Publication:Sea Talk Autumn 2007/Retention and recruitment plan for the 21st century
By CMDR Russ Dowrick*
Contents |
The ADF Retention and Recruitment Implementation Plan
The ADF Retention and Recruitment Implementation Plan provides a range of retention and recruitment initiatives to be introduced across the three Services to encourage more people to choose a career in the ADF and provide more incentives for existing members to remain in the services.
The initiatives contained in the plan not only include more financial incentives but improved conditions of service and better long term career management.
Respite from sea service: LCDR Robert Elphick is welcomed home by his children, John and Karen. Pic by ABPH Nadia Monteith
This is a result of the Government's comprehensive $1 billion retention and recruitment package for Defence announced by the Prime Minister last December 15. Other initiatives totalling $3.4b are in the planning stage to further improve your conditions.
For Navy, a lot of our hurt has occurred through lack of respite from sea service. The demands on officers and sailors in sea appointments have been offset, to some extent, by rotation periods when posted to shore appointments.
Manpower shortages however, mean that in recent years personnel are spending less time in shore appointments and, with fewer personnel to undertake the necessary work ashore, are operating under demanding work pressures when they are posted to such positions.
For several years, Navy has been operating with a depleted workforce.
To overcome this, a key objective of the Retention and Recruitment Plan is to achieve growth in the full-time strength of the ADF to more than 57, 000 by 2016/17.
For Navy, that means we must grow from our current strength of 12,770 personnel (including 294 Reservists on CFTS) to 13, 428 by 2016/17.
Currently, Navy is losing more people than it can recruit.
To reverse this trend, major long term initiatives are necessary.
The strategic concept behind the Retention and Recruitment Plan requires the start of a range of concurrent initiatives.
Momentum over the first three years of the plan will be generated by the use of targeted retention bonuses and allowances and reforms to Defence Force Recruiting (DFR).
Sustained growth will be generated through improvements to marketing and Service branding, restructuring of other rank pay groups and the introduction of a new Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme (DHOAS).
The sustained growth will also be supported by the benefits to the ADF from the Military Gap Year Scheme for young Australians who are between 17 and 24 years of age and have completed Year 12 or equivalent within the previous two years, enhancing cadets and Defence apprenticeships.
Establish and maintain the ADF as an employer of choice
The ADF will offer contemporary rewards in a competitive market place to attract and retain its people. The value of our people is demonstrated by offering financial and non-financial service condition options and career management practices that are flexible and enhance improved professional development, family support and stability.
Streamlined recruitment processes
The ADF will have a more responsive, streamlined and flexible recruitment process based on client relationship management that leads to a world of career opportunities.
More people want to join the ADF
The number of people wanting to join the ADF will be increased through effective service branding, enhancing Defence's reputation within the community and more contemporary marketing to compete for a diminishing workforce
A significant range of human resource initiatives have been implemented including the Sea Change program where some 277 individual initiatives were identified.
Of these 157 have been completed and work continues to finalise the remainder. Sea Change has now embarked on the Navy Workforce Renewal Project, comprising 10 individual major projects which have the potential to result in significant structural reform.
While this work is underway, category sponsors are also pursuing category specific initiatives. Navy Personnel and Training is seeking the latest information on a number of reforms from overseas defence forces that will keep us up there with "world's best practice".
Navy has undertaken a range of activities in the past few years to examine the nature of the workforce situation, in particular personnel shortfalls and high separation rates, and to address these issues.
Navy leadership is listening to your ideas and acting upon them. The initiatives already approved, those planned and those subject to review will go a long way to meeting the challenge of sustaining and growing the future Navy workforce.
- Director Navy Workforce Management
