I wanted to go to school and cared about awards. 3. Ill clear my head first, get in a better place and come to the next one. In a real event, it takes a long time for law enforcement to secure each room. Everytown has some resources regarding that as well. His work has been featured in Medium, WikiHow and Chron and is currently authoring his new book on overcoming procrastination and achieving goals. Agreed those, and other things like kids figuring out to hand out scissors, bother me too. It was traumatizing enough doing that and it only lasted about 5 10 min. It is such nonsense. The OP could ask about if theyve done day long trainings on other disasters and how those were handled if that would make a difference, but Im guessing theyd need to opt out regardless. So a UTA 4 would be four drill periods. Im so sorry you are dealing with this. The one I attended was for an outbreak of Avian Flu. This article may contain affiliate links. Especially for people with a history of trauma. In two weeks, my workplace is hosting an all-day active shooter training, conducted by law enforcement. this training means theyll know all the plans. They did this at a local mall. Some places would accept that and back off, others would, horribly, demand details. A professional email will be expected and it is often a great way to make a great impression with your professional counterparts. The university police ran the session and they were very professional yet laid back, which made the training far less stressful than it could have been. Not a lot you can say to that. Use it to your advantage! Personally I think if there are ways to prepare people that dont involve trauma, then we should do those. 9 drill periods in one year it typically starts the discharge process. I know your boss is a big influence in your life/career now but he wont be there forever. 3) (last resort) try to take down the shooter. They dont have any problem with reading anything, its the simulations. Others believe that you should use your weekends to relax and recharge. Editor-in-Chief & Career Development Expert. Lets Deal With Quiet Firing In The Workplace, 8 Signs of Quiet Firing You Should Know Now, 10 Good Excuses for Not Working on Weekends, 1. Yes I laughed about it a lot, even when we were hiding in a hotel room. But you should definitely follow others advice about skipping the upcoming one- this is just for future years to push for online ALICE training. Published by at June 22, 2022. With my tire being flat I've got no way of getting there unfortunately! Not because she is a cold person (quite the opposite) but because its as common in the States as hearing about a traffic accident in Australia. While participating in this @#$% drill would be doubly-triply horrible for you, it is not good for anyones mental health and, as Alison mentioned, most likely wouldnt do any good. I think Im about same age as you. And it sure as hell wont take 7 hours. It may help to know as a 5th option for opt out that the law enforcement facilitators will almost always offer the opportunity for individuals to opt out of simulation portions by self identifying at the very beginning of the training. These are typically held one weekend per month, and they can last anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. We had one on site drill each year that was conducted by security. He had no sense of humor about such things. Yes, maybe some people had left for work already. Its probably the post practical workplace safety training Ive had since the generic mass produced run-hide-fight videos are worthless in a real situation. CALL IN SICK. 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. You may not even know who the person is, but as long as your friends are going, youre good to go. I ended up going through orientation like four times, and in later ones I just stepped out of the room for that part. Absolutely unnecessary. That sounds wildly excessive thats the kind of time spend on drills for issues you deal with every day, like chemical release training at a chemical storage facility. Things have been chaotic and I need a little time to recoop. Also, skip the hair routine, finger brush it out. He doesnt care about his employees feelings. also, to clarify, it needs to be an employment lawyer. excuses to get out of drill weekend Follow us. Two weeks ago, we had our first active post-Covid drill, meaning we were meant to act it all out. But its hard, if not impossible to learn anything when in the throes of a panic attack or PTSD symptoms. - Short answer, no. Standing up for yourself now gets my vote. Im so sorry youre in this position, OP. Youre going to move on from this job at some point, and his opinion wont matter so much anymore, but reliving trauma sticks with you. How horrible. Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. The builder is intuitive. It is usually best to work these issues out with the chain of command or have someone do it for you. Call in sick, OP. If its that long Im going to insist that they outline their full plan for workers compensation, life insurance beneficiary process etc in the event of an active shooter situation. Hes a cruel person, who happens to be nice to you. 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. THIS. No amount of training can mitigate the danger of letting anyone have a gun. Please believe him. There were two separate school shootings in my district in the time frame that I was middle school through high school. The cop who did presented on active shooter protocols casually started discussing a mall shooting in another state part way through the training. Ugh, so sorry OP this is a terrible idea on your companys part. asthma? 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. Its a little trickier because youve already told him youd rather not attend, but if this is the easiest of the options for you, you can do it. Below you'll find way to get out of a date, based on your situation. you may be) and youve found that youve hit a certain point where things have taken a massive swing. I got upset, started crying, and had to ask to leave. Because its unnecessary. If youre in the National Guard, youre required to attend one weekend of drill per month. OP, feel free to call out sick. They were clearly making an effort on all sides not to alarm the kids, and my own kids were totally oblivious that anything was amiss. Cookie Notice Not-really-jokes aside, call in sick. Its in back of my mind when I go to various stores. Somebody is implementing this program, and is either intending it to be voluntary (and your boss is going rogue) or intending it to be mandatory and *really* not thinking it through, and either way I would think the CEO/Owner would want to know about it if you cant get anyone else to listen to you. ). Could we catch up at a less hectic week? Lost colleagues and students. Each person should be allowed to decide the risk-benefit of having the training versus the impact on their mental health. The OG excuse. Im 38 now and I still think about that day with anxiety and sadness. That is the point. Do you own a pet? Dear god. Anyone else attending Berklee College of Music? I would go with calling in sick the day of the drill. 4) Events start to fade, we dont want to be known by that one day, we can slack off on training. My only other thought is, that if this simulation might happen more than once, it could be useful to go the formal accommodations route so you have a standing reason to not attend any sessions. I work in a hospital system. While the Army does provide some financial assistance for drill weekends, you may still incur unexpected costs like travel expenses or new gear. I think this is one of those things that is worth burning political capital for- its annoying to be only woman and the only one opting out, but its pretty important to stand up for yourself in this. One last thought- I know theres no grandboss per se, but is there a CEO or owner? I still dont see any reason to simulate a real event that thoroughly. Your boss sounds like an as**. Maybe you suggest lunch instead of drinks. I knew people involved in both. Michelle Rennex, Culture If you are in the military, or a reservist, there are times when you will be required to attend drill. We were located in an area where street violence was a significant risk. Or deliberately schedule a doctor/dental appointment that day and say sorry it was the only time they could get you in. I have no idea what kind of training could possible take seven hours. As the World's Most Accurate Online Grammar Checker, Grammarly Premium goes beyond grammar to help you ensure that everything you write is clear, engaging, and professional. What are you suggesting Americans do to combat gun violence and the wide availability of guns, other than voting and organizing? Are you getting a lot of spam which is very annoying and want to avoid them? Again her choice is individual and different, but I am glad her workplace is partnering with them so that others who many never have had such drills (me included, 7 workplaces over 30+ years and I have at most had video training) have that opportunity. (They literally had us hiding in our offices while the public was still in our spaces creating a safety hazard while doing safety training!) And where the training is done by people who are professionals *in the topic they are training*. Here are some tips from some of the worlds best mentor for you to jump-start your career to get that sweet promotion and excel in your career. I feel you, OP. But what on earth could take 7 hours for active shooter training alone that would actually be useful? - From a Soldier perspective. Sigh. Except the trainings are ongoing so new employees can take them and so we keep getting emails. A seven hour training is rediculous, even actual drills for emergency services dont last that long. Thats insane. We should be marching and burning government buildings and performing citizens arrests of corrupt politicians and 1%ers over this. Seven hours is unbelievable, but sounds more like a training event for the police than your workplace. I already deal with the anxiety on a daily basis; I dont need someone pointing it out in a tasteless joke. Its crazy there are plenty of places in the world with constant random violence. Cant see any problem with that. Just in case. Yup. And you know theyll treat it all as a big game because its all fake anyway. Stealing superficially affable for later use. Updated: Monday, March 20, 2017. If approved, you will be given permission to miss the drill and will not face any penalties. Maybe they dont want to relive their experiences either? If youre interested in further reading, weve also included links to our trusted resources and related posts below. There are many good reasons why you might not want to work on the weekend. I had to listen to 911 calls, crying children, the lot. You can also request a leave of absence for personal or medical reasons. 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. Youve already got a serious medical condition, and now you get to worry that if your blood sugar plummets or your pump fails during an active shooter situation that it will get all your friends killed. Im sure that wont hurt kids mental health at all. Minus the psychodrama? Federal and State Laws Protect Military Students on Orders In 2019 Never the Right Word was born to fill the gap of how-to websites with copy and paste examples showing you EXACTLY what you need to say to steer difficult conversations into positive outcomes. Be on your best behaviour: Another thing you can try doing is being on your best behaviour. Everyone knows how to call 911. Protagonist is South Asian or possibly Middle Eastern man who is meeting a woman for a date? I think state law might require us to do x number a year. I work for state government and am my agencys safety coordinator in addition to my regular, full-time role. My high school teachers kept hammers and baseball bats in the classrooms and told us where they were when we did ALICE days. Ill come out again soon when Im in a better place. dental?) The timeline itself would be enough for me to push back. If your unit is one of the many that has had to cancel its Drill Weekend, dont despair! Therefore, an entire weekend can add up to four unexcused absences. Sick of this a-hole you work for! Because all you need to do is say these four words. I also doesn't hurt that our founder has a little store on there Donating to Never the Right Word willhelp us produce more free content. Do they set real fires for a fire drill? 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. Call out sick. and it will be late till you reach there. Im now almost 36 and Ive never held a gun, and aside from police (who have it bolstered), Ive never seen a gun in real life. We remembered the event very differently. You can easily use this one if the host lives far away. 2. 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. 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/. Unless responding to active shooter scenarios is a commonly expected part of your job duties, theres no way this training is a reasonable requirement. Agreed. This is all scary and horrible. Asking not to be contrary but because Im genuinely curious what you mean by this comment. In the past 10 years, both employees and employers have recognized the importance of fostering a work-life balance. My school responded with were going to ring the fire alarm at X time, dont go outside, its too cold and this is ridiculous anyway. Thankfully it was a cold winter and after a few temperature reports to whoever mandated it and a lot of angry parents (especially at other schools who did make kids stand outside on a day that was probably -10F), that stopped. excuses to get out of drill weekend Even if you cant shoot as often as youd like, its important to keep your marksmanship skills sharp. See you in hell. training like that. I feel for commanders and NCO on this issue because the people at the top REFUSE to truly find ways to resolve this issue because a number on the books is all that matters. Bomb threats were a constant fact of life. 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. Forcing people to pretend theyd died???? I totally get the desensitisation though; Its a self-preservation measure. (Unless maybe it was kitty snuggling trainingmight be up for 7 hours of that.). Then you can avoid the worst of the after-event commentary. That he has somehow tricked you into thinking this is okay is horrifying. And make sure to tell them that its coming out of both ends. Fast forward to this current moment in your life, (whereveryou may be) and youve found that youve hit a certain point where things have taken a massive swing. Is it even living, or is it just surviving? Im just old enough to have gotten out of high school with very minimal active shooter type worries. Hi [Name], my cab firm said there wont be any availability for an hour. Are they tenants in a building that is having this training for all businesses? Take care of your mental health first. My organization has gone through several stages. It should be the same level of training they get for things like earthquakes, fires, or hazardous weather: how to recognize a situation that requires action, where you go to evacuate/shelter and what to do if a problem arises, how/who do you notify. Nothing viral, but it was a great indicator that I wasnt feeling super great and thats why I wasnt my usual cheery self! Amazing- they hire someone to assess risk, then ignore what they have to say about risk to staff in the lobby. There is zero reason to be doing this training. I think many people would freeze. by Husband noped right on out of that and worked from home that day. I can not imagine what possible justification there is to spend an entire workday on this. And dont give up. Wed also be delighted if you shared this article and joined us on social media too! A man that old fashioned is going to shut you down fast and tell you just stay home. What Happens if You Miss One Weekend a Month in the National - Synonym This is especially true if you have school-aged children. For more information, please view our Privacy Policy and Earnings Disclosure page. If a teacher or student has an issue then they should be removed from the situation. Women are also more likely than men to work two jobs and 6.9% of all workers are employed at more than two jobs. 1) Wont happen herewe are nowhere near the big city where these things happen. I think its 100% okay to stonewall/lie/be vague about your symptoms to protect your privacy if your boss pushes back. Ive been participating in active shooter drills since high school, know about run-hide-fight, and know people who have died from gun violence. 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). who have been through it. The vultures swoop in when a shooting takes place, pretending to offer support as they build their trauma resumes and then move on to profit from death, offering lockdown training and recovery services. Should issue directions? That sounds horrible and not at all like a good use of time. You dont know how you will react until you are in a situation, but a one-time seven hour LARPing of a horrible situation will not help you and certainly can traumatize you. I am old and also infuriated on your behalf. However, your commander then has it in his authority to deny you attendance of drills. I appreciate that my kiddos school practices emergency in a general sensehere are our hiding spots, could be something weather related or physical security related. 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. We highly recommend these tried-and-tested tools: The Elegant Themes membership gives you complete access to 87 amazing themes and 3 awesome plugins, including Divi, the ultimate WordPress Theme and Visual Page builder. There are plenty of hours in the day to work, but youll only get one chance to attend that special occasion. One of the victims was paralyzed instead of dying and there was a lot of stuff about how tragic this was, implications that it was worse than death Not much fun when youre a physically disabled teenager being forced to attend this event. Most workplace active shooters are targeted. I had to call out that day for a family emergency. As someone whos been in pretty much that exact situation, your 2-for-1 euthanasia comment made me CACKLE. I'll keep it short. What poor timing! Its a 5-7 minute trip (if youre sprinting) to the nearest building with one of those. I didnt know any of this when I went to school that day and it was one of the worst days I can recall (my friends accident hadnt involved alcohol, but the response was almost identical). Attend events and functions, volunteer for leadership positions, and just generally be a positive presence within your unit. Understanding how to tell your boss you are not working on weekends professionally can help you to say no, with confidence and courtesy. I will never, ever attend one of these againit is worth *any* political or professional price I might pay. Anyway Ive been thinking about it a lot recently because of the Oxford and MSU shootings. and stick to your story. 4) Bring a book or something else to occupy your mind if you get bored during drill. While I was there no one was ever hurt, and no one brought a weapon onto the property (one person was once apprehended with a weapon in the parking lot by police while trying to come in), but the callousness of upper-management was galling. What's not to love? Youve successfully canceled every plan you had for this weekend. Also, your boss is a horses ass. I think what happens is that someone sees the day-long disaster simulation events using those who will be involved in emergency responses (police, fire, hospitals, etc) and thinks day-long training will be useful to everyone. Michelle Rennex, Film If youre super close with them, theyll probably just laugh and say theyll catch you later. That's fine. This sounds like the episode Emergency Response from Parks and Rec, so interesting to hear about a real-life counterpart of it/how true to life that show really was. I have never ever called in sick for any reason other than actually being too sick to leave my bed. My father came close to being blown up in the Marks and Sparks Paris bombing. Even I could tell how hard it was for him to keep it together. She has nothing to gain, and something to lose, by trying to play it by the book. That is worse than no training at all. This seems to be a growing problem. You do not need to hear gun shots or see people play dead or whatever simulated shenanigans people want to insist on. You can easily use this one if the host lives far away. The last time we had an active shooter drill, HR neglected to tell emergency services that it was only a drill. This is a good perspective I can take to my leadership to let them know that while SOME of our employees might want this, it could also be detrimental to others. LW, I am so sorry. But as long as we expect children to go through this, we adults need to also, dont we? You have a family trip planned 3. Just try to get through it and then enjoy your weekend! I hope youre well. Our active shooter training is online, so you can just play the video and ignore it & still get credit. Precisely, More Training Needed. The self advocacy takes its own toll. Add to the fact that you shouldn't be U'ed if the SM provided a valid excuse. Lol I was going to say the same thing. So why not plan this up again someday?. What happens if I skip one drill? : r/army - reddit LWs boss is nuts. Additionally, I grew up in a part of the States that has very little gun culture to speak of; I wasnt around guns at all, didnt know anyone who owned one, never touched one till my mid-30s. If there is valuable information being conveyed, I want to know it, but the toll on my mental health if I do this training is going to be immense, and I cannot imagine what content they will be teaching that I havent already heard and internalized many times before. And if my boss gave me grief about it Id jump straight to calling a lawyer. Full stop. The irony of school kids being taught run-hide-fight when theres so little that they could use to fight withat my desk I have tons of makeshift weapons that could indeed inflict great bodily harm if I had to. Their representatives propose these changes. To enhance the dramatic effect, you can fill up your voice with tears and can have a catharsis you were longing for. 5. The lights were on a timer. Even though we always we given advance notice of a drill. Her students are fifth graders, so ages 10-11. If you know WHO is conducting the training maybe they could give info about what is happening that day. Some people believe working on the weekends is bad for your productivity. Most of the employees on campus did not directly participate, but many of us had to complete a very very long online training. No one ever said anything to me. I had been there. Sotraveling, without one, is not a good option even if traveling means going across two blocks. Plus,no one wants to hear the details. Once I had to go down there to switch to a new bag of soda concentrate, which took a lot longer than usual. I have a perfect non-attendance record for the last 10 years of active shooter training at my firm. I bet some dudebro with delusions of heroism thinks it is a cool idea. When you look back on yourself even 6 months from now, youll be glad you did. What do you think of attending college while on Active Duty, Marginal 1059 while attending Drill Sergeant School. It's easy to learn and can be used by non-developers to create amazing websites. The only practical thing you can do is prepare for the world you live in. I hope she takes option #4. (This shooting range has since gone on to have neo-Nazi ties and host fundraising events with certain family members of certain politicians. is not a good option even if traveling means going across two blocks. Pretty much this. update: how can I turn down training requests from my clients? You can ask to be excused from drilling at that point. Oh, I just had a horrible thought. Many would not even know to run if we told them; they cannot comprehend the danger. How awful. There wont be chaotic running through the halls. Im a little bit too old to really be a member of the school-shooting-generation (in that I was in undergrad by the time Sandy Hook happened), and my impression when I hear my younger peers talking about it (and from some commenters in threads below) is that the pervasiveness (of both the drills and the threat) is what makes them so traumatizing for many people. The blood that rushes to the tip of your finger usually matches the tone of your lips. Thanks to experiencing a variety of traumatic violence, I tend to escalate immediately to threat elimination mode. I HATED that we had to do these trainings it felt like being given a band-aid for a hemorrhage.