Australian Army Journal

ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE
Family Friendly Army —
First Class Policy, Second Class Implementation
Employment Offer — and performance in these areas while also comparing these
with employment conditions in the public and private sector. While the nature of
military service is unique and in some ways incomparable to civilian industries,
Army can learn from industry and the private sector how to better implement its
own policies. Following the outline and comparison of policies provided in section
one of this article, section two will contextualise Army’s family-oriented policies
within the force generation cycle, describing its impact on family members and
relationships. Recommendations for policy change will be made throughout the
course of this discussion.
This article combines the findings of academic research with personal perspectives
and the experiences of Australian Army officers. A survey of ten questions targeted
at senior officers and commanders was sent to workplaces around Australia.
Thirty-seven officers responded to questions concerning the support their own
children and spouses required during the Army force generation cycle and whether
this affected command decision-making. This informal survey was not scientific
nor was it undertaken through the Australian Defence Human Research Ethics
Committee on a scale sufficiently large to provide a representative population. 2
Rather the respondents’ personal experiences assisted the authors to understand
the challenges some families face, and the different strategies units employ to
assist in minimising these challenges. The survey responses may also suggest
an avenue of formal research for those investigating flexible work arrangements
within Defence.
Section One: Army’s family-oriented policies
Discussion of Army’s family-oriented policies is usefully prefaced by consideration
of the Defence Employment Offer (DEO). The DEO encompasses the tangible and
intangible benefits that Defence offers to an individual in exchange for employment
as a serving member. It includes salary, service allowance, superannuation, health
(medical, dental, physiotherapy), subsidised housing and uniforms. It also includes
leave entitlements and policies which govern the military workplace and therefore
set the framework for service members’ ability to interact with their families. 3
The DEO considers the unique nature and challenge of military service —
the requirement for 24/7 duty, movement within Australia and overseas deployments.
This article will compare the DEO to public sector provisions within Australia and
in other countries. The purpose of this comparison is to demonstrate that the
Australian Defence Force (ADF) has exceeded the provisions provided to the
Australian Army Journal
Culture edition 2013, Volume X, Number 3 Page 174