MILITARY RELATED CELLULAR USE BY RESERVISTS

[BDTyre]

If they make you work, you’re entitled to pay. If they’re unwilling to ly you for the time you spend fielding that stuff, it sounds like it can all wait til you’re at work and signed in.

At the end of this month I should just show them all the Tuesday and Friday text messages and emails going back to September and ask for a half day (or two since for a good part of that time I was course storesman) for each month...get a little extra money on my last pay of this training year! ;D

 

[brihard]

Yup. They should be absolutely OK with that.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Few people, within my CoC, had my civie cell #. The number on the nominal roll was an unlisted landline with no answering machine.

Well, you were recce: being hard to find was your way of life! 

 

[Lumber]

Few people, within my CoC, had my civie cell #. The number on the nominal roll was an unlisted landline with no answering machine.

These days, if you are required to provide your phone number. You are not required to have a phone, but, you are also required not to lie. If you have a phone and refuse to provide the contact info, or provide false info... well... there are options.

 

[Jarnhamar]

These days, if you are required to provide your phone number. You are not required to have a phone, but, you are also required not to lie. If you have a phone and refuse to provide the contact info, or provide false info... well... there are options.

I've never heard of that. What would it be under?

 

[Lumber]

I've never heard of that. What would it be under?

Do you really want to be a lower deck lawyer?

 

[Jarnhamar]

Do you really want to be a lower deck lawyer?

I thought you were serious.  I have a soldier without a phone, as far as I'm aware, and I was curious if there was an actual rule about providing contact info if you have it.

 

[chrisf]

Just don't answer the phone/e-mail outside hours where you're signed in?

You're not under any obligation to do so.

 

[Loch Sloy!]

Just don't answer the phone/e-mail outside hours where you're signed in?

You're not under any obligation to do so.

Sure and admin in virtually every reserve unit in Canada would basically grind to a halt...

 

[Haggis]

I thought you were serious.  I have a soldier without a phone, as far as I'm aware, and I was curious if there was an actual rule about providing contact info if you have it.

If a member doesn't have a phone (and there are a few) his only means of contact would be a personal visit.  He has to provide an address for a number of valid reasons.

 

[SupersonicMax]

Instead of being a d*ck and pretend you don't have a phone (I highly doubt that some people have such a boring life and no interractions outside of work that they don't have a phone or other means of instant communication such as Skype, FaceTime or IM protocols), why not be upfront with your CoC and let them know you would appreciate not being contacted on your time off?  Of course, sometimes there will be the inevitable recalls but generally speaking, a CoC should not constantly contact you after-hours and expect an immediate response.

As far as the reserve question goes, while technically speaking, you could claim a half days of work to answer a text message from your CoC, I would suggest you discuss with your immediate supervisor about what arrangements could be made to get fairly compensated for your work without charging 1/2 day for every 30 seconds text reply or else, if you feel so strongly, just don't action them until you stsrt clocking time at the unit...

I also find, annecdotely, that those that will exploit the system and find every loophole possible to make life more difficult for their CoC (ie: you can't force me to get a phone or tell you my phone number) are generally the first ones to say that if you don't serve exclusively for the love of their Country, else you're a traitor and are the first ones to demand respect from society "because they serve".

Rant off.

 

[chrisf]

Sure and admin in virtually every reserve unit in Canada would basically grind to a halt...

No, it wouldn't.

People would just have to learn to plan and prioritize, and make use of the time and resources they have available.

E-mail, cell phones, and text messaging are effectively killing any sort of planning.

There's a time and a place for it... letting your chain of command know that you're not going to be able to make it in for a parade night? Sure. Letting your troops know there's a tasking or tour available on short notice? Sure.

Almost literally everything else, can wait till a parade night.

 

[dapaterson]

E-mail, cell phones, and text messaging are effectively killing any sort of planning.

This, plus ten thousand.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Instead of being a d*ck and pretend you don't have a phone (I highly doubt that some people have such a boring life and no interractions outside of work that they don't have a phone or other means of instant communication such as Skype, FaceTime or IM protocols), why not be upfront with your CoC and let them know you would appreciate not being contacted on your time off?  Of course, sometimes there will be the inevitable recalls but generally speaking, a CoC should not constantly contact you after-hours and expect an immediate response.

As far as the reserve question goes, while technically speaking, you could claim a half days of work to answer a text message from your CoC, I would suggest you discuss with your immediate supervisor about what arrangements could be made to get fairly compensated for your work without charging 1/2 day for every 30 seconds text reply or else, if you feel so strongly, just don't action them until you stsrt clocking time at the unit...

I also find, annecdotely, that those that will exploit the system and find every loophole possible to make life more difficult for their CoC (ie: you can't force me to get a phone or tell you my phone number) are generally the first ones to say that if you don't serve exclusively for the love of their Country, else you're a traitor and are the first ones to demand respect from society "because they serve".

Rant off.

I have sent 3 emails like this in the past 6 months or so, to no avail. If you're a CO? You get dozens per day, so my whining is likely the least of his worries:

"CO,

Just a heads up that ‘emails per minute’ is increasing again beyond comfortable rates of fire, at my end anyways.

I know that it’s all done in an authentic effort to keep people informed and to lean forward with planning as much as possible but, as always, there’s a fine line between important communications and SPAM.

And, ironically, I’ve just added to the pile with this email 

Thanks for your consideration.

Daftandbarmy"

 

[SupersonicMax]

I have sent 3 emails like this in the past 6 months or so, to no avail. If you're a CO? You get dozens per day, so my whining is likely the least of his worries:

"CO,

Just a heads up that ‘emails per minute’ is increasing again beyond comfortable rates of fire, at my end anyways.

I know that it’s all done in an authentic effort to keep people informed and to lean forward with planning as much as possible but, as always, there’s a fine line between important communications and SPAM.

And, ironically, I’ve just added to the pile with this email 

Thanks for your consideration.

Daftandbarmy"

I did say CoC, not CO.  If it is indeed an issue, it will be dealt with.

 

[Journeyman]

I've never heard of that. What would it be under?

"Seek out and accept responsibility" :dunno:

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I've never heard of that. What would it be under?

Do you really want to be a lower deck lawyer?

I'd like to see the reference.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Being the RegF officer in the RSS position, I can tell you it's a constant internal struggle to decide whether to send an email to a members' civilian or military email.

I'm used to quick responses and quick turn arounds in the RegF, and I've really had reign myself in to learn to decide what is and isn't time sensitive, and stop and think how/when to send emails out to the Class-As.

For routine business, if it can wait two or three days until the department heads and divisional officers are in, I will send it to their military emails, even if it means I can't finish a task right away (which is hard for me, as I'm the type that likes to get a job done right away). If it can't wait 2-3 days, then I will send it to their civilian emails. When it comes to my command team (CO, XO, Coxn), my emails almost always go to both their civilian and military emails, as they want to be informed immediately of everything going on.

That being said, I do agree that we really way too heavily on civilian cellphones and email. Sure, senior staff have sort of signed-on to be plugged into the business and can be expected to be more available, but what about our junior sailors and soldiers?

It may seem unusual to most, but there really are soldiers and sailors that cannot afford a good cellphone plan. This isn't the regular force, so they don't have a guaranteed income. We have sailors who's only source of income is their Class-A work and don't have reliable data plans, yet we still chomp on these people to respond quickly to emails from their chains of command, and I just don't think that's fair.

I've just received an email about trying to urgently deconflict some training that's double booked at the armoury on our synch matrix....

...in October 2018.

 

[Haggis]

I've just received an email about trying to urgently deconflict some training that's double booked at the armoury on our synch matrix....

...in October 2018.

"Regret short notice."

 

[Remius]

Just don't answer the phone/e-mail outside hours where you're signed in?

You're not under any obligation to do so.

Absolutely.  But in my experience, those people then are the first to complain when they miss taskings, or dates change or don't respond in time or they get bumped off a list.  Or when they get NES letters or whatever.

I have no issues with radio silence.  But I also have no sympathy for their complaints.