Photo By Kari Hawkins | Army Materiel Command’s Deputy Chief of Staff G-1 Max Wyche, center, shares a...... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- While much of the Army’s civilian initiatives are focused on recruiting, training and developing the most qualified employees, the director of Human Resources for the Army’s largest civilian employer is targeting workforce retention as a leading readiness priority.
During a panel discussion at the Army Civilian Forum at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 12 in Washington, D.C., Max Wyche, deputy chief of staff G-1 (Human Resources) for the Army Materiel Command said, “retaining top civilian talent is a critical business imperative directly impacting Army readiness.
“It requires fostering an organizational culture that supports Army Civilians and evolving to meet the needs of the modern workplace, and embraces the needs and desires of the 21st century workforce through development of Army policies and practices.”
Wyche’s comments concluded a panel discussion that included Deputy Under Secretary of the Army Mario Diaz; and Acting Principal Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Mark Lewis, among others.
Diaz said the panel discussion is an important dialogue as the Army takes a “measurable and focused approach to modernizing the talent within our Civilian workforce corps” with such options as the Army Fellows Program, remote work, Quality of Life initiatives and other aspects of the 21st century work environment.
Referring to the Civilian Implementation Plan 2020 and 2022, Lewis said the 2020 CIP transformed the Army Civilian personnel system by consolidating 32 career fields to 11, creating more opportunities for professional growth and advancement. It also expanded student outreach programs and enhanced supervisory training, among other things. The 2022 CIP enhances civilian leader programs, modernizes executive development, expands workplace flexibilities and drives a culture where people are the number one priority.
“There is no better time to be an Army Civilian,” Lewis said. “Ask yourself ‘Do I like my job?’, ‘Do I like my boss?’, ‘Do I feel like I’m making a difference?’ A huge component of success in defending the nation are our civilians, and their ability to use their unique talents and skills in their job.”
AMC is championing the Army’s Civilian initiatives associated with the 2022 CIP’s Retain Line of Effort, adopting leading workplace best practices to ensure Army policies are in line with 21st century best practices, Wyche said.
“The intent is to promote engagement and greater work-life integration through workplace flexibilities, quality of life and wellness programs, and promotion of qualified individuals based on potential and skills,” Wyche said. “We’ve also emphasized recognition and rewarding of our workforce throughout the Army Civilian enterprise.”
AMC G-1 has followed the guidance focused on retention, building efforts to promote holistic health and quality of life in six program areas - Employee Assistance Program Marketing and Education; Civilian Spouse Employment and Transition Support; Family Care Programs; Civilian Fitness Program; Healthy Workplace Initiatives; and Morale Welfare Recreation and Retail Benefits.
“The proponents for each program area developed detailed plans to increase Civilians’ access and use of these programs, and through the CIP governance process they periodically check the status of these improvements, and identify and resolve any barriers to success,” Wyche said.
In addition, AMC G-1 initiated training in 2022 throughout the AMC enterprise for supervisors to ensure they follow the guidance of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs – also known as ASA(M&RA) -- in maintaining a positive and productive work environment.
“We recognize the critical role that supervisors have in creating and fostering a high-performance culture where Civilians feel motivated and engaged, and productively contribute to the Army mission,” Wyche said.
“As we continue to prioritize the effort to build and sustain an enterprise of world class supervisors, we will hold them accountable to the critical expectations of ASA(M&RA).”
Throughout the AMC enterprise, G-1 has implemented a pilot program offered by ASA(M&RA) to test hiring assessment tools and methods that can be used during the supervisor selection process to recognize leadership ability, potential and skills for advancement.
“As the Army strives for a modernized 21st century approach to attract, recruit, and retain top civilian talent, it is imperative for managers to have the tools necessary to make quality selections - regardless of whether traditional recruitment methods or direct hire authorities are used,” Wyche said.
AMC’s 10 major subordinate commands report the effectiveness of the tools and methods during the hiring process and the impact they have on Army’s ability to acquire top Civilian talent, he said. The pilot runs through May 2023.
Another aspect of the CIP 2022 is the exploration of establishing a Civilian for Life Program, much like the Army Soldier for Life Program, Wyche said, which will “keep Army Civilians informed on what we are doing, to help them continue to serve and to stay connected.”
Other retention initiatives include continuing to strengthen the culture of workforce engagement for Army Civilians with the expected outcomes of being an employer of choice and in the top “Best Places to Work” rankings, to encourage employee participation in Quality of Life and Holistic Health Promotion programs, such as the Civilian Fitness Program.
This includes developing the concept of “stay” interviews to continually inform AMC’s retain efforts beyond the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and allow survey tools to be available to all commanders and units enterprise wide.
“We fully expect these programs to assist in institutionalizing a culture of high performance and engagement across Army organizations. Both of these are essential to our efforts to retain top talent in today’s environment,” Wyche said.
| Date Taken: | 10.13.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.13.2022 16:13 |
| Story ID: | 431252 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 99 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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