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NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN MARCH 2003 21 period that would normally be defined as Contractor Sea Trials. I have definitely fulfilled my needs to be challenged. Similarly, my craving for job satisfaction and pride in maintaining the Mk 92 FCS has been satisfied. However, with every positive aspect there often comes a negative. By satisfying my workrelated values, my personal needs have suffered and I spend little time with my family and friends. Additionally, in terms of personally being valued, there is little-to-no financial remuneration. What price do you place on not being able to celebrate your child’s birthday because that URDEF has to be rectified and you hold the corporate knowledge. Not because of your brilliance but because others haven’t been afforded the opportunity to be trained. Yes, my sea-readiness badge provides visible recognition of the sea service I have completed. Again the remuneration doesn’t balance my needs and values. A metal badge that merely damages my uniforms is no recognition of the personal time, effort and sacrifice I have made. The sea-readiness badge will not compensate or support my family. My current financial and leave package would be appropriate if my sole responsibility was to operate and maintain the Mk 92 FCS. However, considering the other tasks I must be able to perform, the amount of time and training required to maintain the quality of the tasks performed and the large amount of time spent away from my family and friends, I seriously do not think that the package provided is adequate. Family Values Society has changed significantly since the Royal Australian Navy was established and consequently individual ideals and expectations have also changed. I have certainly noticed that serving members wish to experience a more unrestricted lifestyle and no longer accept the requirement to be removed from society and indeed their families and friends for long periods. As sea-time, and therefore total time spent away from home, increases due to operational requirements a greater strain will be felt by each family unit and individual alike. If the philosophy governing the sea-shore roster cannot be drastically changed to allow a greater balance then we will continue to see increasing separation rates. Apart from the actual time spent at sea, another problem exists due to the maintenance and defect rectification requirements for the ship’s projected operational program. Every system requires preventative and corrective maintenance throughout the ship’s Usage and Upkeep Cycle. Considerable increase in these maintenance requirements is evident with the ship’s completion of each IMAV and D/SRA and subsequent progression through the Workup process. During these periods it is not uncommon for many engineering departments, whether it is Weapons Electrical, Aviation or Marine, to work extended working hours during the week and weekends. In doing so, personnel are not able to take the amount of rest and recreation they need to sustain their focus at sea. The family unit receives added pressure from a combination of different factors. Members return home mentally and physically exhausted. Wives, girlfriends, husbands, and boyfriends refuse to understand why their partner is required to remain at work having just returned from a two-week period at sea. This is not a oneoff event and is a considerable burden. Upon return from sea you cannot afford to upset the family routine, it’s simply not fair to them. Even if your partner can spare time, you’re usually too tired and aren’t able to devote any real form of “quality time”. This has a greater effect on children. How do you explain to them that, “Yes, I am alongside however I am unable to spend “quality time” with you.” They become frustrated in their own sense, usually in the form of misbehaving. It becomes a vicious circle where in some cases the pressure becomes too great and relationships and family cohesion falter. From my own experiences, I have seen many marriages and relationships fail due to the demands of naval life. The Navy however, has come a long way in regards to looking after families needs. This is typified with services such as; the DCO, improved childcare, social workers, and keeping families informed about ship activities and what part the member will play. There is still some way to go. Personally, the greatest source of arguments that my wife and I have experienced has been the amount of extra hours worked on weekdays and weekends when I am alongside when I am supposed to be spending time with my family. A vicious circle that devours everybody concerned. Remuneration One initiative the Navy has currently undertaken is the recognition of the sea service through restructuring of Sea Going Allowance (SGA). However, the Navy has entered a new domain requiring individuals to be competent in weapon handling, boarding operations and force protection, just to name a few. These are of course in addition to conducting their normal job and special duties. Does the restructuring of the SGA tiers reflect the current service provided at sea or is it merely making up for past? Navy has also introduced the sea-readiness badge for
22 NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN MARCH 2003 identification of personnel readiness and in recognition of completed sea service. A sound concept that has not realised its full potential. It makes other members aware of the commitment that a particular individual has contributed to the Navy however, it requires additional backing whether it be in the form of a financial or leave incentive. Whilst deployed in a designated Area of Operations (AO) you are being duly compensated by the respective Conditions of Service - allowances, tax-free pay and war service leave. The allowances in the AO acknowledge the individual’s acceptance of risk, the additional workload, and surroundings required to be personally weathered. Realistically how long can individuals perform the additional arduous duties associated with serving in an AO? When the member returns to Australia to find there is no respite and the need to complete another maintenance period is as intense as it was to have the ship ready for deployment to the AO, what does the member do? How does the member justify this requirement to friends and family? What true remuneration exists that is aligned with individual and family values? This environment will inevitably cause personnel to “burn out” at a faster rate than would normally occur in a peacetime environment. An interesting situation arose during recent deployments to OP RELEX whereby RAN members were required to undertake roles similar in nature to those experienced during OP SLIPPER. Certainly the risk level was different however the additional training required to proceed to OP RELEX reflected the requirement during deployment. Additionally, crews were exposed to situations that would not normally be experienced in general service, all without any real remuneration. The question begs asking, “Is this a reasonable expectation?” Improving Conditions of Service Some shipmates and I conducted a brainstorming session to identify possible ways of improving the Conditions of Service to retain experienced personnel. As can be seen the ideas vary in theme, which reflects varying individual values. We arrived at the following: • Tier Service Allowance similar to SGA to recognise the experience and commitment personnel have made. • Tier the sea-going leave component in addition to tiering of the SGA and Service Allowance. Increase the amount of recreation leave for sea-going personnel by five days at the completion of every three years of service. That is, 10 days sea service leave for 0-3 years of service, 15 days sea service leave for 3-6 years of service and 20 days sea service leave for in excess of 6 years sea service. • Reintroduce the pension for completion of 20 years service. • Provide a sign on bonus at 4 yearly intervals. • Recreational leave or travel warrants that cannot be taken should be refunded in cash or as pre-packaged holiday. • Before IMAV or DSRA periods have a compulsory two-week leave period prior to commencement of the Maintenance Activity. • For completing 10 years of service provide a deposit for a house in addition to long service leave. • Introduce a greater number of ‘out of category’ shore billets for technical sailors. • Provide technical billets on Custom vessels. • Remove stamp duty and tax on all household goods, vehicles, and housing for military personnel. • Give personnel the opportunity to take their normal leave entitlements. Conclusion If the Navy wishes to be at the forefront by operating a small, yet highly motivated, trained and experienced force it must focus on retaining the experienced personnel. So how do we recognise the additional training to get an individual to a certain standard? Inevitably how do we retain and maintain the focus of our experienced personnel? How do we balance personal limitations against unreal expectations? Recruiting sufficient numbers to try and cover separation rates may work in the short term, but there will be degradation in the quality of service provided by the Navy over the long term due to the demise of corporate knowledge. The loss of corporate knowledge is felt to a larger extent in the engineering branches. This loss is primarily due to the requirement to maintain equipment to a high standard in varying environments that also demand the development of new skills. Technicians are dragged away from their primary job to undertake Wholeship roles hence losing the opportunity to further build knowledge. The technicians become annoyed and disgruntled with having to perform additional duties such as boarding and force protection. The workload approaches an unrealistic level as a result of trying to strike a balance between performing their primary job and fulfilling Wholeship commitments. The end result is a tired workforce left with the real option of discharge.
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