Australian Army Journal

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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
ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE Family Friendly Army — First Class Policy, Second Class Implementation public sector in Australia and, by virtue of this, has become an employer of choice. Furthermore, by outperforming the public sectors of other countries, the ADF provides better benefits and conditions than comparable militaries around the world, which often perform on par with the public sector of their various countries. Four major family-oriented policies are discussed in the following paragraphs: children’s day care, parental leave entitlements, carer’s leave, and flexible working arrangements. Defence Day Care Defence has attempted to provide affordable children’s day care through the creation of Defence Day Care Centres on or close to select bases. Serving members are able to salary sacrifice to pay the fees, considerably decreasing the cost. The day care centres located close to Army bases are fully subscribed and profitable; however the centres located close to Navy and Air Force bases have proven less profitable, raising questions over the continued operation of Defence Day Care Centres. While the reason for this disparity has not been researched, it may be that Navy and Air Force families remain in one location for longer periods (over repeat postings) and therefore seek alternative day care arrangements within the community. The result is that service personnel must rely on obtaining civilian day care positions which are becoming increasingly expensive. In the last five years, children’s day care costs have risen from $55 to $104 per child per day in long-term day care. As Sheryl Sandberg suggests, unless a woman has a job that challenges and interests her, paying such a high portion of her wage in care deters many women from re-entering the workforce after childbirth. 4 Parental Leave Defence’s second major family-friendly policy concerns leave entitlements. Army provides extensive maternity leave entitlements allowing women 14 weeks’ leave at full pay (or taken as 28 weeks on half-pay) and a total of 66 weeks’ leave when combined with other forms of leave. 5 Spouses are entitled to two weeks’ parental leave on full pay (or taken as four weeks on half-pay). The member may then be granted 64 weeks’ parental leave without pay. If we compare the Army leave provisions with those of the Australian Government, Army fares well. Currently, public service employees are entitled to 12 weeks’ maternity leave, spousal leave for two weeks (minimum wage), and paid parental leave for 18 weeks (minimum wage). 6 Army also compares well with the international community. Our neighbours across the Tasman are consistent with Australia, Australian Army Journal Culture edition 2013, Volume X, Number 3 Page 175
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CONTENTS CHIEF OF ARMY FOREWORD....
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CHIEF OF ARMY FOREWORD When I assum
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CHIEF OF ARMY FOREWORD her gender,
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EDITORIAL the way in which it deals
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HISTORY Serving Their Country: A Sh
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HISTORY ‘A Homosexual Institution
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GENDER AND SEXUALITY Steyrs and She
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GENDER AND SEXUALITY Sexuality, Coh
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RELIGION Religious Diversity in the
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IDENTITY Military Retirement: Refle
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DISCIPLINE Hazing in the ADF: A Cul
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Page 123 and 124: DISCIPLINE Hazing in the ADF: A Cul
Page 129 and 130: OPERATIONAL CULTURE The Myths of Cu
Page 143 and 144: ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE Securing Arm
Page 159 and 160: ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE Learning to
Page 173: ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE Family Frien
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Page 187 and 188: ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE From Institu
Page 203 and 204: OPINION Army’s Spirit Warrant Off
Page 205 and 206: OPINION Army’s Spirit Pride As RS
Page 207 and 208: OPINION Army’s Spirit Mateship ca
Page 209 and 210: OPINION Army’s Spirit Our people
Page 211 and 212: OPINION Army’s Spirit I think it
Page 213 and 214: OPINION Brothers and Sisters in Arm
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OPINION Brothers and Sisters in Arm
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OPINION On the Culture of the Austr
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OPINION Fifty Shades of Grey: Offic
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CREATIVE WRITING Lost in Translatio
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CREATIVE WRITING Lost in Translatio
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NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS NOTES FOR CO
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