Uniform at Work Day encourages dialogue about volunteers in Denmark

If your coworker in the office seems a bit different today, it’s not because Halloween has come early. Today marks the annual “Uniform at Work Day,” where reservists and volunteers from the Armed Forces, Home Guard, Emergency Management Agency, and Coast Guard can don their uniforms and show up at their workplaces or schools.

One participant is Casper Carlsson, a carpenter and volunteer in the Home Guard. However, he isn’t wearing his uniform for recognition, which is the day’s original intention. Instead, he aims to spark a discussion about the many reservists and volunteers. “I wore it to create a debate about who we members of the Home Guard are and what we can do. I hope to foster a good dialogue about my work with the Home Guard and hopefully dispel some misconceptions,” Carlsson stated, noting that he has received positive feedback from colleagues.

The purpose of Uniform at Work Day, according to InterForce, an organization affiliated with the Danish Defense Command, is to highlight the number of individuals contributing extra efforts for Denmark.

In Denmark, approximately 3,000 reservists have availability contracts with the Armed Forces, Home Guard, or Emergency Management Agency. The Home Guard has around 43,000 volunteers, of which approximately 13,000 are active. There are about 450 volunteers in the Emergency Management Agency and around 200 in the Coast Guard. Collectively, all these volunteers and reservists are referred to as the Reserve Force.