The good news is that shameless excuses exist. Really, have no qualms about it. excuses to get out of drill weekend Im sorry for the loss of your loved one and for your own experience too. Ahh, thats the stuff. I bet some dudebro with delusions of heroism thinks it is a cool idea. If the host does not know about your dating life, you can easily go with this one. Training as part of orientation. I am so sorry for you and your child. Best practice is to allow people to opt out, for any reason. 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. Im older woman, early 50s, white, living in Texas where no permit is needed to carry a gun. It still felt stupid, though. Dont they do drills and practice?. Im so sorry. Often when you are communicating at work, youll need to write a formal email to a coworker, HR, or client. Updated: Monday, March 20, 2017. 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? Edit: please understand I am NOT a highly motivated soldier. 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. Seven hours?! CALL IN SICK. You have a medical issue an active shooter drill is detrimental to your mental health. Turned out that was the best way to surround himself with friends to help remind him he was safe. (And imo no child should be doing in-depth active shooter training beyond heres the exit route, heres how to lock the door, but Im not a parent and I know this stuff is tough.). We didnt have ours as often, and the threat seemed a little more distant, but some of those early ones were poorly handledand (given what weve read about the boss in question) I think letter writers office one sounds like it has the potential to be as well. Look, Im a school employee, a military brat, and an LEO wife. Im a manager at the lowest level of our management structure. 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. Im sorry about your boss, OP. Read More 9 Best Practices for Career Success in Your 20s, no.7 get you PromotedContinue. The two are not the same. No?). I hope that, some day, no child anywhere will ever have to even think about doing something like that. Its naturaland can happen to anyone. 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. we had to watch those run-hide-fight videos at the old job and the entire time Im like how is this going to work for us. Call in sick, OP. Wanted to add that I agree the real problem is in the proliferation of guns and the lawlessness favored bycertain politicians. And then if they pushed back, Id advise my staff to call out that day and I wouldnt question it. But I don't anymore. Try Grammarly Premiums AI-powered assistant here. What are they planning for 7 hours? Get involved in your unit. 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. Frankly, its upsetting enough leaving them behind at daycare 4 days a week even though I know they both love it, and they are extremely safe. 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). Now its Friday afternoon. A book that finally understands introverts! Anyway Ive been thinking about it a lot recently because of the Oxford and MSU shootings. Self-defense probably included too. He has to fly armed. Yup, this works, so well that it kept me using makeup! 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. Your sweet, naive brain thought it was a good idea to make plans to fill every second. Ive never done a training myself, but my children have since preschool (note: they are intentionally vague at that age, calling it bad guy training). Speedy Search & Discovery. Part of our run-hide-fight training is a very well-done, professionally-shot video set on our hospital campus. During the week, you were full of hope and motivationfor the weekend ahead. 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. 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. BS on that one! Id feel the same way. Tell them how you were all dressed up for this party, but at the last moment, you found out that your car tire is punctured. Pardon me if I dont exactly trust law enforcement to do your training for one minute let alone seven hours. I cried, honestly, because even though it was very low key and not big budget, it was very effective at showing what its like, to have a normal work and school day completely turn on its head. Maybe, or maybe he just meant you cant opt out if you are at work. Stealing superficially affable for later use. Run around with fake guns pretend shooting you. You Have a Doctor's Appointment 3. Because of course.). This kind of boss only considers puking in a trashcan as sick. To enhance the dramatic effect, you can fill up your voice with tears and can have a catharsis you were longing for. Yet this person always wants the group to come up with brilliant ideas to keep people from having normal human accidents, such as twisting their ankle or getting a door slammed on their hand by some other careless person. Informthem how you need to fill up for one of your colleagues for an extra shift,and you wont be freeuntilmidnight. Yes, there are employers who know or try to get around laws meant to protect Reservists. You have a side hustle 6. Just call in sick that day. I know he isnt *always* a jerk, but hes really being a jerk about this. Its about 80% victim-blaming) with an actual drill, andI would not be able to. They say that the time for RST has passed. 5. Basically a small org thought they were getting a powerpoint presentation and instead someone showed up with a real gun shooting blanks. Written materials and a review of the buildings exits and safe(r) rooms is more than sufficient. This particular teacher was really big on collective responsibility for classroom behavior and (even though Id been pointedly holding my finger to my lips at people when I wasnt huddled in a very small and silent ball) I just remember feeling so guilty. Lavender Baj, Culture If you miss your drill weekend without contacting the Reserve unit and securing permission in advance, you incur an unexcused absence. Here are some reasons why employees quiet quit at work? Building layouts is easy and fast, making it ideal to create mockups and wireframes, prototyping a design, and creating the website itself. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Security performance theater indeed. as a manager, should I not wear a childless shirt in my off-hours? The only practical thing you can do is prepare for the world you live in. Agreed those, and other things like kids figuring out to hand out scissors, bother me too. I feel you, OP. Weekend is a great excuse to get out to the movies. Here are some of This place does not sound like. I have mild to moderate claustrophobia, and theres absolutely no way Id ever participate in an escape room. What I really want is to skip it entirely but if I can, how do I explain this request/decision to my boss without disclosing my mental health struggles, explaining (in vain) the anxiety I feel about this training, or looking like the only person not tough enough to participate (as the only woman in my department)? That sounds ridiculously triggering and excessive for anyone, let alone someone with anxiety. Her lashes arent jet black! LW, I know youre worried that your boss will call you triggered or a snowflake or otherwise weak, but it is in fact very strong a brave to calmly stand firm at your limit. I have a PhD in firearm violence and injury prevention, and while I wont say that there isnt training that could be beneficial, I will say there isnt any solid of benefit. Work from home dont only give you the benefit of only flexible working time and let you sleep a little later than normal. Im probably among the youngest USians not to grow up with these drills; Columbine happened when I was in high school, and at that time we regarded it as an awful but anomalous eventwe had no idea what was coming. As a parent, what do I even do with this information?! Now, chill and relax. - From a Soldier perspective. I knew people involved in both. I didnt want to go to the active shooter training (not a drill, a presentation) but went anyway to be a team player. In some cases, your civilian employer may not be able to release you for drill weekends or summer training due to business needs . Your boss isnt a nice person who is cruel to young people, people with disabilities, and anyone he considers liberal. If you are in the National Guard, you may be wondering if you can skip a drill weekend. Id never treat a younger person badly for refusing this. 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. Its been really hard to deal with for them and me as their mom who couldnt protect them from this happening. and stick to your story. We should be marching and burning government buildings and performing citizens arrests of corrupt politicians and 1%ers over this. Yeah, hes insensitive and unempathetic. Adults with postsecondary qualifications will earn significantly more than those with only high school education, so it is a recognized pathway to a more comfortable life with a stable income. 4. if your boss asks, just say you woke up feeling too sick to work that day. Im in charge of working with our local law enforcement to conduct an active shooter training. If you get any pushback, then escalate it to whoever has authority. 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. Sotraveling, without one, is not a good option even if traveling means going across two blocks. There was a mass shooting at a supermarket at her college town two years later. Sometimes the messages are after the fact, to let us know that the school was on lockdown, but everything is ok now. 4. THIS. assigning women extra work to help them, calling out when youre in the ER, and more. So why not plan this up again someday?. Ive been participating in active shooter drills since high school, know about run-hide-fight, and know people who have died from gun violence. Jesus. Dont want to be one of those flaky people anc cancel last minute on them. This is all scary and horrible. There is an entire industry built around mass shootings. They also talked about throwing things like your chair or a pencil (?) The kind of situation that can easily develop really complex emergencies that take skilled professionals to safely respond. them how you need to fill up for one of your colleagues for an extra shi. They don't call us a generation of flakes for nothing. There are still plenty of ways to stay sharp and keep your skills sharp. And where the training is done by people who are professionals *in the topic they are training*. The social aspects of man-caused tragedy (shooters/bombings) aside (which I agree with others that acceptance this is the new reality is wrong, will require better funding for mental health/social support/etc that I can vote for), it has been demonstrated time and again that reading about what to do is NOT the same level of preparedness as drills. Question about Army Reserve - skipping out on drill Copyright 2007 - 2023 Ask A Manager. Theyll know all the doors to block, all the hiding spots, all the weapons to hide. In the military, missing 4 hours of a required training equals one unexcused absence. Call in sick. Im just old enough to have gotten out of high school with very minimal active shooter type worries. BS on that one! The trainings I have had have been locally-created garbage not based on evidence. Yes, its a well-known fact that the most effective way TO LEARN is during a state of abject terror maintained over multiple hours. They make you practice barricading doors. I work in an academic library. If she calls out sick, she can just insist Im sick; cant come in regardless of what the boss says. Talk to your units First Sergeant or Commander if you believe you have a valid reason for being excused from an upcoming drill. Maybe you suggest lunch instead of drinks. Call in sick and dont ever apologize for it. is not a good option even if traveling means going across two blocks. Lastly, if you found this content helpful or want to share your own examples, let us know in the comments. Where the repetition is frequent, not annually at best. We have to go over how to block our doors with baricades if we cant get out, weve figured out how to rip open the rest of our windows if we want out badly enough, the kids know where my roach spray is and where the fire extinguisher is if someone gets close enough in this room. Most of the others sat around, out in the open, chatting quietly.