MILITARY RELATED CELLULAR USE BY RESERVISTS

[medicineman]

DPA is coming, whether you agree or not.  If we fight it, we will spend all of our time reporting bad data to unnecessary staff officers.  If we leverage it (and the over $1B that the institution has already spent on the system) we will find ourselves with a solid start point for cutting staff bloat.  If reports and returns are automated, why do we need all those staff Capts and Majors?

The key here is to automated the mundane, so that we can focus of the sublime.  Less reports and return fuckery, and more field training.

My  :2c:

Does NDHQ burn heretics at the stake or just make them walk around with a red "H" on their epaulettes?

;D

MM

 

[runormal]

Depends on the employer and employee.  If Bob spends an hour a day answering CAF emails, and stays an hour late (without asking for overtime or other stuff) then it's a wash.

This is what I do, it's a conversation I haven't  had, and at this point it's a conversation that I don't want to have. I'm not really sure what my employer would say.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I wonder how most people's CofC would react if in the middle of a training night or weekend ex, they said "Oh I have to take this call/reply to this email from my regular job.  Can we hold off the advance/range practice etc for a bit here?"

 

[medicineman]

I wonder how most people's CofC would react if in the middle of a training night or weekend ex, they said "Oh I have to take this call/reply to this email from my regular job.  Can we hold off the advance/range practice etc for a bit here?"

I actually had a lecture I was giving interrupted by just that one night...and had to give urgent treatment direction over the phone, so maybe the young'uns learned something other than what was originally in the lesson plan.

MM

 

[mariomike]

Skilled or results jobs, wouldn't blink at mixed time, as long as the goals are achieved.

Depends on the goal, I suppose. 

As long as we were "wheels rolling" within 60 seconds of the tones going off, they didn't care who you talked to.

 

[AbdullahD]

I wonder how most people's CofC would react if in the middle of a training night or weekend ex, they said "Oh I have to take this call/reply to this email from my regular job.  Can we hold off the advance/range practice etc for a bit here?"

To be honest I think the armed forces may have to consider that as acceptable* in the future. A lot of professionals have to take those calls due to their career choice and making these concessions could create the possibility of higher caliber recruits.. like in say kamloops an infantry reserve as per my understanding and let's say a doctor wishes to sign up... allowing that leniency could really augment that reserve group if something really happened on the home front.

Abdullah

*for limited persons and reasons with controls in place of course.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

Does NDHQ burn heretics at the stake or just make them walk around with a red "H" on their epaulettes?

;D

MM

I am, indeed, Don Quixote....

 

[donaldk]

I actually think that Defence Program Analytics (business intelligence) should be a huge boon to the Reserves.  We have to stop having WO and Capts filling in each other's spreadsheets.  It is a ridiculous waste of time.  If we have good baseline (and well curated) data in systems of records (HRMS, CFTPO, DRMIS etc) as well as the odd bespoke spreadsheet or database properly curated in the Business Warehouse, then reports and returns can and will be updated in seconds. 

There are two elements to DPA - good data, and good reports (that answer good questions).  Lower levels should focus only on ensuring that we have valid and accurate data, and higher levels (and I mean L1 and L2) should be the ones that create the reports.  That ensures that the burden of skill (specialists trained in DPA) does not get transferred to the Armoury floor.

There are over 400 reports already available within the system,  Each one of them creates links to data sources of record, and arranges / manipulates them to answer a question, or to provide insight to decision makers.  Those reports are easily tailored from the corporate level to the Armoury floor.

DPA is coming, whether you agree or not.  If we fight it, we will spend all of our time reporting bad data to unnecessary staff officers.  If we leverage it (and the over $1B that the institution has already spent on the system) we will find ourselves with a solid start point for cutting staff bloat.  If reports and returns are automated, why do we need all those staff Capts and Majors?

The key here is to automated the mundane, so that we can focus of the sublime.  Less reports and return fuckery, and more field training.

My  :2c:

Someone as NAVRESHQ forgot that memo and also the MCS userguide - the amount of reports my RSS staff get requested for the same thing (slightly different wording) is absolutely gut-wrenching due to the hours wasted - whereas they honestly could just enforce proper data entry and have scheduled pulls from MCSC and MITE.  GBA+, EE, and that fucking failure of OPHTAS (reverted to using the old Excel sheet for now) alone have consumed roughly 100 man-hours in troubleshooting/query setup/emails.  OPHTAS reporting system - well LOL to the misery that shit show is.  Another little annoyance was the repetitive OPQs because some honourable person had a spaz fit shit fest over Uber being used for official travel (i.e. TD); P.S. My unit actually has banned the use of shared economy travel services while on TD thanks to these OPQs  :tsktsk:

As for emailing Class As, very rarely is anything I do with Class As time sensitive unless it involves travel arrangements (or a couple HARD to get PERs... those fuckers are going "UNABLE TO SIGN" 15 May).  For the RSS Adjts/AdminOs on here - get access be it yourself or delegated to the big data systems (HRMS-MITE/Monitor-MASS/MCS CFTPO/MCS CFRIMS/DRMIS - FI and MA&S (your MRP)/WebSCPS V2) and make sure the data input is correct.  If by virtue of your trade you can get master/superview privileges get them even if they exceed your HQ's normal priv sets  (my DRMIS MA&S superview is nice )

 

[RedcapCrusader]

I'll start being more connected if the CAF starts paying my phone bill. 

 

[MJP]

Someone as NAVRESHQ forgot that memo and also the MCS userguide -  If by virtue of your trade you can get master/superview privileges get them even if they exceed your HQ's normal priv sets  (my DRMIS MA&S superview is nice )

The MCS userguide is pure junk.  They rolled out a suite of products much like DRMIS that we then failed to train anyone on in any meaningful manner and wonder why the collective staff levels can't pull data properly.  Not to mention that both products are very much Garbage In Garbage Out because there is no institutional rigor to the data being inputted nor are there enough trained people at the right levels to fix it.

 

[Jarnhamar]

I'll start being more connected if the CAF starts paying my phone bill.

I tried that. Not my whole bill just itimized "work" numbers. I was told to prove the numbers on the bill were work related calls. Who the number was and what the conversation was about. I'm not sure if that was a legit request or me being jerked around but I got the message.


Maybe when units do their whole NEO tasking/ very high readiness / stuff they should issue everyone pagers. Maybe a bonus of some sort too.


For the reserves though in my experience the reserves would shut down without members doing tons of extra work they're not paid for, volunteering work and especially working from home.

It may not be the same now but I think in the past there was a strong "you don't put the extra free work in, you don't get the good tasks".

[A reservist class-b company ops nco can really sort a lot of that crap out]

 

[Remius]

I tried that. Not my whole bill just itimized "work" numbers. I was told to prove the numbers on the bill were work related calls. Who the number was and what the conversation was about. I'm not sure if that was a legit request or me being jerked around but I got the message.


Maybe when units do their whole NEO tasking/ very high readiness / stuff they should issue everyone pagers. Maybe a bonus of some sort too.


For the reserves though in my experience the reserves would shut down without members doing tons of extra work they're not paid for, volunteering work and especially working from home.

It may not be the same now but I think in the past there was a strong "you don't put the extra free work in, you don't get the good tasks".

[A reservist class-b company ops nco can really sort a lot of that crap out]

The best is when they expect you to use your cell phone on ex because comms goes down.

Agree whole hearted about the reserves shutting down. 

We were issued pagers and cell phones for op abacus.  And given a day’s pay for being on call New Year’s Eve/day.

There was a time where free work was expected.  Now they try to back it up with some pay sheets. Some times.

 

[Haggis]

There was a time where free work was expected.  Now they try to back it up with some pay sheets. Some times.

I remember signing pink pay sheets for extra work such as admin, pre and post ex drills etc.  Those were the ones that would get submitted at years end IF there was any money left.

Now CF Mil Pers instr 20-04 para 2.14 prohibits unpaid or volunteer duty.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

the reserves would shut down without members doing tons of extra work they're not paid for, volunteering work and especially working from home.

It was that way 2+ decades ago when I was doing the CL A gig...and I suspect it will continue to happen.  Why?

No one want to fail their subordinates or their superiors, most PRes people are dedicated.  By "fixing" the problem immediate/short term by making it work, they prolong the amount of time the immediate/short term fixes are required.  It is a case of 'the solution today is the problem tomorrow'.
 
How long has that been going on?  For at least 2+ decades now...

 

[runormal]

The best is when they expect you to use your cell phone on ex because comms goes down.

What's really the issue here? At least in Ontario every cellphone plan that I've ever had since has included unlimited weekends. With apps such as Tac Nav/Battle Pro there isn't a reason not to bring it out to the field (other than the obvious reasons).  I'd say the bigger issue is that there wasn't a proper PACE Plan so that you didn't have to do this in the first place. There are limitations with weekend exercises, but there is definitely easy enough ways to do this. Has anyone ever broken a phone on ex and tried to claim it for this reason?

I really don't see the issue with using a personal phone for work purposes every now and then. I.E When I traveled with my day job the world didn't end when I used my personal phone to call ubers/use google maps to find the a venue or office. Probably once or twice a month I send/receive urgent text messages for my day job "Hey can you check XXX out it doesn't look right, no problem let me VPN in". I'm not at a high enough level to be issued a company phone (which I don't want, because there is an expectation to use it), but texts are free and I never go over my minutes because I'm working when the limits are in place. I've taken the odd call while on vacation, but it's about understanding what's important and what isn't and having a team that understand this.

The difference between my day job and the reserves though is that I feel much more valued at my day job and when I look up I see opportunity, promotions and more interesting work. Not that doesn't exist in the reserves, but the expectations and the compensation provided for being a TP WO doesn't seem worth it. What's my biggest priority in the reserves right now? PDRs that aren't going to make a world of difference, because everyone's already loaded on FTSE for various courses/tasks... However, I'm more than happy to spend my limited free time doing them, hopefully they don't get lost before they get filed :rofl:.

 

[Remius]

Roaming charges, some troops have pay as you go plans, and yes sometimes they can be damaged.

This isn't about a text or two.  It's about using our cell phones as 522's on exercise.  This rarely happens at the unit level but I've seen it on large concentrations or collective exercises.  If cell phones are the back up then issue them.

 

[SupersonicMax]

Just don't use your phone in the field if you don't want.

 

[chrisf]

This isn't about a text or two.  It's about using our cell phones as 522's on exercise.  This rarely happens at the unit level but I've seen it on large concentrations or collective exercises.  If cell phones are the back up then issue them.

This is still a problem.

The military has developed an over reliance on cell phones, that will bite them.

It is and already should be a "lesson learned", but folks refuse to learn it.

In 2010, 4 ESR deployed to rebuild a bridge in Newfoundland following hurricane Igor.

Initially the command team scoffed at the inclusion the local reserve signals squadron in the deployment, as their intent was to use cell phones for admin and safety.

Shortly into the deployment it was discovered there was no cell service in, or even near Trouty, to get coverage involved to set driving 50km over heavily damaged roads.

No cell towers had been damaged, some were affected by power outages, but this was simply a place with no cell coverage.

The HQ, all support elements, including medics, and the nearest civilian hospital, were all located in clarenville 75km away.

A VHF RRB link was established for admin, and safety.

 

[Remius]

Just don't use your phone in the field if you don't want.

well aware.  My point is that there is the expectation.  Hell, they even include that as a fail safe in their planning at times.

 

[dapaterson]

In 2010, 4 ESR deployed to rebuild a bridge in Newfoundland following hurricane Igor.

Initially the command team scoffed at the inclusion the local reserve signals squadron in the deployment, as their intent was to use cell phones for admin and safety.

Shortly into the deployment it was discovered there was no cell service in, or even near Trouty, to get coverage involved to set driving 50km over heavily damaged roads.

The Army built a bridge at Trouty?