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Timmy!

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Now as a leader like myself.. I come across a lot of problems with some troops. Like excuse from work as a PRes, or excuse from traning during weekends.

I get excuses like

"My grand father is sick and I don't know what is going to happen to him"

"Or I have school work to do/exams"

"Something is wrong with the family and I don't know if I can attend training"

"I have appointments at work this weekend"

They always play the iffy game. What should I be doing? I am hearing this from my CSM that everyone should be attending. And all I can show him is the excused forms from the troops. And I hear it again.

It is a big circle with me.



Also for the admin personal on this site... may be their should be a sub form for any leadership questions... methods... things along those line so we can chat.
 
I dont think this is a leadership issue...I think this is an 'are they committed to working in the reserves issue?'
 
It's more a GAF issue than a leadership one. 23 years in, there were plenty of days I didn't want to go in, but I signed on the line, I did the time, as should they.  Time to thin the herd, if you ask me, but nobody did..... :D
 
Well I can sure say that a lot of excuses do pop up around ACRON time and Winter In Doc training. It is very upsetting.

The excused from training forms we get go to the CSM and then the OC... the OC has last say in the deal. So does the finger point at me? The troops for this? Or is this a typical PRes unit?

And yes my unit is going to start cracking the whip on Thrusday, the CSM told me. So I guess I can watch and see. I have, myself, attended every training night accept when I was tasked away. So, why does everyone else get away with it?
 
Document who is there when.  Find out what your units NES policy is.  Reward the ones that show dedication.  Talk to the ones that are "bucking the system".  Let your Snr NCOs/WOs in if they aren't, ask them for direction/advise, escalate it to their level if required, but keep them in the picture...always.  I am sure your CSM doesn't have just you between him/her and "troops"...

And...more importantly...have you asked yourself if there is a morale issue in your unit?  ( I ask this because I am very familiar with your unit...and the Snr NCOs/WOs there...and I know there was an issue there with that. )

Talk to your troops, individually and as a group, get some feedback. 

I had a recce tp for years.  We had great attendance for scheduled trng because they folks were dedicated, we had GREAT morale and it made all the difference.  With Class A soldiers, the Forces does give them the option to show up or not...can't do anything about that, like when they are Class B or Reg Frce right?  i.e. CSD, admin procedures, etc etc.

If you can't "make" them be there...I have always found the best way was to get their interest going to WANT to be there.  My last year as a Tp WO...me and the other Tp WO had very good morale in our troops, and had above 95% attendace on scheduled trng events.  When we did the more interesting trng...the troops were there.  When things started to get old, boring and stupid...people would find better things to do with their time.  Not saying that this is right...just saying that its a fact with Class A PRes.  Been that way my 17 years in...

...my quick $00.02...
 
I am not sure you can take responsibility for people not showing up unless you are doing something to discourage their attendance...I have no say on that...I am not your Snr NCO.  All you can do is your best;  provided you are, your CoC *should* recognize that.

The PRes has "NES" or Non-Effective Strength status for Class A people that miss more than the "allowable" amount of trng nights.  Find out what your units NES policy is.  Are your younger soldiers aware of it?  Maybe..maybe not.  Is your units NES policy enforced?  That is a question for your CoC. 

Yup, people have ducked MILCON/ARCON for YEARS...and unfortunately there is not much that can be done about it.  BUT...it will/should come into play when people start looking for courses...tasking...all the "jammy go's". 

And some words of "encouragement" from a CSM never seems to hurt either...well...not for long, anwways... ;D

One question;  are the Snr NCOs/WOs in your Coy part of the "i can't come in" syndrome??
 
find your NES policy...brief your troops...lead by example...oh and remember...SOME of those "excuses" might be reasons...you will most likely find out over time who is legit and who is just slagging off...and as much as they think they are fooling people...they aren't.  I have seen guys be slackers..then want to go on a tour...or good tasking...or CT to the Reg's...if the NCOs have been doing their paperwork during Pte of Cpl "SlackinIdols" *outstanding* performance...it will come back to them sooner or later.  Hopefully your unit does Merit Boards, PERs, etc etc that will identify the weak links as exactly that...weak links..

;)
 
I've always noticed it's the same people in my unit who miss weekends.

On a winter indoc weekend I was going to be the Tp Sgt / Charlie until a Mcpl showed up (who got back from a construction project in another part of ontario early), all because of a lack of people.

Typically, I've been to every weekend so far minus 1 due to a family emergency (grandfather passed away and he lived in Thunder bay, long drive) and the other for school work reasons since I've become dumped with crap after the Ontario college strike.

With a good attendance I've managed to get on some pretty jammy taskings and recommended for other taskings.

The people who don't show up to Winter indoc yet always are available for gun camp don't get the same opportunities.

My Tp WO has been taking the right approach I think.  He told my troop that he and troopie would make sure that those who never show, or show up very little would be denied any tasking during the march break they apply for (many of which were great taskings) and given to those who show up.

Well since then numbers, atleast to me, seem to be increasing.

 
This indicates the state that *some* reservists have dropped to...or never were at in the first place.  Another reason our Reg Frce brotheren take a "not so professional" opinion of Reserve's in general...and, the really dedicated Reserve folks too.

What would these "deadweights" do if and when their CO ordered them to 13 days Class A service in a Dom OP/emergency situation...those who don't know about that better look at Reserve Force Terms of Service...  :P
 
Getting people to attend training has always been a Sisyphean challenge in the militia. Part of it has to do with the fact we have a turnover rate like we've got the plague and the other reason is the is a very low bar that needs to be met in order to employed.

While you can implement all the above mentioned strategies to temporarily increase attendance, the high turnover rate means any initiatives implemented in one year most likely will be abandoned by the next group of people who assume the positions.

Until the Militia changes the attendance requirements to something more stringent than about once a month, it will continue to see poor turn out.
All the best,
Bart
 
17th Recce Sgt said:
This indicates the state that *some* reservists have dropped to...or never were at in the first place.  Another reason our Reg Frce brotheren take a "not so professional" opinion of Reserve's in general...and, the really dedicated Reserve folks too.
Click to expand...

I have always said to the boys at work there is no way I could be a reservist.I know after having a day like I did today and having an OPTION to go to work tomorrow....I wouldnt!

I had a friend in the gghg tell me there were guys who did the whole "drink and parade" and never deploy also.Personally I think guys who cannot commit a few weeks a year shouldnt be givin the privilage to wear the uniform.Having said that I have also seen pres guys working their asses off in a b class contract and going writing exams at night,so there are two spectrims of reserve class soldier.

Personally I never judge a troop by his regiment,except those funny looking hats,man I just cant get past that! ;D
 
Personally TN2IC I would basically look at your section (or what ever you non armoured types call em ;D) and get your group of guys you know work their asses off and make it out for most all exercises.Slowly as these pers get promoted along with yourself you form a new nucleus for your unit and weed out the weak from there.

As someone said earlier " stop there transfer to the regs" I totally disagree.Maybe that's the reason they are not showing up for exercises.I know how frustrating having paperwork belonging to myself "lost" or "in transit" is.I guess that would rap back into morale.

And next exercise they go on put them on all the shitty shifts and any shitty jobs that come up on parade nights give that to them as well.Hopefully they get totally discouraged and quit or realise they are sacks of poo and wake up.

17th Recce Sgt said:
what?  someone unhappy..from the Armd School????   ;D
Click to expand...
TN2IC said:
If your happy in the Armour school..then something is wrong.
Click to expand...

Hold up guys! It aint that bad...first they take out part of your brain...
 
Hey RCAC,

the part about the CT to the Reg's...it was meant more along the line of...you have this bag of hammers that has been BOH for 5 years...puts in his CT...CO denies it...he gets councelled on why...either sorts himself out...or stays CLass A.  Seen it work before...just another tool in the belt   ;D

There is someting else here...I have seen MOST new troops start to follow the rest of the "group" and conform for lack of a better term.  They don't want to be left out or labelled as "sick lame and lazy".  It falls in the "group discipline" or "habits" part of military discipline (4 kinds, not sure if they cover them on PLQ, if not you will get it on ILQ, or we did on SLC atleast)...anyways, point to what RCAC said...create a switched-on group...people will want to be in that group...who wants to be an outcast really??

Different tools available.  negative/postitive reinforcement, councelling, Admin (PERs, PXRs, etc etc), unit NES policy...be creative and find out what motivates the people that aren't performing...

be creative   ;D
 
The blight of the reserve unit: The Mess Dinner Commando.
They who disappear in inclement weather but never miss a chance to put on the dress uniform and go to 'training' downtown.
Tour overseas: nope!
'Regimental history junket' to tour the pubs ... er battlefields ... of Europe: Guaranteed they'll be there. Suddenly they got time away from the other job/school/family/pet ferret/druidic calendar.

I have one solution for these soldiers: Flying death squads. ;D

Failing that, I believe there needs to be legislation from on high.
I have a cunning plan that would require six things: New legislation with teeth, An annual training calendar that wasn't written on an Etch-a-Sketch, A unit CO with a spine, An efficient administration cell, a new method for calculating budgets for reserve units, and MPs to go collect the kit.

Basically, at the beginning of the training year, the CO would designate six training weekends as 'SPECIAL' - these would be hardcore training ... not garrison posing in mess kit.
If at the end of the year, a soldier had not attended two of the six, release.
"No marriage counselling, no trial separation, I'm gonna get RELEASED!" (with a nod to Pulp Fiction)

The key is make those six weekends worthwhile training, and DON'T CHANGE THE DATES!
If you can't make your schedule work around six little days, it's time to start hanging around the mess as a retired 'veteran' and talk about how you kicked butt on BMQ ... 11 years ago.

You would be surprised as to how many names on the nominal roll this would erase.
However, someone would have to do the erasing.
And there  may be conflict of interest if reserve units' budgets were based on number of personnel - half of whom haven't had mud on their boots since Madonna was hot and Britney was a virgin.

There are many, many great, dedicated reservists. Some of whom are putting it on the line right now in Kandahar. But the system allows a lot of deadwood to ride their coattails, and frankly hurt their reputation.

I'll tell you what would be a shock - some units would virtually disappear if you enacted this. But the soldiers that were left would at least be real, instead of 'phantom strength.'

And don't forget; your good troops would keep showing up. In fact, how about some kind of bonus for the soldier who makes all six events?

Oh boy, look out when I'm King.
 
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