Retention New Jersey Style: How You Can Retain Soldiers: Chapter 7: Retention

CHAPTER 7: RETENTION TOOLS

Intent: The following programs are available to assist you with your retention efforts. Each tool supplements the programs you have already established to manage and prevent unnecessary soldier losses. To arrange for a tool that is not locally available, contact the RRM.

Some of the tools below are mandatory for commanders at all levels to implement. Others are suggestions to assist you.

Appointments: MSC commanders will appoint, on orders, an Additional Duty Retention Officer (ADRO). The ADRO will be a field-grade officer. The battalion commander will appoint, on orders, an Additional Duty Retention NCO. These appointees will have the following minimum responsibilities:

MSC/Battalion - Additional Duty Retention Officer/NCO

Write and keep current a retention SOP/Program for the commander.
Track all retention training (see chapter 8) in the MSC/battalion to ensure target audience attendance.
Update and provide a roster of all soldiers requiring the various retention training programs to the commander at all levels.
Attend all retention training as the MSC/battalion representative.
Ensure units receive 120 days notice of retention training.
Coordinate logistic support (food, training aids, etc.) for retention training.
Provide AAR to MSC/battalion commander and RRM regarding retention training and impact on retention.
Provide AAR to MSC/battalion commander regarding all unit training (MOS, combat, CTT, etc.) and its impact on retention.
Provide feedback/constructive criticism to improve training (both unit and RRM driven).
Get to know unit soldiers by interacting with them and providing the commander with information regarding the unit retention environment.
Coordinate with the S3 to schedule Unit Climate Profiles and all retention training (as per Chapter 8) for all subordinate units during YTG/YTC development.
Oversee all subordinate unit Sponsorship Programs.
Oversee all subordinate unit NJDMAVA Form 1315, Career Counseling Card, interview programs.
Implement the other retention tools suggested in this chapter, as per the commander's desire.
Track strength data and provide trend analysis to the commander regarding the retention effort of subordinate units and their leadership.
Compute and/or know the company attrition percentages and develop guidance/SOPs to stay under it.
Analyze UCPs of all units and develop MSC/battalion CAP with the commander.

Retention Climate Assessment Team (RCAT)

This NGB team visits battalion-sized units and interviews first-term soldiers to determine why they may consider leaving the ARNG. This is not an inspection! The data they gather will help your unit, the NJARNG and NGB identify negative trends we collectively must correct.

Unit Climate Profile (UCP)

Our Full-Time Support Recruiting and Retention NCOs (FTSR&RNCOs) will conduct or help administer UCPs at your company-sized units. This is an excellent tool to determine how soldiers feel about the training, leadership, support functions and morale of their unit. The FTSR&RNCOs will tabulate and provide the results to the company commander and/or ADURNCO. Commanders at all levels can coordinate the UCPs directly with the FTSR&RNCOs at each Interactive Community Resource Center (see chapter 6).

National Guard Soldier and Family Orientation Program (NGSFO)

This seminar is designed to introduce new NJARNG men and women to our organizations. It is targeted at both prior service (PS) and non-prior service (NPS) soldiers of any rank and their families. The NPS soldiers must be IET graduates. The RRM will present the training at the MSC level (for planning, 25 to 50 participants, and four-months' notice) and at the location the MSC selects and obtains. The MSC is also responsible for transportation and meals. The RRM needs electricity and a classroom environment to conduct the training with his POI and instructors.

The Features and Benefits Binder

Each unit will receive two binders. The binders will contain information and procedures regarding all that the NJARNG has to offer the soldier. The intent is for the commander, 1SG, FLL, FTSF, and ADURNCO to be intimately familiar with it. All of these retainers/leaders can use this tool to "show off" what the NJARNG can do for the soldier and his family. The RRM is the proponent of the binder. He will keep it current by receiving data and information from the various "owners" of each chapter, and will distribute changes for unit posting in the unit binder. The RRM will distribute changes as they occur.

The binder will also help to prevent unnecessary calls to various state agencies when a leader is trying to assist a soldier with a NJARNG-sponsored program. The intent is that the binder is a one-source document for topics such as education, income, insurance, travel, veterans' benefits, family programs, access to parks, hunting and fishing licenses, NJARNG auto vanity plates, etc.

The BG Kenneth L. Rieth Commander's Cup

TAG presents this award quarterly and annually to the battalion commander and CSM with the best attrition management percentage for the given time period. The winner is selected according to strength management statistics.

The first criteria considered is the actual attrition percentage determined by manageable losses. If there is a tie between battalions for this statistic, the RRM will give TAG other strength management statistics to determine the winner.

The other tie-breakers include, but are not limited to, new recruits accessed into the unit and battalion no-pay validation percentage. Upon request, the RRM will share the determining statistical data used to select a given period's winner.

For the annual award, the battalion commander (or CSM) must be in place at least six months before the RRM will engrave his name on the cup. For the quarterly winner, the commander or CSM must have been in the unit for the entire quarter.

Retention Council

Commanders at all levels should consider establishing a retention council(s) to explore the unit(s) climate. The council should meet periodically (each drill, quarterly, etc.) and should be an informal information sharing forum between a commander, CSM, or 1SG and unit subordinates. The commander could choose different audiences for his periodic meeting. He may choose to meet with first-termers one meeting and E-5s and above the next time. A commander must use his imagination to obtain the information necessary to enhance unit morale and readiness.

Soldier Report of Survey

Commanders should consider using a "Soldier Report of Survey." To send a new recruit to Basic and AIT costs on average $60,000. To lose this asset without investigating it is a dereliction of duty. It is remarkable that we initiate an investigation into the loss of a $100 piece of equipment, yet we have historically let trained and expensive assets like soldiers leave our units without much concern. Commanders should choose to force investigations of these losses. NJARNGR 601-X, Discharge Procedures (TBP), will address this specifically.

Award and Incentive Programs to Enhance Retention

The following list reflects suggestions unit commanders may consider to enhance morale and retention in units.

Company Commander's Breakfast

Quarterly, for re-enlistees, soldier of the quarter, or other reasons.
Place - commander's discretion (i.e., a local restaurant, a diner, etc.).
Consider spouses.

FLL & Team Award (i.e., Section Squad, Crew). Award given to both FLL and team (unit generated and maintained, i.e., a unit plaque).

Re-enlistments and Promotions

Give hats, coins, T-shirts, etc.
Reserved parking spot

Media Support. Each commander should seek to submit information regarding a soldier's re- enlistment to the media (i.e., Guardlife and/or local media).

Family Recognition. The unit should create a process for a soldier to have a family member recognized for outstanding support of that soldier (spouse, parents, children, etc.).

E-4 and Below. Units should establish an individual recognition process/program for soldiers E-4 and below (i.e., a "Soldier-of-the-Month" program).

Company-level Recognition. Battalion commanders should recognize company-level efforts (i.e., letters, plaques, breakfast, etc.).

TAG Reception. TAG will host an annual reception to recognize the battalion with the best attrition percentage for the training year (by manageable losses and as per the para on the "Commander's Cup" criteria).

Soldier Action Request (see Appendix C)

This form will allow a soldier to express to the leadership that he wants a service provided to him. The soldier may be entitled to this benefit, service or action; or he may simply have a question about something the NJARNG has to offer. The intent is for the FLL to solve a soldier's inquiry or issue. If this is not possible, the FLL can take the request to his next higher leader or the ADURNCO. The next level FLL or ADURNCO will then either fix the "issue" by taking action, or by taking it to the soldier or office responsible for fixing it. The FLL or ADURNCO can use the matrix at Appendix D and described in para 7-12 (or use the Features and Benefits Binder, if applicable, at para 7-6) to resolve most issues.

Commanders may choose to post these forms in a visible location (i.e., the retention bulletin board or somewhere in the orderly room). The commander should design a tracking system (log the requests somehow) to ensure immediate attention to the soldier's reasonable requests.

Where To Go To Find An Answer To Your Question Matrix (Appendix D)

This matrix is reproducible, or commanders can supplement/adjust this one, or they can establish their own. It is designed to give anyone, but particularly the ADURNCO and FLL, a point of contact for solving soldier issues that typically cause retention problems.

The example matrix identifies who the ADURNCO or FLL should see, in a logical, numbered order, to resolve an issue. Units should use a system such as this so that if a FLL does not get "customer satisfaction" from the first POC, he can go to the second, and so on. Commanders can post it on the retention bulletin board and/or make it (or something like it) part of the unit retention SOP and/or NCO handbook.

Attendance Improvement Teams

This retention tool enables the unit commander to systematically plan for coordinating TAG's mandatory "face-to-face" meetings with absent soldiers. The means to accomplish this applies directly to a rifle company (depicted below); however, each different organization must be creative to meet its own needs.

The commander of a rifle company has 12 squads. The commander, as per the YTC, sends one squad per month on retention (and possibly recruiting) detail. The squad's priority mission is to visit absent soldiers (during the drill) to determine their status and/or problems and why they are not at drill. Once determined, the commander or 1SG will fix the problem and schedule a makeup drill.

Ensure the members of the team are well-versed in Step One of Chapter 5. They also should have attended the FLL Attrition Management Training.

Retention Risk Analysis: TBD.