SURVEY SAYS: Will Your Workplace Commemorate 09/11?

September 6, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Next Tuesday will, of course, mark the sixth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

This week, I asked readers if there would be any special activity or commemoration at their workplace to mark the event.

The responses to this week’s survey were truly a mixed bag – consider that nearly all ( 95% ) of this week’s respondents said that there would be no workplace commemoration on Patriot Day – or that if there were, they weren’t aware of it.   Consider too, however, that most (roughly 58% ) of this week’s respondents indicated that they were going to do something to honor the day on a personal basis.  

And while there wasn’t the customary outpouring of verbatims to this week’s survey, those provided ranged from readers who were still obviously very pained by that day’s events to some that seemed to think maybe it was time to move on.  

At the few workplaces where some official commemoration was planned, nearly all noted that there would be a prayer and/or moment of silence, while a couple of firms were allowing/encouraging workers to wear red, white, and blue on that day.

This week’s Editor’s Choice goes to the reader who simply said they planned to “pray for our world and all the misguided people in it.”  

Amen.

Just another day in Paradise. (We didn't even do anything on the day it happened although with the time lag between East and West we could have.)
Your question makes me wonder if annual commerorations were made for Pearl Harbor and when businesses stopped participating in those activities. It seems we've forgotten all to quickly in spite of the continued, very real, threat.
We're in the midwest and feel pretty insulated from terrorists. It's the condition of the bridges that catch our attention.
Nothing special being done here.
In a firm where everyone strives to maintain a politically correct atmosphere (don't scare away any clients!), I would be surprised at a mere suggestion for a special activity to mark the event. No, there will be no special activity at my workplace - except in my heart.
Are you kidding. Unless we are signing a $100 million contract or moving management from one position to another, we don't hear a peep.
It was a terrible day, a horrific event and one that you'll never forget. But, I think the special commemoration events are starting to do harm rather than good. We, as a country, need to move on from this event. Take stock in ourselves and our security levels, plan to prevent and prepare for future attack attempts, and most importantly, get back to feeling proud to be an American and all of our freedoms.
Sadly, we will not mark the event. Our business was not impacted by 9/11 and our NYC office was spared. I'm disappointed to say that I believe most people are content to put their heads in the sand and simply pretend it didn't happen.

While mindful of the grief and upset endured by the survivors of the casualities of the events of 911, I think that the US has blown the importance of 911 out of proportion. Other countries have endured similar or worse events and not made such a production out of it. 911 did not change the world, except for the surviors of those who died.

The treatment of it by politicians and the media has helped to persuade the US to be less tolerant of peoples other than those who "look" like us or support our view points. As an American of Arab heritage, I find it appalling to see how Middle Eastern and Muslim peoples have been regarded. The US's arrogant behavior since 911 has helped us to be reviled by most of the world. I think that we deserve the distain. I will imagine that my opinions will be considered "UnAmerican" by some, but free speech is still protected under the Constitution, as amended, including articulating ideas that are unpopular to the majority.

Observe a moment of silence at the time when the first attack occurred
Say a little prayer and moment of silence on the anniversary of the time of the event.
At a minimum, fly the flag
Pray
Fret about the fact that Bush has done nothing to catch Bin Ladin and that I may still get to see the Golden Gate go up in smoke.
Prayer
Nothing other than reflecting and remembering . . . . I arrived in NYC on Sept. 10 for a week-long vacation . . . so while my vacation was ruined, I feel strangely privileged to have been there and to have personally witnessed the hundreds of memorials, missing posters, and vigils that were held in the days following. It isn't the same watching it on TV from the comfort of my home 3,000 miles away.
just a quick prayer for the families and friends of those lost.
The kids and I are posting "we remember" in our window at home.
Pray for our world and all the misguided people in it.
I am chairing a meeting that evening. We will have a moment of silence at the beginning of the meeting to commemorate 9/11.
Usually pray for the families and those lost as well as those now fighting. Count my own blessings.
September 11 is always a difficult day for me. I was less than two blocks away from the tower when the second plane hit. Even though it has been 6 years, it feels like yesterday. I still cry, I still stutter when I tell someone about my experience. On the anniversary, as I did that day, I will pray for forgiveness and to be forgiven. I call my family and those that I met who survived the day with me. Mostly though, I sing the Travis Tritt's song, "It's a Great Day to be Alive", as I have been thankful for each day since.
A few quiet moments of prayer for the remaining family members and co-workers of those who lost their lives.
My family honors the 9/11 victims by talking about the events of that terrible day at the dinner table. We use it as an opportunity to reinforce the values we hold so dear and that make this such a great country - freedom and personal choice. We talk about how important it is to recognize that there is a price for freedom and that other ideologies will always hate the freedom we enjoy.
It is our youngest son's 6th birthday so we'll be celebrating his turning six and remembering the surreal events that we watched unfold on tv that day while my wife was giving birth to our third child.
I will continue to pray for our country.
Fly my American flag outside my house, and volunteer for a few hours at the local USO club serving travelling US service members.
Since it is my son's 9th birthday, a celebration of another year will be in order. However, I will never celebrate his birthday without a prayer for our Country's loss. Freedom is a wonderful thing. Now, if we could just get others to stop trying to take that away from us!
A moment of silence an rememberance for the people who lost their life in this senseless act.

As one of the survivors, I will be attending 9:30 Mass on Sunday, 9/9, a Mass of thanksgiving that I have said each year for all who survived those terrible attacks and have to live with that memory every day (especially on a day like today when I have to head to NYC for a business meeting).

At the time of the attack, I worked for a company that lost almost 300 people. I found it incomprehensible that each year they had a huge memorial for those who died and ignored the survivors. We were expected to "get over it" and "get back to work", with no chance for grieving or a pause for reflection. Sept. 11 changed my life forever. It took three years for it to return to some degree of normalcy. Me, I'm different, more reflective, more compassionate and a better person for having gone to hell and back. Oddly enough, it's probably the best thing that ever happened to me, as I'm much more appreciative of life and love than I ever was.

There is a memorial garden in my community which contains items from each of the 3 sites. This year a bush will be added to commemorate the first responders. The event is a small gathering -- just the neighbors -- but it is always very moving.
I have a picture of the WTC Towers on my computer that I will use as my wallpaper that day.
Pray for tolerance and understanding by all including Americans.
pray that this trajedy does not ever happen again in our children and grandchildrens lifetime.
Fly the flag at home and pause for a moment of reflection.

Reflect.

I was on my way to class when I saw the news on the bigscreen TV in the student center. The fact that the 11th is, for the first time, on a Tuesday again seems to have a greater significance. I'm not vehemently against the war--it's not like Saddam Hussein was a good guy--but it makes me sick to read about some of the things happening to civilians in Iraq, like people herded into a building that was then blown up, or the dozen decapitated bodies found on the roadside. I don't really read the articles about recent deaths because it feels like more of the same bad events. I'm not sure Iraq is better now that we're there, but we've also dug ourselves into a hole, since it'll probably get worse when we leave. We saw when happened when we left our allies to be killed or interned in South Vietnam. What a f*(ked up situation.

Go to Church...it's a day to always remember.
I will have my own moment of silence and prayers for those lost on September 11th.

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