Current Trends in CF Releases

[MusclesGlasses]

Everyone knows the quote is bullshit, but you posted the link anyway, because that's what you do, whether relevent or not.

So true. Just looking at his post history, nothing but links with no value added to the discourse.

Cheers

 

[jwtg]

So true. Just looking at his post history, nothing but links with no value added to the discourse.

Cheers

I fail to see what, exactly, the quoted post adds to the discourse.

Now, to add to the discourse, I think our infamous link-poster is on to something.  Whether or not he endorses the links he posts is irrelevant, and whether they really inform the discussion in this thread is obviously up for debate- what is relevant is that he is basically quoting the CF and putting forward their stated position on the issue.  They make me think is that the CF keeps saying it's supporting the troops, but obviously the troops feel differently.

I posit that it's because of ambiguous promises paired with tangible cuts.  How about some tangible promises, like direction to COs on a particular course of action they are to take, rather than the euphemistic 'CF cares about you, really' kind of rhetoric we keep seeing.


EDIT: for clarity/typos.

 

[Journeyman]

.....rather than the euphemistic 'CF cares about you, really' kind of rhetoric we keep seeing.

You mean this isn't doing it?

How about if we included "Train to Excite" on all the PowerPoints?

 

[Shamrock]

Uhh...I'm at a loss to identify any recent "from the top" initiatives in the last year or so which are supposed to benefit the troops which have been negated by those of us working to support the troops and families.  The only announcements recently have resulted in troops losing out, not gaining.  I'm just waiting for someone to roll out the old mantra, "We need to do more with less" and then I know "that" decade has returned.

I guess I am a bit pessimistic though, there was the introduction of a Gucci fur hat and winter boots to Logistiks Unicorp with that new DEU parka soon to be here.

You're not wrong.  I can think of no policies or programs to come out in the past 365 that have pointedly said "CF Retention Plan." 

I can think of several bungles to existing retention incentives, however.  Occupational Transfers, promotions, leave and benefits...

 

[ArmyRick]

I have a gut feeling and thats all, that the reason there is not a valid and real effort (not some token paper or half hearted gesture, the CF done that before) to retain experienced soldiers is frankly its not the top's priority right now.

 

[kratz]

Hell, NavRes town halls have been telling us since this summer that at the rates of release we have vice recruiting levels, by 2017 nobody will be around to turn off the lights.  :gottree:

 

[Towards_the_gap]

The only officialstance I have heard recently was a CWO stand in front of a large crowd and say 'you want out? Fine, there's a line-up of people waiting to get in, don't let the door hit you on the way out'


There is a lot of smart, tough, experienced NCO's who are leaving right now. I think we had a moment in 2010-2011 where a radical change in how we do business could have occurred, that window has closed and, barring another shooting match, we won't have that chance again.

 

[McG]

I think the CF has a history of focusing on recruiting to fix manning shortfalls.  This manifests itself in recruiting bonuses being offered for occupations where we are short Sgts and Majs, but never there being any re-signing bonus/incentive.  As an organization, we need to do a better job of deliberately targeting retention the same way we target recruiting.

 

[PuckChaser]

I dunno about the geographical thing. Out West, in my troop in the last 3 months, I've completed a CQCI course, one of my troops (a Sig) has completed his Basic Para, and another troop (non-inf) has completed his Basic Recce.

I gotta get out west... been waiting 2 years in MITE for a CQCI.

 

[Jarnhamar]

I gotta get out west... been waiting 2 years in MITE for a CQCI.

PM Inbound.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Hell, NavRes town halls have been telling us since this summer that at the rates of release we have vice recruiting levels, by 2017 nobody will be around to turn off the lights.  :gottree:

Here's to Thursday's 'traditional' toast then:  http://www.readyayeready.com/tradition/naval-toasts-of-the-day.htm

 

[DirtyDog]

As far as courses that never seem to come that must be a geographical thing. Recently we've run/sent guys on;
Helicopter Insertion Instructor, Conduct After Capture Instructor, Close Quarters Combat, Close Quarters Combat Instructor, recce patrolman, sniper, pathfinder, multiple in-house jump serials, drivers courses, basic and intermediate comms course (advance comms, freefall and arctic adviser coming up).

That's just off the top of my head.
I don't see the reserves having ever left the peace-time garrison BS. They've sent soldiers on operations who've returned to reserve world and have had to deal with being reservists again.

I've noticed a huge sense of entitlement with full time infantry soldiers. An hour of PT an hour of "work" and if it's Friday and 10 minutes after 1 their bitching and crying about why they're still at work.

I don't think our young fresh out of school and into the uniform soldiers have an idea about just how hard working at a civilian job can be.


Lots of people did join for the prospect of fighting in a war and now that it's over they've lost interest.

Yep.  I constantly have to remind soldiers just how lucky they are to be making $50K+ to work out and shoot guns, many with barely a high school education.  The sense of entitlement makes me sick.

On the other hand, yep, many, many people having trouble being interested now that the prospect of combat operations is pretty much gone and an encroaching amount of lame BS.

 

[Tank Troll]

Talked with a friend of mine who is a SSM in the Strathcona's, they have about 100 release in. It is a cycle it happened in the 90s and it will happen again. I got out because I finally had enough of the crap it wasn't any one big thing but a bunch of little things. The final straw being a Major at the Armour school telling me well if you don't like it Sgt then you can always get out. I said you're finally right about something today Sir. Went back to my desk put in my 30 day notice.

 

[brihard]

I gotta get out west... been waiting 2 years in MITE for a CQCI.

There's one running in Meaford in the new year. Being on 'course waitlist' in MITE often may not mean anything unless ops keeps nominating you for new individual sessions; at least such has been my experience working ops in the reserves- 'course waitlist' in MITE is more of a ghost machine than anything the way we're managed. I need to nominate each individual for each individual course session.

 

[Sig_Des]

Talked with a friend of mine who is a SSM in the Strathcona's, they have about 100 release in. It is a cycle it happened in the 90s and it will happen again. I got out because I finally had enough of the crap it wasn't any one big thing but a bunch of little things. The final straw being a Major at the Armour school telling me well if you don't like it Sgt then you can always get out. I said you're finally right about something today Sir. Went back to my desk put in my 30 day notice.

And that's another issue. To be realistic, as much as it's a problem that we lose Pte's and Junior Cpls at the end of their VIE, it's a manageable problem. Realistically, a lot of them will get out, and the next thing will kick up, we'll need numbers, and they'll start coming back.

But it seems to me that we're losing MCpls and Sgts at an alarming rate. And yeah, the mentality of a lot of Senior NCO's and Officers is "You don't like it, get out, there's plenty of people at the door." Well, it's not an idle threat. You know who the companies out here love? Management experienced guys, with a whole bunch of safety and technical courses, who are relatively young and fit. And those new guys who are just knocking at the doors? Well how long until those people have the same experience and knowledge level of those MCpl's and WO's? Who's going to train them?

Before our last Summer leave, like a few days before, we had 8 MCpls from the same Sqn put in 30 day releases.

 

[Popurhedoff]

When I submitted my release, there were 600+ pers going through the release section in Petawawa in Dec 2011... I retired on a 19 day release and bypassed those 600.  The RMS clerks and civilian in the release section were amazing, they went out of their way to expedite my release with their workload of which I can say seemed insurmountable.

I served 32 years and I retired with the good fortune of being extremely happy with my health and career with no regrets.  I finished my career in a great unit, I had a great team which I helped develop, and I know I left them capable and willing to continue the good work and to be good leaders,  I had done my job and it was my time to go, my time to pass the torch.

I had many deployements throughout the years, I spent lots of time away in remote parts of the world but the real strength of ones character is the ability to keep positive, keep motivated, and to keep the others doing the same when its back to the homefront in peacetime.

I have found through the years, that a lot of the exceptional, the gifted, the ones that had that drive to succeed that tended to release early in the face of an outstanding career to persue new careers, not just a paycheck.  Of course I have seen many that just had enough, couldn't handle it, or didn't want to be in the Military anymore.

The releases seem to be in cycles, but the one thing that remains the same is that there are always people to fill the vacancies, to work harder, and to take up the slack.

Its been over a years since I came to Kabul as a civilian, and I run into Canadian troops every now and then and I always enjoy chatting with them, its almost like a family reunion.  I have no regrets and I am enjoying life and my other career.

Cheers
Pop

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I'll add:

- things like the change to IR that is going to likely be implemented before or starting FY 13/14;
- no more severance;
- talks about PLD being ceased completely, with a 0.5% payraise to compensate ($24/month for the avg Cpl);
- being told pension contributions are going to increase 50-70% in the next few years.

Add all of those to the (real or perceived) lower morale in the units, overall budget cuts that means less money to do the training and the "Employer of Choice" idea quickly begins to fade away...

Personally, I won't leave but I see the negative changes equalling low or negative GAFF and thats hard to defeat.  What things IMO tend to help feed a low GAFF?  This PIL stuff is one that comes to mind.  Announce severance ends in April, election period to end at the end of the FY with no payment before then, etc etc etc.  Then, give ppl no set date when they will receive partial or full payment, etc.  Try to tell them "its not big deal".  Then find out the RCMP already have theirs in the bank.  Thats one example.

Overall, the PIL, pension increases, etc etc etc likely translate in alot of mbr's minds to "you don't matter as much, so we won't take care of you as well as before".

Now, add to that the prospect of fewer courses, fewer deployments, less $ for training, and lots of time sweeping floors and checking drip pans, and all of a sudden its the early 90's again.

 

[Tank Troll]

That is exactly it right there. Again as in the 90s we are down sizing and this is a cheap way to get rid of personal. The higher ups do not care because by the time the next big thing rolls around the soldiers that filled the the places of the ones that left will be up to speed (hopefully). They promote the lower ranks to replace the ones that got out and replace the lower ranks with new recruits everything continues as normal, except for the loss of experience it works perfectly. Then they will use words like, trimmed, smaller but more efficient, leaner but well trained, all those catch phrases that came out in the 90s will be back and up dated.

While they are pushing the Northern Angle as our next big mission (which is needed) other than getting the troops up there it is cheaper than most exercises (no need for AFVs or the fuel and maintenance cost that goes with them) LOSV courses are cheaper than AFV driver and gunners courses and it looks good in the press to the general public that we are doing more to protect our sovereignty.

 

[MikeL]

While they are pushing the Northern Angle as our next big mission (which is needed) other than getting the troops up there it is cheaper than most exercises (no need for AFVs or the fuel and maintenance cost that goes with them)

The Patricias brought up their LAVs on a northern exercise sometime around Jan/Feb 2012?

 

[Tank Troll]

The Patricias brought up their LAVs on a northern exercise sometime around Jan/Feb 2012?

How many LAVs and how far north?