Self-defence training in the workplace
Never has it been a better time to consider self-defence training in the workplace. And we here at Marksman’s Nest Firearm Shooting Range believe that self-defence training in the workplace is all about empowerment-first safety training. Just consider the fact that empowered employees will undoubtedly perform better on the job. But importantly, this empowerment carries beyond the office, classroom or clinic.
Workplace safety issues
There are many workplace safety issues to consider. For instance, these may range from sexual harassment to active shooting events which dominate South African news articles.
Countless employees who have never been on a shooting competency course do feel continually vulnerable and anxious. In a post last year, Marksman’s Nest member Geraldine Burke said, “I work long hours and drive a 200-km round trip to work every day. The route is fraught with hijacking hotspots. Which is why I decided to put a stop to the constant fear while driving. Thanks to Geoffrey and Hein’s training and patience during the self-defence training, I’ve learnt all the aspects of the law on gun ownership, handgun maintenance, alertness and preparedness.”
A skills-first approach
Our workplace safety training follows a skills-first approach in which we teach employees how to respond to harassment and threatening scenarios. So, by providing hands-on skills to trainees, we emphasise empowerment-first in our training modules. Typically this includes: cultivating intuition; talking about the emotional, psychological and physical aspects of stressful work situations; and most importantly, the legal aspects of using a firearm in self-defence.
In our skills-first training, trainees become competent in reacting purely through muscle memory techniques. It’s by far the best way to ensure fast and effective responses. But in the case of trauma survivors, we adopt a one-on-one approach addressing the emotional, psychological and social factors to safely work with these delicate trainees.
At the end of the training, employees will be equipped with safety strategies and knowledge; boundary-setting skills; and physical self-defence skills.
Ongoing training
Some organisations with the necessary resources might consider ongoing safety training for their employees. In this instance we provide skill-specific training after the empowerment-based safety training.
In short, our goal with self-defence training in the workplace is to change employees’ mindsets to a fearless can-do approach.
