best excuse. You may not even know who the person is, but as long as your friends are going, youre good to go. To effectively use these excuses, avoid any unnecessary long details, and stick to your story. This article was originally published on https://www.nevertherightword.com. Ahh, thats the stuff. Yes, absolutely, get a doctors note so you have backup. Wed sooner head for somewhere in Europe or Australia (where we have no ties) first. Two weeks ago, we had our first active post-Covid drill, meaning we were meant to act it all out. Combine that with the militarization of police, and these trainings are an abusive nightmare. Best case, that employee will now have even more inside information about strategies, hiding places, and escape routes. Then in my senior year of high school, we all got herded a couple of times out to the track, because apparently someone had called in bomb threats. Michelle Rennex, Politics Even if it doesnt, she would still have to face a conversation about it the next time she shows up to work, so it doesnt help the problem any. In banks they often hold robbery simulations that range from a silent note passed to a teller to a full blown takeover with machine guns. Between the GUN SHOTS outside the classroom, and the unbelievably unqualified instructor who gleefully talked about all the times his hyper-vigilance protected his girlfriend on the mean streets of our farm state, it was too much. by A few years back someone actually did bring a gun into our building, attempting to commit suicide by cop. For the other literally right over my head on the roof. Make sure to tell them that your boss has been dismissing your concerns and you dont trust him to handle mental health issues with any seriousness. ] (which is, essentially, the adult version of the fire drill) and an active shooter drill (which, in my understanding, usually implies some level of re-enactment beyond what Ellis Bell (the teacher above) was describing as lockdown drills at school). There you go. Read More 10 Effective Ways to Deal with Gossip at WorkContinue. I asked for active shooter training at my current workplace because our current safety training is very spotty think staff not knowing the nearest exits or how to lock doors. Dont they do drills and practice?. When I voiced my concerns, he made a few jokes about how he would simply redirect the shooter to a younger person, then asked if I was saying I wouldnt be able to take it.. Jonathan Sandahl Former Private First Class at US Army National Guard (1996-2002) Author has 503 answers and 4.3M answer views 4 y Depending on the circumstances, yes. They are not going to find out; unless they know your father very well. What do you do for seven hours? Nowyou dont have a spare tire,and you are afraid that the mechanic workshop maybe closing. Some of these excuses are a little ridiculous, others are genius (if we do say so ourselves)! No one ever said anything to me. If you want to make memories with your family on trips away from home, you will need to take advantage of the weekends. The staff came to me and I asked him to go lock it in his car, which he did without question or argument. In last couple of days coming home from work, I see what appears to be potential road rage & it scares me. Because all you need to do is say these four words,and the magic will work. Its very ableist to assume that all people can crouch/somehow hide for hours at a time without feeling pain. Unfortunately, many of our politicians (and the people who elect them) would rather our children live in danger than lose lobbying and stockholders money. They don't call us a generation of flakes for nothing. But I don't anymore. The fact that there is no apparent option besides hands-on training is deeply concerning, as is the length of the training. I will never, ever attend one of these againit is worth *any* political or professional price I might pay. I still dont see any reason to simulate a real event that thoroughly. It doesnt matter what people think. It is also a less confrontational and frightening way to approach those issues, putting the onus to explain on him rather than on you. I personally would quickly follow it up with oh no, hold on *RETCH* I really have to go *RETCH* and hang up. Ive never been through any kind of shooter drill. They told the older members what to do. Asking not to be contrary but because Im genuinely curious what you mean by this comment. I don't know how it was in the reserves, but in the Nasty Guard you had to make up the time and have a damn good exscuse. It was traumatizing enough doing that and it only lasted about 5 10 min. If youve been in the Army for more than a year, you know that every unit has their own unique traditions. Written materials and a review of the buildings exits and safe(r) rooms is more than sufficient. Call out sick LW. In addition to being traumatic for employees, it also seems like a poor use of time.