Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Defence Forces Climate Survey

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Defence Forces Climate Survey

    Defence Forces Personnel

    31. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide a report on the Defence Forces Climate Survey; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27129/16]

    Deputy Lisa Chambers: I ask the Minister of State to provide a report on the Defence Forces climate survey and to make a statement on the matter.

    Deputy Paul Kehoe: The independent monitoring group, IMG, was established in May 2002 to oversee the implementation of recommendations arising from a report on the interpersonal relationships within the Defence Forces. The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, and the Permanent Defence Forces Representative Association, PDFORRA, are both represented on the IMG.

    The third and most recent IMG report was published in September 2014. Among its recommendations was that a climate survey be conducted within 12 months and subsequently at reasonable intervals. A similar survey was conducted in 2008. The aim of the survey, which was conducted by the University of Limerick, was to identify trends to inform best practice in human resources management and training and education within the Defence Forces. As with the 2008 survey, approximately 11% of the workforce - 1,055 personnel in this instance - was sampled.

    The report was received in the Department in June. I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that, given its importance and wide ranging subject matter, it was important to have the report reviewed in detail by the Department and Defence Forces management to consider the findings and reach a deeper understanding of the report and its implications. I also wished to have an opportunity to discuss and consider the findings of the report in consultation with the Chief of Staff and Secretary General in the first instance.

    It is now proper that the Defence Forces representative associations be given an opportunity to engage on the findings of the survey. With this in mind, I have arranged that the representative associations will meet personnel from the University of Limerick who conducted the survey on Thursday next, 29 September. The report will be published within a week of the meeting and I plan to meet representatives of the associations shortly thereafter. My officials are making arrangements in this regard.

    My priority in the first instance is to engage with the representative associations who represent the key stakeholders in this process, namely, Defence Forces personnel. As they have yet to see the report, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the specific detail of the survey pending the briefing scheduled for 29 September. However, I can inform the Deputy that the findings are grouped under topics such as work life balance, peer support, organisational justice within the organisation, procedural justice, organisational fairness, Defence Forces integrity and supervisory justice.

    Deputy Lisa Chambers: The Minister of State indicated it would not be appropriate to comment on the findings of the report because the representative associations have not had access to it. The reason they have not had access is that the Minister of State has not given them access to it. He and I had this conversation at a meeting of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence before the summer recess at which he informed me the report was on his deskand he needed time to review, analyse and digest it. I asked him to make the report available to the associations representing the soldiers who were the subject of the survey but he declined to do so at that juncture. It is September and the representative associations have not received a copy of the report. It is grossly inadequate to provide them with copies just before the meeting in Limerick as they will not have sufficient time to digest its contents and give the Minister of State their view on it. Soldiers are supposed to look to the Minister for guidance and leadership. They should be allowed an opportunity to analyse and digest the report in advance of the briefing in Limerick. The Minister of State should be willing to take on board their suggestions. Why has he failed to publish the report and give the representative associations a copy of given that it has been on his desk since June?

    Deputy Paul Kehoe: The report has not been on my desk in June. I did not receive a copy until mid to late July. On my appointment, I met representatives of PDFORRA and RACO who asked me to provide them with a copy prior to publication. I indicated I would do so and I will give them a copy of the report tomorrow prior to the presentation on Thursday in the University of Limerick. I will publish the report in the days after Thursday's meeting and meet representatives of PDFORRA and RACO shortly thereafter. I also assured both organisations that I will take their views on board.

    Deputy Chambers is correct that the most important people in the Defence Forces are the soldiers on the ground. I fully respect them and every time I attend a public forum with members of the Defence Forces, they are the first people I recognise. The members on the ground, both enlisted personnel and officers, are the glue that holds the Defence Forces together. We must appreciate their commitment to the organisation and I will do all in my power to ensure they are happy in the Defence Forces. However, I do not have at my disposal a bottomless pit of money to throw at this issue, which is about more than money.

    Deputy Lisa Chambers: Nobody mentioned money in this conversation. The Minister described members of the Defence Forces as the most important part of the conversation. He has had since mid-July to analyse and digest the report, yet he is giving RACO one day to do likewise. Is this fair? Is RACO, the representative body of the soldiers who are the subject of the climate survey, being afforded an adequate period to do so considering the time the Minister has had to consider the report?
    The general secretary of RACO stated that management had yet to engage with his organisation on the findings of the survey. In his words, it "does little to give confidence to members that senior management are actually interested in addressing genuine service concerns of personnel". I agree with him. The Minister's actions to date have not given any confidence to the representative organisations that he is interested in taking their views on board considering that he will give them a mere 24 hours to analyse the report before the meeting in Limerick. This is highly inadequate given the time the Minister has taken to consider it.

    Deputy Paul Kehoe: I tried to publish the report at the end of July but unfortunately the staff of the University of Limerick who carried out the review were not available at the time. I wanted those who were at the coalface and carried out the review to be present. I did not want other staff from the university to join me in giving the presentation to RACO and PDFORRA. I wanted those who produced the document to be present at the launch. Unfortunately, I was not available for most of August and I indicated the report would be published some time in September. My diary precluded publication in early September. For this reason, I will meet representatives of PDFORRA and RACO who will be provided with a copy of the climate survey prior to the presentation on Thursday at the University of Limerick. One or two days in the-----

    Deputy Lisa Chambers: It matters.

    Deputy Paul Kehoe: It does not matter.

    Deputy Lisa Chambers: The representative organisations say it matters.

    Deputy Paul Kehoe: The most important issue will be to address the detail of the document and make the changes it recommends. It will not make much of a difference if the document is provided 24 or 48 hours in advance. I will meet representatives of PDFORRA and RACO after the document is published and we will go through it in detail. I met both representative organisations in late June or early July and they were surprised to have a Minister seeking a meeting with them rather than vice versa.

  • #2
    Just getting this started before the inevitable sh!t storm

    Comment


    • #3
      The report is going to be "interesting" to say the least.

      Comment


      • #4
        I'm so out of the loop here, I assume shit pay & conditions = unhappy worker bees?
        Everyone who's ever loved you was wrong.

        Comment


        • #5
          Money ain't everything.

          Comment


          • #6
            Report on the Defence Forces "Your Say" Climate Survey 2015

            Comment


            • #7
              Majority in Defence Forces would look for another job - study

              A new report on the Defence Forces has found that the majority of soldiers, sailors and air corps personnel would look elsewhere for a job.

              While most felt they were doing something worthwhile for their country, they did not feel an obligation to stay in the Defence Forces, a report on well-being in the Defence Forces completed last year, and seen by RTÉ News, has found.

              The report explores the attitudes of Defence Forces personnel to their working lives across a wide range of areas and the findings are a mixture of the positive and the negative.

              There are high levels of satisfaction in areas such as leadership and work-life balance, and dissatisfaction with organisational and supervisory justice.

              While almost 70% felt obliged to work extra hours to get the job done, and over two thirds volunteer for it, the majority would look for another job outside the Defence Forces.

              Commuting is a significant problem, with 27% considering leaving because of the issue.

              More than three quarters felt their pay was not fair.

              Many personnel are not satisfied with the communication received from supervisors.

              They do not feel informed or involved, they do not feel they are being treated fairly, and overall, the report says there is a perception of a lack of justice in the Defence Forces.

              While 60% felt they were doing something worthwhile for their country, with commitment levels highest in the Army, that did not translate into a sense of loyalty to the organisation and an obligation to remain in it.

              Overall the report found satisfaction with military life had dropped from 64% in 2008 to 48% in 2014.
              A new report on the Defence Forces has found that the majority of soldiers, sailors and air corps personnel would look elsewhere for a job.

              Comment


              • #8
                A recent report found that 48% of personnel were satisfied with military life, compared to 64% in 2008.



                5 hours ago 8,203 65
                LESS THAN HALF of Defence Forces personnel are satisfied with military life, a significant drop on 2008, according to a new report.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Yay time to get into some more arguments with civvy's on the journal
                  To close with and kill the enemy in all weather conditions, night and day and over any terrain

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    IMHO it is mainly down to 4 issues

                    Pay & allowances (including public service pension levy)
                    The reorg and associated postings
                    The promotion & recruitment ban
                    Regulations & instructions now being specific enough (and therefore not being implemented uniformly)
                    Leadership (by that I mean not thinking through the effects of decisions)
                    Leadership also crosses into consultation

                    Now the fortunate/unfortunate thing is the DF is a military organisation with a can do approach. If they are told to do something they get on and do it. They don't go back and say for me to do x I need you to do y. And sometimes when they do it is a case of swing them up.

                    I think that also bears out in this report.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      More than a quarter of military personnel are thinking about quitting their jobs in the Defence Forces because of the long commute to work, a survey has found.


                      More than a quarter of military personnel are thinking about quitting their jobs in the Defence Forces because of the long commute to work, a survey has found.
                      SHARE
                      GO TO
                      The research also found that 76pc do not feel obliged to remain in the Defence Forces, while one in four felt they would probably change jobs.
                      Their views are included in the findings of a survey commissioned by the Defence Forces and completed last year. The survey report has not been officially published but its findings have been circulated internally within the past couple of days.

                      A copy of the report, seen by the Irish Independent, reveals that satisfaction with military life has fallen from 64pc in a previous survey, carried out in 2008, to 48pc. Many of the conclusions will be a cause of concern from the military top brass as well as senior officials in the Department of Defence.
                      But some of them will have been anticipated because of the huge changes implemented over the past four years which has resulted in the closure of four military barracks as well as a reduction of over 1,000 in the permanent force.

                      The effective strength of the Defence Force is now below 9,000 although the authorised strength is 9,500, with about 50 members leaving every month, RACO general secretary Earnan Naughton said last night.
                      The survey report disclosed that 27pc had considered leaving specifically because of commuting. But it also pointed out that the majority of respondents were neutral to positive in terms of work satisfaction.

                      The survey was carried out among 11pc of the workforce and was said to be representative of rank, gender, and location.
                      Irish Independent

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        In my own unit the day to day feeling among the majority of the lads is that the job is a dead end. The lack of promotion opportunities and courses are making lads minds up for them. I can't speak for other units but its a sad state of affairs in our place at the minute

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Organisations with a healthy climate typically exhibit:
                          • Integration of personal and organisational goals
                          • Justice in treatment and equitable practices
                          Mutual trust, consideration and support among different levels
                          Open discussion of problems and conflict
                          • Acceptance of the psychological contract between both parties
                          • Equitable system of rewards
                          • Opportunities for growth
                          • Concern for quality of working life
                          • Sense of identity with and loyalty to the organisation

                          Page 23
                          36% of respondents answered left (negative) of neutral to the question.

                          I feel my peers have my best interests at heart
                          If you include neutrals, this figure raises to 68%.

                          22% of respondents answered negatively to the question

                          I trust my peers
                          If you include neutrals (i.e don't know if they trust or not) this figure rises to 54%.


                          28.8% of respondents don't trust their supervisor / leader.

                          This figure rises to 60.8% if you include the people who don't know if they do or not.



                          This is IMO the single biggest damning indictment of the state of the DF highlighted in this report.

                          Our profession is built on the bedrock of trust," said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno.

                          "Trust is earned. It is not given."

                          "It is not rank-oriented. It is deeds, not words."

                          The trust between Soldiers and leaders is absolutely fundamental and critical to the profession, Odierno explained. The foundation of being an effective leader is to earn the trust of peers, subordinates and superiors.

                          https://www.army.mil/article/89904
                          Mission Command combines centralized intent with decentralized execution subsidiarity and promotes freedom and speed of action, and initiative, within defined constraints. Subordinates, understanding the commander's intentions, their own missions and the context of those missions, are told what effect they are to achieve and the reason why it needs to be achieved. They then decide within their delegated freedom of action how best to achieve their missions. Orders focus on providing intent, control measures, and objectives, allowing for greater freedom of action by subordinate commanders.[1] Mission Command is closely related to civilian management concept of workplace empowerment.

                          Key Tenets
                          Build cohesive teams through mutual trust
                          Create shared understanding
                          Provide a clear commander’s intent
                          Exercise disciplined initiative
                          Use mission orders
                          Accept prudent risk.

                          Until the question is answered postively by the majority of respondents, then the DF are at nothing.

                          IMO the current leadership programs in place are not effective and require radical overhaul as well as addressing the issue of removing leaders who fail to cultivate trust within units.

                          Talk of promotion opportunities is worthwhile but until there is a policy of removing under performance, this trust issue will continue to trend downward.
                          Last edited by TangoSierra; 1 October 2016, 14:01.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            While 11% of the overall DF population is a good sample size, I reckon over 90% could be polled in an online Survey either internet or intranet based very easily.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I find the promotion thing peculiar to say the least. In the last 3 years we have had nearly 2000 promotions.

                              Only a handful of pepole where left unpromoted from the orders of merit.

                              The new system compared to old where the stripe was basically given to the senior man regardless of his suitability is light years ahead, it still of course has massive issues but the association have rightly stuck to their guns and made the dept. sit down and iron these things out.

                              A process which should have been done after the first round but the dept. rushed it & caused lots of real problems in particular with the scoring martices.
                              It should be possible using a proper file scoring system to have continuity of scores between interview boards, ie. if you have a demostrably better period since your last file review, your score should go up from the last time, certainly not go down.

                              Without divulging your unit exactly what branch are you in? Cooks seem to be a real choke point as the old cooks (who don't actually cook!) don't seem to move at all, very frustrating on the younger and often far better trained chefs coming through. The youngest guys are fairly mobile given their skill set so they may leave service.

                              I most certainly don't get the lack of courses, the courses need to be ran. End of story. Are units using the course to make sure that only the candidates they want are qualigned for promotion? They used to do the same in my unit many years to ensure that only the handpicked could stand for the interview thus ensuring only no competition from younger men.

                              A lot of guys who didn't engage with the process, or hadnt keep their skills current or just where waiting for the guy ahead them to die so they would be gifted their stripes really got the hump and bailed out when younger more talented men past them out.

                              This in turn created 100s more promotion's. Of course a few drill rounds slipped through but that is the fault of the boards who didn't do their jobs well enough. I knew the system was reasonably robust when I head a very senior man complaining that he was able to influence the board enough to get as he put it "my man" through. So that guy took too the manipulation of the vacancies instead to stuff the appointment's with his sycophants. Much harder to stop. Thankfully not my direct unit, phew!
                              Last edited by Toolbox; 2 October 2016, 10:09.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X