Her students are fifth graders, so ages 10-11. This. https://www.everytown.org/solutions/active-shooter-drills/. Im so sorry youre dealing with this, OP, and that your boss made a joke about directing a shooter to you. What could they possibly need seven hours to cover? Take care of yourself! I also grew up in the earlier era of school shootings, before they did things like training for kids. There is not a single f***king thing funny about suggesting you would direct the shooter to kill someone else. excuses to get out of drill weekend Follow us. Ask for Forgiveness, Not Permission: The best way to be convincing when calling or emailing for a sick day is to TELL them you're ill and cannot come in, rather than asking if it's okay. Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us. It is not unreasonable to expect a weekend rest after a hard weeks work. Ill clear my head first, get in a better place and come to the next one. I imagine the people who put these together were just as out of touch as this boss. Not to mention, what are people with physical disabilities supposed to do? A few years back someone actually did bring a gun into our building, attempting to commit suicide by cop. Make a complaint or request or whatever afterwards if you feel up to it, but for now just protect yourself by disengaging, and make sure you give yourself lots of TLC and distraction on your sick day. At their large school, the directive is that 3rd+ need to get off campus and run out to the neighborhood by any means possible. Its naturaland can happen to anyone. I hope that, some day, no child anywhere will ever have to even think about doing something like that. Theyre valuable for kids because kids suck at hiding, staying still and being quiet. In a real event, it takes a long time for law enforcement to secure each room. This came up in the meeting: Run-Hide-Fight includes an active shooter inside the building targeting us, but what do we do for a shooter whos outside targeting someone else? 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. -You are in school and cannot miss class (you must provide documentation from your school) Ive heard a couple of guys who have played too many FPS games talk about how theyd save the day. I work in a hospital system. There was a mass shooting at a supermarket at her college town two years later. Its always on the government to do something, never on the 99% to effect change by living up to their rebel ancestors they sure do love bragging about. I was the first person they tried to take as a hostage, it was something new. Im very sorry. They know what has been happening and alsoif you say you dont want to participate, that should be good enough. Well. Each year the US Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its data on volunteering in the United States. 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). By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. If you needed proof that these idiots have not clue, this is it. To effectively use these excuses, avoid any unnecessary long details, and stick to your story. I personally couldnt be a stay at home mum, as I love my career but I think if I lived in the US, I would very, VERY seriously consider homeschooling. When I voiced my concerns, he made a few jokes about how he would simply redirect the shooter to a younger person.. You Had a Flat Tire 10. Even though we always we given advance notice of a drill. and rejoicing that you get to go home for the day is messed up too. You might think this sounds a lot like thecorny my dog ate my homework excuse, but trust us. 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. I think about my plan a lot bc the patients we serve make us a target. 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). Its not as full on as what the OP saying, theres no law enforcement or reenactment. This will make the time go by faster and itll be more bearable. The site ate my previous post, so Ill do a shorter version. I totally get the desensitisation though; Its a self-preservation measure. The company policy for RST is that it has be approved 30 days before drill (Aug 5-6). The kind of situation that can easily develop really complex emergencies that take skilled professionals to safely respond. I dont need to sit through seven hours of that garbageagain. The simple answer is that if you are ADMITTED to the hospital then it will probably be an acceptable excuse. 2) Probably wont happen hereright? My problem is my unit has decided that not enough people will show up so they moved Sept's drill to Aug 5-6 and made it mandatory. As someone who has been in an active shooter situation all the training you do doesnt mean anything when the threat is real and all that training is going to do is disrupt the workday and traumatize employees. Also if this bunghole tries to make you feel weak for not being up for it, remember that standing up to him is a strong choice in itself. Having worked near a major train station in London, we had briefings on what to do in the event of a terrorist attack, invacuation training etc. Everytown urges schools not to hold them (or, to reconsider them): https://www.everytown.org/solutions/active-shooter-drills/, My middle-schooler had one this week. I dont think any of my coworkers wondered why I never went to the storeroom again, nobody certainly said anything to me if they did. And sad no, more angry, I think that you had to go to such lengths to get excused from that training. Sorry, I got a bit over-emotional here, but anyways you got what. The whole realistic reenactment thing makes people in charge feel like theyre doing more than they are. 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. For the most part, the training most people will need in an active shooter situation will much less than a day people might have to hide for hours in a real event but Im not sure how much actually hiding adds to watching a five minute video. My civilian job is very accommodating to me for any of my needs. A teacher friend told me shes never been so proud and so sad as when one of her students went to the supply closet and distributed scissors and protractors to his classmates during a suspected active shooter event. Copyright 2007 - 2023 Ask A Manager. That said, carrying a concealed weapon is forbidden, and most cops only carry a taser unless theyre dealing with something like a hostage situation. Take the day off if you can call in sick if you need to. Otherwise, its always a really hard day. We all live busy lives and we know that there will be times when we are called on to help out to babysit for a week, a weekend, or even half a day. Id develop a migraine toward the end of the day before and call in the next day. A professional email will be expected and it is often a great way to make a great impression with your professional counterparts. Have a great night! It was horrendous to experience. Hey [Name] Im really sorry to leave you hanging, but my dad just got into to town and Ive got to be on good daughter/son duty. They played it in the background or had it up during lunch and walked away in order to get credit for watching it. Im almost 24. To enhance the dramatic effect, you can fill up your voice with tears and can have a catharsis you were longing for. Local law enforcement trains other law enforcement organizations. My university installed Bleeding Control Kits on *every* floor of *every* building a couple years ago. We had one on site drill each year that was conducted by security. Call in sick. My friends kids were FLOORED to learn about the debacle in the House & Senate chambers on January 6. 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. Jesus. Call out sick. But ours was completely voluntary and staff were told multiple times prior to the session that they could opt out if they werent comfortable attending. I would not talk to your boss in your shoes. I feel you, OP. I empathize. Heres where it gets a little morally ambiguous. Regardless, if you want to tell your boss you dont want to work on the weekends, you should be honest and genuine, oftentimes your boss will not force you to come to work as it will be bad for the teams morale and productivity. Agree. As another university admin assistant (also for a dean) who has just spent the last couple of weeks dealing with a real recent active shooting event on a campus: what?!??!! My apartment building fails fire drills because we have false alarms EVERY GOSHDARN WEEK. Please keep me in mind for the next book club party!" The Fine Print: When you say that you miss your partner, the hostess could reply with a suggestion to bring them along. She was fine, thank goodness. Anything for a buck is pretty disgusting sometimes. Woke up this morning for drill and my car would not start. The number of are you feeling ok questions made me never skip it again. So I can see the value of having people exposed to, and not react to, something like a helicopter or other distraction. Most workplace active shooters are targeted. Here's what to do: Look at your calendar and find a time that you are 100% positive will work. Guessing they will breakout into groups and tour the building to find safe places to hide or ways to block paths. We had a few students around our county die in drunk driving accidents that year, and I imagine it was very upsetting for the parents, but there was clearly NO understanding that these were our friends and peers and maybe making grieving teenagers sit through this wasnt as helpful as they wanted it to be? Id call in sick, but if I felt thered be any room or worry about grief Id schedule a doctors appointment for that day in advance to get some kind of note related to headaches, gastric distress, bad allergies or any other kind of generic ailment that could be having a flair-up. Im aware of the exits on campus, and my personal area is chock full of hiding spaces. I am having a hard time seeing why this is even necessary for a company so small it doesnt have HR. 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). Yup I was going to do this pre-pandemic to get out of a (much more minor) mandatory fun activity that happened to involve one of my anxiety triggers because I knew trying to explain why something most people think is at worst annoying makes me shake with nerves was just not worth spending political capital on. He does not understand the psychic toll that shootings have taken on many people in my generation and does not understand that anxiety means something more than just sort of worried about something.. except that some law enforcement dont recommend doing this because in the event of an active shooter, its a high probability going to be an employee or former employee. Amazing- they hire someone to assess risk, then ignore what they have to say about risk to staff in the lobby. Ugh, so sorry OP this is a terrible idea on your companys part. Hope you dont get cornered! You can report an ad, tech, or typo issue here. I grew up in the Seventies and Eighties in the UK with the IRA. Next time you see them, just say it was a false alarm and it got better all of a sudden. That sounds much more similar to fire drills and tornado drills which can still be scary for kids (I was definitely the kid crying while hunched like a turtle in the hallway of my elementary school a few times) but are generally not long-term traumatic. You were asked to attenda raging, booze-filled pub crawlon Friday? Nope, apparently were supposed to magically ignore our actual needs as well as whether you can actually do any of this running and hiding in the building/area we work in. I was rather pleased when, about six months after I quit, my favorite former coworker mentioned that theyd installed motion sensors to replace the timer switches. This one will go prettywell,butwait! Definitely take the day off. That was about it. This book full of deep insights about the nature of human beings, paired with plenty of laugh-out-loud and highly relatable moments. 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. We no longer politely hold the door open to let a stranger into our secure building. Pretty sure I called in sick that day. Ive got a serious case of womens issues. You got aninvitation to go for a hike on Sunday? The half day will be for transportation. Burying your head in the sand wont change reality. (That said, I worked at Planned Parenthood and we had bomb scares, which I know isnt the same but was pretty creepy until we realized it was the same wingnut calling in the threats from hundreds of miles away.). 2) Bring snacks and drinks with you so you dont get hungry or thirsty during drill. But the last one was letting us know that there were rumors of a violent event being planned for the next day. For more information, please view our Privacy Policy and Earnings Disclosure page. Read More 9 Best Practices for Career Success in Your 20s, no.7 get you PromotedContinue. 7 hours is ridiculous Id definitely call in sick. Something urgent came up that I need to attend to. 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! 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. My Dad was a St. John Ambulance volunteer when he was younger, and was a casualty in drills more than once. 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. The shooters there werent interested in us as long as we stayed on our side of the street. I didnt have notice of this one, and I think the most disturbing thing was that my kids have been conditioned to just accept that someone trying to kill you is a situation they should prepare for. I hope it goes well, and click send. Is there a way to get the instructional content without going to the most triggering parts, which I cannot imagine will outweigh the psychic cost this is going to take on me? Because then a bad guy could find them. Practicing locking doors/closing windows, leaving the building like in a fire drill, knowing how your employer sends out emergency info and the basics of what to do are perfectly sufficient and are applicable in many situations. And I hope that people above your boss can reign in his asshattery towards you. (And get a pizza delivered to your address. You may not even know who the person is, but as long as your friends are going, youre good to go. Except the trainings are ongoing so new employees can take them and so we keep getting emails. He took one look at me and sent me home, I was obviously in no fit state to work. 1. For example: "Due to some past history that I don't want to go into at work, I am going to opt of out Tuesday's training.". I think state law might require us to do x number a year. I have a parent in emergency preparedness who talks about how a lot of these simulated trainings came out after what happened during Hurricane Katrina. No one in management cared. My ability to consent to this work activity was removed, and I repeated to Jerkface that I did not consent, and he said that was fine but I had to do it anyway. No one will ask an explanation for this one as we all know how severe it hits. I would argue that children shouldnt be doing these drills, either, and everyones time would be better spent working on reducing shootings overall. This kind of boss only considers puking in a trashcan as sick. 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 think its 100% okay to stonewall/lie/be vague about your symptoms to protect your privacy if your boss pushes back. OP, feel free to call out sick. Law enforcement continues to train others and practice drills. Its all for workplace harmony and best if everyone signs onto it rather than facing the truth. I was thinking this, too. 9 drill periods in one year it typically starts the discharge process. They're royalty-free and ready to use. Understanding how to tell your boss you are not working on weekends professionally can help you to say no, with confidence and courtesy. 3) Train everyone! 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. The peak factor was approaching 4.5 or I couldnt find a single driver in my area will work. So boss will sacrifice OP to save himself. Most employee admit that they gossip at work and it is part of our human nature to gossip. Because all you need to do is say these four words. A peer/fellow manager can say things in a much more direct way than you might be comfortable with doing with your own boss because of the power dynamics in play. Oh its very simple, were supposed to die. LW, your boss is being extremely blas about his staffs mental health. This is especially true if you have school-aged children. Basically it was a whole thing staged as if some classmates had gotten in a car with a drunk driver and died, involving the local law enforcement, paramedics, etc., and framed as if it was actually happening and not a drill. I doubt it. 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). They had to go door to door knocking to tell people to leave. He joked about directed the shooter to a younger employee?????? Ive worked at a college for two years, administrative assistant to a Dean. Even if you cant shoot as often as youd like, its important to keep your marksmanship skills sharp. If you are sick, you must report to your unit and be evaluated by a medical professional. Asking the host for a favor right before they are, holding a party is going to result in your favor. My dad was a teacher for 15 years (+7 as a sub) and never had to deal with an active shooter, fortunately.
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