And if that fool makes another joke, look him in the face and say Did you just try to joke about me being murdered to save yourself? There is no generational excuse. But for moments like this and in workplaces like this where there isnt a great way out this is what these lies, excuses, or pivots are for. You have a side hustle 6. A chemical material handler from HAZWOPER? I already think about mass shootings every single day, including every time Im in a crowded public place, and while I would be happy to read about the hiding protocol or do a self-defense practice, the idea of experiencing a full-scale active simulation makes me feel physically ill. In one, most of it occurred in the park across the street from campus (which was lovely, and we always had to tell new students that it looked nice, but it was Not Their Park), and wed get a text alert to stay away from the windows on that side of campus. If youre curious I can expand on that, but I dont want to derail the thread. And I dont live in bad area.. Not minimizing the OPs fear but I relate to it. Heres a list of foolproof excuses thatare sure to get you out of any weekend plan. Call in sick, OP. Good for you for advocating for yourself. Asking not to be contrary but because Im genuinely curious what you mean by this comment. Both my former Commander and XO attended both drill AND law school. Hi [Name], Im so sorry but weve been out all day and weve found out that the train is suspended from [Your Location], the journey would be a nightmare/ we would probably miss the whole event by the time we arrived. My 18 year old brother called me in a panic because his girlfriend was in one of the buildings they thought the shooter was in, and Im pretty sure the panic in his voice is going to stay with me for the rest of my life. Please stand firm on the accommodations that you need. One year we had an active shooter trainer come in who said anyone in the lobby would be killed right away, including our receptionists (we didnt have bulletproof glass)! And what happens, sir, when the commander isn't interested in working with the Soldier to deconflict? Cant see any problem with that. and Youre Currently Waiting to Be Rescued by Your, make a call and tell them how your place is flooded with water and you need to fix it. 3 Sick Day Email Templates to Get the Day Off - Career Sidekick Im worried that would get her fired. Unfortunately, not all units are able to participate in Drill Weekends. Go somewherea hike, a spa, a museumon that day. Believe us,this works every time. Our active shooter training is online, so you can just play the video and ignore it & still get credit. Yes, I reject the idea that the boss is a nice person. I understand that gallows humor is a thing. Not a lot you can say to that. It could be anxiety/PTSD or something else, regardless it puts them in a place to have the sick note for work if theres any pushback. Bullets fired by a mass shooter will actually curve away from people who know that the only way to conquer your fear is to face it. Logistics, communications, chain of command, etc. Ive even had to go so far as to use a very light dusting of a slightly purple-y matte eye shadow to emphasize the dark circles under my eyes for one job (company was populated by a LOT of ex-military). Joking about the shooter choosing another target is horrifically awful. However, life happens and there may be times when you cannot attend. Copyright 2007 - 2023 Ask A Manager. It was a full hands on every emergency agency in our city was involved. The only way to conquer your fear is to face it. If their is no way to get internet or their would be no time they could complete their assignments, i would approve the SUTA - I started out enlisted in MNARNG and have two AC/RC assignments. *Deep breath* Many triggering statements made below, please be advised. If you miss a drill weekend, there are a few things that could happen. Your sporting team is playing in the finals. I think state law might require us to do x number a year. Her lashes arent jet black! She realized after they should not have made those jokes where I could hear them (though I understand you sometimes need dark humor to deflect your own discomfort). No amount of training can mitigate the danger of letting anyone have a gun. Why was a child being asked to pose like a dead body for the police?????? My organization has gone through several stages. But last summer I had to attend one of these trainings at work (though much shorter) and I completely melted down. But this comment made me want a like button. 2) HIDE! Your friend doesnt know who that guy is but man, do they hate em. When my grandkid was 5 their school was involved with an active shooter, luckily, it was resolved fairly quickly, but thinking about how it could have happened still makes me shake. The good news is that shameless excuses exist. Then you have a Soldier with real issues like a family member dealing with cancer and there is no allowance period. Thats a totally reasonable length for something so complicated and so intertwined with our everyday work, especially where we may be needed to provide specialized assistance to professional EMS/Fire personnel who have less experience with the particular hazards involved. No sense in reminding them of the futility of it all on a monthly basis as well. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. I love the advice to take two days and do something restorative. Now, chill and relax. Thank you! 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? For example, an evacuation drill might reveal that the intended exit route is actually inaccessible because its blocked by blackberry thicket (true story), or a fire drill could show you that the fire alarm isnt audible in one part of the building (also true story). The prurient excitement exhibited by those conducting the trainingsand folks like OPs bossis a sickness in our society. This goes on your permanent military record and can affect your career negatively. Do they set real fires for a fire drill? I was irate several years ago when I found out an unqualified emergency management person made his own active shooter drill video and sent it to all staff at my agency. Sometimes I go through that employee if I really want to raise an issue, but I cant always count on their support. I lost someone I knew to a mass shooter several years, and have been dealing with anxiety for these types of situations since, with professional help. I know you said your boss is normally nice, but hes being a bonehead, insensitive jerk about this if he doesnt allow you to quietly bow out. Also also- there is no way in heck a seven hour (!??) The conference was originally scheduled to take place during AT but when they learned I couldn't go they rescheduled it for specifically me. Youre exhausted from your week and want nothing more than to collapse on the couch and watch an unhealthy amount of Netflix. If you are a National Guard member, there are certain circumstances where you can be excused from drill. I interned at a plant that had an annual disaster training day where they would pick one scenario and do a full day simulation + training on it. You have a family emergency. He has to fly armed. On my stomach lining, which makes me puke, nearly immediately. Please believe him. 30 Good Reasons To Call Out Of Work - Rigorous Themes You can report an ad, tech, or typo issue here. You can go the formal accommodations route. 25 Fantastic Excuses to Get Out of an Event - Never the Right Word (Like Alisons proposed it wont be possible.). Oh and he made the video on his phone! I am going out on dinner with him. After last years training, TPTB had to send out an email noting that something the trainer suggested was against the systems safety standards, so theres that. And, even calling 911 can be difficult in a real emergency. Seven hours?! What if theyre going to do it several times? Its not worth getting worked up over. Im sorry, but its an all-day event? Im very sorry. Teasing you and demanding you attend is NOT appropriate, no matter their age. That is insane! For the other literally right over my head on the roof. I mean your boss sounds delightful so maybe he is concerned he may be a target, but the chances of you ever needing to use that mass-shooting situation at work is low. That is the point. You say hes a nice guy, but And I absolutely think you should do the same. he is not a nice guy. Can I Refuse To Work Weekends? 6 Ways To Get Out of Working Weekends It was a joke call. We had one on site drill each year that was conducted by security. For many of us, a side hustle allows us to: If you have the passion, stamina, and ability to have a successful side hustle, having your weekends free to pursue it is a legitimate excuse to avoid weekend work. Same. My heart goes out to you, OP. All rights reserved. The UK is having a heck of a lot of problems, and every so often we wonder if wed need to head back Stateside, but active shooter drills keep it crossed off the list. I have 2 young children, not quite school aged. Not only was it bad in general, but he had a dumb smile on his face the whole time, using military and law enforcement terminology to make his points. You could also make up a fake relative, or say that you knew someone who died in x major shooting event. And I hope that people above your boss can reign in his asshattery towards you. Im sorry for the loss of your loved one and for your own experience too. First responders and EM do exercises to improve our side of it. One of the most popular WordPress themes in the world. We should be ashamed that we are teaching children to be prepared for violence, and to be prepared to commit violence from the time they are toddlers on. Where the repetition is frequent, not annually at best. I know I would. I already know how to do nothing. Dont want to be one of those flaky people anc cancel last minute on them. Seven hours of training is far more likely to be a poorly designed hands-on training that will only cause stress, fear, and trauma, possibly leading to worse outcomes if there ever is a real shooting. I suppose on some level I feel like, there is nothing I can do to prevent it if its going to happen, and I dont have the reflexes that drilling would train into me to be assessing or thinking about what I might do if it did. There is a solution that has worked just about everywhere else in the world, and its not this. Culture There are plenty of hours in the day to work, but youll only get one chance to attend that special occasion. Im also just really curious about why the boss wants to have an active shooter drill given how cavalier he seems to be about it. As a result, theres this whole industry of emergency preparedness which means some are doing useful drills coordinated with governmental departments and some are just selling useless single day trainings so companies can check off a box that says they did it. However, just this once, you want to put what YOU want first and theres nothing wrong with that! Now the thought of visiting my friends in the US on holiday absolutely terrifies me. But youve already established your workplace isnt likely to be reasonable. If this article appears on any other site other than https://www.nevertherightword.com without clear referencing it is a violation of the copyright owned by https://www.nevertherightword.com. Everyones Crying Over Adams Poem From Season 3 Of Sex Education When I voiced my concerns, he made a few jokes about how he would simply redirect the shooter to a younger person I work in a school and I think our staff training maxed out at like an hour, and half of that was about identifying and preventing threats. **Several other events over a long time including the loss of a police officer in the line of duty at a traffic stop at the organization, a murder at the organization, a supervisor I knew dealing with a suicidal worker (despite all of his training, I had to order him to inform the police) and many false alarms. I had a stalker threatening to kill my family / loved ones for (years? They had to go door to door knocking to tell people to leave. Want to write a professional email at work? Our wallet holdsall ofour important things, including cash, id, and credit cards. That is worse than no training at all. But they made the change less than 30 days before drill. On top of that, everyone was ordered not to use their cell phones. Maybe they dont want to relive their experiences either? He had no sense of humor about such things. I grew up in an era when everything American was super cool and aspirational. I graduated high school a few years before Columbine, but can still completely empathize with what people who are younger than me have been through. There are many reasons why people volunteer, including: Women volunteered more than men (28.3% compared to 21.8%), as measured across demographics including age, education level, and ethnicity. Hey [Name], sorry to be that person, but Im exhausted from everything going on this week. At my old job, most people didnt watch it. First thought was to call in sick. And we have false alarms all the timeeither people are doing something clueless like venting burned toast to the hallway instead of the windows, theyre pulling alarms on purpose, theyre tampering with the wiringor the system is just glitching. They dont call us a generation of flakesfor nothing. A year or so before COVID, our state decided to mandate active-shooter drills for schools. Seconding the idea that there is an industry built around these things. single. Each time, it has been a targeted shooting. Getting excused from Drill? : r/army - reddit.com What action should OP expect to be taken, as a result of this call? I skipped out a couple times for various reasons, then had to go in at night, or serve with another unit. Im sort of lucky, in a way, because the school I work at is a non-public school serving children with Autism and Intellectual Disability. This one will go prettywell,butwait! Footage & Music Libraries. Essentially, it is suppose to identify potential issues ahead of time; example, local, state & federal departments all using different radio frequencies and needing to figure out what they would use together in an emergency (this was an issue during Katrina). In last couple of days coming home from work, I see what appears to be potential road rage & it scares me. Before things finally came to a head). The first time the drill happened, even knowing in advance, I had a breakdown and had to ask my Dean to leave for the day in tears (she knows my history with this topic). Here are some valid excuses for missing drill: Want more Junkee in your life? 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. Along with multiple growth options, free site transfers and domains, built-in Content Delivery Network integrations, WordPress support, AND human support we wouldn't go to anyone else. Not sure if this is the case for the OP, but when my previous employer planned a mandatory active shooter drill, they sent a liability release/waiver that we were expected to sign. I got good feedback later about the power of the word, so maybe try it. Read More 10 Effective Ways to Deal with Gossip at WorkContinue. Each section contains a mixture of fascinating research, creative prompts, activities and instructions, sensory stimuli, and inspiration. (I am not being facetious or flip or glib here run means get away from the situation. But if you dont know what the siren sounds like, how are you going to know what it is? Ive been participating in active shooter drills since high school, know about run-hide-fight, and know people who have died from gun violence. This LW has done THIS TYPE of drill so has met her obligation and should have no guilt or issue dropping out of this particular drill. My Dad was a St. John Ambulance volunteer when he was younger, and was a casualty in drills more than once. Or maybe if no one from your department is going to be there. Understanding how to tell your boss you are not working on weekends professionally can help you to say no, with confidence and courtesy. I still have really distinct memories of what I can only imagine was my elementary schools first-ever armed intruder drill after Virginia Tech. Question about Army Reserve - skipping out on drill They also handwaved off the fact that we work in a giant glass fishbowl and cant remotely lock the doors like you can with many other buildings on campus. 3) Train everyone! I dont see whats gained by including all the waiting/hiding time. Given that shes already on record as not wanting to participate and the boss reaction, this might be the first time I would ever consider advising someone to just no-call no-show and eat the occurrence. I was forced to go through an active-shooter training despite protests, and when a group of us were able to push back as a group, I used the word consent a lot. I did not encounter any of the officers because I immediately closed my door when the drill started, but my Dean and several coworkers who were standing in the hallway right next to our office did encounter one. I hope she takes option #4. Editor-in-Chief & Career Development Expert. 7 hours is ridiculous Id definitely call in sick. 4k Images Added per Hour. His work has been featured in Medium, WikiHow and Chron and is currently authoring his new book on overcoming procrastination and achieving goals. But does it require the full drill, or can you do a security discussion instead? I was home sick that day and watching messages pour in over our communication app on my phone; cant even imagine being there, but Ive heard similar things from coworkers. Army reserves: how do I get out of this drill? : r/army - reddit same, but I would leave early on the day before because of said flu/stomach bug/whatever, take off sick the day of the training, and take off the next day, too, to avoid the followup chatter around the office, and maybe mitigate some of the where were you, you missed its. And if you are not looking up for one, have a detailed conversation with him,and I bet you will scare him off. Im not against well-designed, appropriate active shooter drills but I cant believe this one is well-designed or appropriate if it takes so long. I dont know what field youre in, but if the pharmacy field where they deal with peoples health/health insurance daily, doesnt have to deal with it, it seems highly unlikely your field should too if it isnt education or medical. Weve had some real fires, but unless the sprinkler system fails, the building will just flood instead of burning down. I had a young kid when Sandy Hook happened, as many of us old folks did, but even those who are childless should at least be able to imagine the trauma these drills can cause. 3. No questions were ever asked. That would put you on the other side of the experience, have no surprises, be exposed to the useful material, and feel in control of the day for yourself. But its a good skill to have that will serve you well in your career. You can only use this one if its raining there. Lastly, if you found this content helpful or want to share your own examples, let us know in the comments. Ive worked at a college for two years, administrative assistant to a Dean. (Enough Benadryl cures the symptoms, so I could have been better by the evening), I chickened out. The peak factor was approaching 4.5 or I couldnt find a single driver in my area will work. I think practicing repeating whatever line works for you, to avoid being needled by him about it in future, might be worthwhile. But it might be helpful to do so. We managed to cover fire, health emergencies, active shooters, bomb threats, weather evacuations, you name it, all in the span of a couple hours. I havent read all the comments, but this makes me truly ill. To be fair, I was already angry on your behalf before reading this letter. Most units require at least a month notice, but the sooner the better when it comes to requesting to be excused from drill. I did see those and book.arked them all to read and to support my reasons for making the training optional. The five most popular were: golf, basketball, baseball/softball, soccer, and running. LW didnt really mention it as an option, though, so Im wondering if both her PTO and Sick leave is limited. Im so sorry youre in this position, OP. there were no office doors to close and we had no escape roots beside the main hall, so we would be trapped. No one will ask an explanation for this one as we all know how severe it hits. Just try to get through it and then enjoy your weekend! I would totally wake up with a migraine that day and never feel bad for a moment. The whole experience just changed the entire trajectory of their career and also the field of emergency preparedness. You got aninvitation to go for a hike on Sunday? As the first step in run-hide-fight, you totally should call in sick, say you are running. This workrelated excuse is only going to work if its not a work gathering. Thats just totally unreasonable. I had to call out that day for a family emergency. All The Funniest Reactions To Facebook And Instagram Shutting Down For Six Hours Im so sorry this is the world were living in. That would be my guess too, but we cant know. Theres just not that much to cover. Sometimes the messages are after the fact, to let us know that the school was on lockdown, but everything is ok now. I grew up in the Seventies and Eighties in the UK with the IRA. Repeated training hones the reflex actions needed in terrible situations. This means that a significant proportion of the volunteer labor force comes from people who are already occupied with paid labor elsewhere. You can approach the second-in-command, if you believe that person will be more receptive than your boss. No, you cannot call out sick for drill. My mind is so boggled by the fact that anyone would find this an appropriate and normal thing to do in a public setting where there are almost certainly students, staff, faculty, etc. The adults should be taking care of the problem way before our children are in danger. If he again says something ridiculous like asking if you "wouldn't be able to take it," you could say . Learn how your comment data is processed. Im a survivor of gun violence and Ive lost a loved one in a mass shooting. If you are in the military, or a reservist, there are times when you will be required to attend drill. As a USAR CDR I'd approve an excused absence and call it a day but really depends on what you ask for an if you have a good chain of command. In a real event, it takes a long time for law enforcement to secure each room. You were asked to attenda raging, booze-filled pub crawlon Friday? If you have a family or work obligations that conflict with your drill weekend, there are a few ways that you can get out of it. So, as you can see, its very important not to miss a drill weekend. Oh god. If you do not own a car, you might be thinking that you got to pass all the car excuses. I know you dont want to do that, being the only woman and all, but I find that sometimes I spend too much effort holding myself together, and an honest reaction sometimes solves the issue. SEVEN hours??? I would discount everything that he said about you and take away what he said about himself, namely that he would sacrifice your life for his. But if thats not the case,tell them you were here (at some distant place) to pick up some workrelatedstuff,and it will be late till you reach there. Cookie Notice According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regular physical activity improves your brain health, helps you to maintain a healthy weight, and reduces your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and even some cancers. (And get a pizza delivered to your address. 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. It is not worth the cost to your mental health to try to justify your position any more to your insensitive boss or even, frankly, other people. (Unless maybe it was kitty snuggling trainingmight be up for 7 hours of that.). Alerting system for all employees and associated people created. Im so thankful I dont go to that mall anyway; now I have yet another reason to avoid it. If people ask questions, you may just have to answer them. You may not even know who the person is, but as long as your friends are going, youre good to go. Again, its like, well yes, I want them to have survival skills in this reality we live in. But since I am pretty much exhausted, I dont need anything more than my bed and a day, sleep. Because lets be honest, who does not want to have a hot mug of coffee on the terrace while watching the rain pouring onto the glass of your windows, making a thud sound and yet so calming? I have AT starting Aug 7. Good luck! I was the first person they tried to take as a hostage, it was something new. Ive done Portal of Safety Drills in martial arts when I was younger. When I commented to occupational health or whomever mandated the training with feedback about this needing an alternative, a trigger warning or both I was also brushed off). If you are sick, you must report to your unit and be evaluated by a medical professional. It can be a good time to start getting migraines I genuinely get them and I cant even look at a screen to email / call in. It doesnt need to replicate the emergency as realistically as possible. What About Attending a Trade School Instead of College. I know he isnt *always* a jerk, but hes really being a jerk about this. Depressing, yet so effective. I work for a public-facing government agency.
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