ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- You’ve probably heard this phrase. It was coined by a British civil servant in late 1939 in the Ministry of Information and developed as a morale boosting poster to be used if Britain was invaded by Germany.
Although the poster was never used, “Keep Calm and Carry On” has surfaced and been used many times in popular culture.
I happen to be a fan of the simple message and the Legal Office has adopted it and its sentiment.
Judging from current events in some of our offices and shops, it appears we as a depot need to adopt it as well.
We all know how extraordinarily on edge everyone in the world, the nation, our local community and our workplace has been, concerning COVID-19 and the potential for exposure to it.
With that underlying concern, words and actions which might have gone unchallenged or unnoticed are causing tempers to flare and jobs to be put in jeopardy; not to mention the physical and emotional cost to the participants, the people around them, and the detriment to shop productivity.
All of this detracts from our mission – support to the war fighters.
Commander’s Policy Statement #5 on Workplace Violence Prevention states all depot employees have the right to work in an environment free from physical violence, threats and intimidation.
Anniston Army Depot is committed to provide its employees a safe, healthy and secure work environment. The presence of weapons, violence and threats is inconsistent with that commitment.
As those actions have an adverse impact on productivity, good order and discipline, ANAD has a zero tolerance for this type of conduct.
Zero tolerance means some type of disciplinary action will be taken, ranging from informal counseling to removal. Most importantly, no action violating the policy will be ignored.
Acts of violence and threats of violence include, but are not limited to:
• Verbal (threats, harassment, abuse or intimidation)
• Nonverbal (gestures and intimidation)
• Written communication (notes and e-mail)
• Physical (hitting, pushing, shoving, kicking, touching and assault, including incidents of horseplay)
• Other (arson, sabotage, vandalism and stalking).
Take note that horseplay is included in the definition of “acts of violence.”
The bottom line is this: The depot is not going to tolerate violence in any form at any time for any reason.
The stakes are too high, the workforce is too valuable and the work is too important.
Additionally, for each employee, if you engage in violence, you could very well be putting your livelihood in jeopardy.
You could also be putting your life or someone else’s life in jeopardy.
Before you take an action you may well regret for the rest of your life, take a deep breath and Keep Calm and Carry On.
For additional information, contact the depot’s Legal Office at 256-235-6518.
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