First, thanks Matthew John Parsons for giving me something to ponder during an indoor 12 k. You are right we are losing good people, hand over fist. I dispute that no one cares or is trying to fix it. But we do need to work on a culture of retention as a function of leadership and command. It is not getting the attention it needs. My thoughts: A. Assess all command teams on the command climate they build in their units, with a focus on how many of their soldiers re-enlist. B. As much as we have a strategic intake plan, lets have a strategic retention plan. Assign every unit a quota for the percentage of guys that they have whose contracts expire that they need to keep in. This could be cost effective as well, as every person that they keep in is one less they need to train from scratch. C. Re-enlistment bonuses - $ or leave - for those who reenlist, with public recognition for those that elect to stay. D. Medical care for dependants, including finding them a family doctor. Goes back to the idea that you enlist a soldier but you retain a family. E. Mid career leave, based on one week per year served, but you can only take it after you have been in ten years. Your choice how much you use and when (believe the Aussies already do this). F. Tie all allowances to ability to deploy. If you are not admin, disciplinarily, medically, physically fit, with all mandated annual TRG done, you lose your LDA until such time as you are good to go. Would serve to reward all those who put in the effort to be ready. Similarly do away with tieing LDA to just being part of a given unit, regardless of you ever going to the field. G. Increase pay for those with skills (second and third languages) that the system finds desirable. That was more than one thought per every two kilometres. Will be interesting to see what other ideas come out of the woodwork.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 21:33:35 +0000
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