When you leave the military, and most of us do, you will notice an obvious change in how sensitive your workplace will be. Almost all companies will have a Human Resources team, you can think of them like Military Police, but instead of doing breath-tests the day your ship sails or when you drive on base, these civilians monitor how people talk to each other and how you should interact with each other.

The things that are normal in most military units are strictly prohibited in civilian companies. The civilian employees in HR teams will make it very clear that "aggressive or abusive behavior, such as shouting or personal insults" is unacceptable. Why is it unacceptable? Because the work environment is completely different, there is little to no risk in an office, and people rarely raise their voice during working hours.

Civilians don't use weapons, they use laptop computers. They don't wear anti-flash and practice fire drills, they get adrenalin moving from online customer demos and hitting their sales targets.

The work environment dictates the type of behavior needed for the situation. I personally recall being a teenager, walking into a smoke filled compartment at-sea without my O2 tanks being turned-on. My facemask was ripped off and I copped abuse from the NCO that was in-charge of the scene…why? The same reason a child gets smacked for putting a fork into a toaster… the situation calls for an appropriate response. Be prepared for some sensitive reactions when you discharge.

If you’re thinking about hanging-up your uniform, checkout my online course: ‘Discharge with Confidence’, it’s for anybody that is active duty or recently discharged veterans. Drop your email below and get a copy of the course brochure.