Divining the right role, capabilities, structure, and Regimental System for Canada's Army Reserves

[FJAG]

All of the above is why I favour:

1) a RegF leadership component responsible for ALL administration and planning and supervision of training;

2) a set number of mandatory training days which are limited to essential training (essentially one weekend per month and a two week summer exercise) with dates set a year in advance and fully Class A budgeted for the entire unit. (Incidentally the QR&O boundary for Class B should start after 17 training days to allow the summer exercise to be a Class A event)

3) all other activities whether individual training, ceremonial or social to be strictly voluntary. Social activities are entirely unbudgeted and ceremonial subject to very limited budgets.

4) massive restrictions on Class B service to only be available to backfill a temporarily vacant RegF position. If it's a continuing, full time job it should have a PY attached to it and the Class B pay should come from the full-time salary allocation.

I'm also a big fan of fully employing school summer breaks to conduct both local and depot individual training with courses equivalent to and concurrent with RegF ones but have some hesitation on that due to the difficulty of breaking RegF courses into viable modules for the ResF. Need to mull that over a bit.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

With the reg force struggling to fill spots, how will they fill the RSS spots fulltime and how do you deal with training and advancement for them? Do they get backfilled when they go on leave, training? If so, you know need about 1.5 times the actual positions.

 

[Brad Sallows]

As long as the positions aren't filled by people who are broken, incompetent, or have other issues. The days of parking people in those support positions have to end.

 

[MJP]

With the reg force struggling to fill spots, how will they fill the RSS spots fulltime and how do you deal with training and advancement for them? Do they get backfilled when they go on leave, training? If so, you know need about 1.5 times the actual positions.

Other than the possibility of a MATA/PATA backfills, no one generally backfills RSS (or any other position) for RegF folks across the board. That doesn't preclude units from making someone acting but the posn they left isn't filled either so it is a Peter/Paul situation

 

[dapaterson]

RSS Capt should be one of the best jobs going. No full time boss, lots of breadth of work so you're never bored, lots of opportunities for initiative... I once described it to a newly posted individual as being "a free range Captain".

I recall one Capt who was engaged, involved, worked to develop the officers and NCMs of the unit he was posted to.

Thirty years on, he's a retired BGen; among those he developed are two serving LCols, a retired LCol and a retired Maj, a serving CWO and a pair of serving MWOs. All his doing? Of course not. But am excellent influence and example? Definitely.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Other than the possibility of a MATA/PATA backfills, no one generally backfills RSS (or any other position) for RegF folks across the board. That doesn't preclude units from making someone acting but the posn they left isn't filled either so it is a Peter/Paul situation

If they are running the unit day to day, then they need to be backfilled by someone who knows the job already. So each District might need 1-2 floaters that can cover each unit as their OIC is off on course or leave.

 

[MJP]

If they are running the unit day to day, then they need to be backfilled by someone who knows the job already. So each District might need 1-2 floaters that can cover each unit as their OIC is off on course or leave

Likely not a real option. Best COA is have a PRes person that can fill in Class B

 

[Furniture]

As long as the positions aren't filled by people who are broken, incompetent, or have other issues. The days of parking people in those support positions have to end.

I think people over estimate how much "career management" happens in the RegF... Most "career management" I've seen is actually "panicked hole plugging", or "they're single/divorced, and can be moved more easily".

Perhaps it's different in some occupations, but very little though as to suitability of a member for a position survives the first posting plot draft.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I think people over estimate how much "career management" happens in the RegF... Most "career management" I've seen is actually "panicked hole plugging", or "they're single/divorced, and can be moved more easily".

Perhaps it's different in some occupations, but very little though as to suitability of a member for a position survives the first posting plot draft.

I've had a few conversations with senior Reg F guys who, when I bitch about the 'bottom of the barrel' they send to us reply with 'you should see the ones we don't send, because they'd be even worse.'

 

[Eye In The Sky]

If they are running the unit day to day, then they need to be backfilled by someone who knows the job already. So each District might need 1-2 floaters that can cover each unit as their OIC is off on course or leave.

 

[MJP]

I think people over estimate how much "career management" happens in the RegF... Most "career management" I've seen is actually "panicked hole plugging", or "they're single/divorced, and can be moved more easily".

Perhaps it's different in some occupations, but very little though as to suitability of a member for a position survives the first posting plot draft.

I think we are generally better than that but I can also see small trades having issues. My experience in a few trades along with working with other trades over the years is we are much more deliberate for the most part. That said I have seen more than a few "OMG we need X in Y now"

 

[Blackadder1916]

. . . "they're single/divorced, and can be moved more easily". . . .

Tell me about it, it became such a thing that I had friends who would jokingly ask me at the beginning of each APS where I was going that year. Over a nine year period, I had six postings, one with one day's notice and another with one week's notice.

 

[Furniture]

Tell me about it, it became such a thing that I had friends who would jokingly ask me at the beginning of each APS where I was going that year. Over a nine year period, I had six postings, one with one day's notice and another with one week's notice.

Yet the CAF wonders why it can't keep people...

 

[rmc_wannabe]

Yet the CAF wonders why it can't keep people...

The CAF has the same attitude as an abusive spouse: "Where else are you gonna go? Nobody is going to treat you as well as I treat you. Go, you'll come crawling back..."

We had a CM in the RCCS a few years back that seemingly took joy out of exercising power and authority over others just for the hell of it. People would position swap from one base to another and pass each other on the highway going on IR.

Why? "You need to move around. It's good for your career!"

You know what's better for a member's career? Not VRing because of arbitrary crap like that....

 

[Furniture]

The CAF has the same attitude as an abusive spouse: "Where else are you gonna go? Nobody is going to treat you as well as I treat you. Go, you'll come crawling back..."

We had a CM in the RCCS a few years back that seemingly took joy out of exercising power and authority over others just for the hell of it. People would position swap from one base to another and pass each other on the highway going on IR.

Why? "You need to move around. It's good for your career!"

You know what's better for a member's career? Not VRing because of arbitrary crap like that....

Ah, but you need that breadth of experience when you're a MWO/LCol... If you don't release first.

I got to lose $13K per year in PLD and SDA to get posted to Trenton so I got "experience" on the RCAF side... More accurately, I was single with 17 years in on an IE20, and easy to move to a position they needed filled. Now I'm in RCN DEU, and trying to get back to the coast, so that RCAF experience really helped me out.

Edit: I'm enjoying derailing a ResF thread with RegF issues, as a change of pace

 

[dapaterson]

Almost like the CAF needs HR professionals...

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Almost like the CAF needs HR professionals...

Another one fellas!

 

[MilEME09]

Almost like the CAF needs HR professionals...

Bring in a professional HR company and there won't be a CAF left, we will all be fired or in club Ed

 

[Halifax Tar]

I think people over estimate how much "career management" happens in the RegF... Most "career management" I've seen is actually "panicked hole plugging", or "they're single/divorced, and can be moved more easily".

Perhaps it's different in some occupations, but very little though as to suitability of a member for a position survives the first posting plot draft.

And then throw in Succession Management... Which seems to be a workable program, unless you're a purple trade.

Almost like the CAF needs HR professionals...

Our HRAs

 

[dapaterson]

Our HRAs

I should not be correcting DMPAP on production of tax forms.

I should not be telling clerks that they failed to properly reconcile my pay when they send out recovery info.

I should not be telling clerks that there are no months with 32 days, despite the spreadsheet they sent me.

I should not be ordering a clerk to maintain records they are responsible to maintain.


As I said, we need HR professionals, both at the tactical level (HRAs) and the strategic level (ATR can do Strat HR with no training or experience, right?)