Army | Tomi wanted to go to refresher exercises – Then the difficulties started

Call for revision exercises can cause surprising consequences for the recipient. HS wrote in May Matti from Hanniwhose enthusiasm turned to frustration when the expected refresher exercises coincided with the honeymoon.

We asked HS readers how the review exercises have affected their lives.

According to many respondents, the exercises do not sway everyday life exactly in one direction or the other. Repetitions are seen as a compulsion that is only performed to get out of the way.

For others, going to refresher exercises is a positive experience that brings, for example, new friends and acts as a break from everyday life.

“Repetitive exercises have had a very pleasant and stimulating effect on my life. I go to therapy several times a year, and only in those times can I completely disconnect from work, since most of the time I can’t even use the phone. The family likes this too. The wife and children are proud when the father defends the country so diligently.” Male, 48.

“The refresher exercises have improved my military skills. I have learned new things and made friends. Overall, they have improved my quality of life. More than 60 repetition days have accumulated.” Male, 51.

For some of the respondents, however, the exercises cause difficulties. Many respondents who reported negative effects run into problems, especially with their employer.

Working in sales Tom says that his employer is mostly positive about going to refresher exercises, but is not flexible in his work-related goals. Tom’s name has been changed so that he doesn’t get into trouble at his workplace.

However, Tomi is not able to respond to the required number of e-mails in the repetitions. He doesn’t have a substitute who can fill in during his absence.

“Evening has its own time, but after a 12-hour refresher day, there is energy to take care of only the most important things of all. It means that when I get home from revisions, there’s a lot of leftovers waiting in the email. It takes two to three days to clean up the accumulated messages.”

When the employer checks whether he has reached his monthly goal, the elapsed days are not taken into account in the repetitions.

“Let’s assume that I catch up by doing overtime or in some other way. I would hope that the employer would understand that going to training is not a vacation at all.”

Although it would be easier for Tom in terms of organizing his everyday life and work, if there were no more reminders, he says that he understands why reminders are needed. Only the uneven distribution of invitations is surprising.

“I myself have visited almost every other year, while some have not visited for 20 years.”

In the restaurant industry working Juho Porola has also encountered difficulties with his employer. He attends voluntary courses offered by the National Defense Education Association, which his former employer did not like.

“The employer objected to it and announced that the action in question might hinder my career development and affect my future duties, as I am not loyal enough to the company. The employer questioned whether I would be able to work as a supervisor if I continued attending the courses.”

Porola estimates that he has completed about ten courses so far. He feels that attending the courses really affected his career negatively. However, he was also verbally abusive with his employer about other things, which he said was probably even more harmful.

According to Porola, it was really difficult to justify going to the courses and he sometimes had to take unpaid leave to attend them. He no longer asked for time off for courses, but timed his vacations and free wishes around them.

He feels that attending the courses does not hinder his work, but on the contrary benefits it.

“I’m also in refresher training in kitchen work as a military cook and financial non-commissioned officer. The fact that I get to talk with other people and brainstorm ideas and do kitchen work in a slightly different environment helps me in my work. In a certain way, the training has a chaotic, but educational environment.”