CECOM town hall informs workforce on latest developments

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Leaders from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command shared updates on the COVID-19 pandemic, employee initiatives and an enhancement within the command’s anti-harassment program during a town hall event Tuesday, March 9, hosted at APG’s Myer Auditorium and broadcasted virtually via Microsoft Teams.

COVID-19 updates

As vaccines continue to roll out across the country, CECOM Commander, Maj. Gen. Mitchell Kilgo said it is his intent to bring the workforce back to the workplace as local conditions dictate. For those in CECOM who are not at APG, Kilgo said to follow guidance from the local senior commander.

At APG, workspaces are adequately spread out and meet CDC guidelines, Kilgo said.

Kilgo updated the workforce on the new mask policy being applied at APG, where he is the installation’s senior commander. Masks must be worn at all times while on the installation, with the exceptions of if one is alone in an office with the door shut, alone or with immediate family in a vehicle, briefly eating in a cubicle or if requested by a gate guard. Masks can also be removed while exercising alone outdoors.

While some indicators, such as the 7-day infection rate, will determine the installation’s health protection condition, vaccination is not going to be tied to returning to work, Kilgo said.

“If you are vaccinated, it does not necessarily mean you’re coming to work right away,” he said. “If you are not vaccinated, it does not mean you’re not going to be asked to go back to work.”

Vaccinations are not mandatory for any Soldier, civilian or contractor and are not a requirement for condition of work, said Col. Joshua Trimble, CECOM G3/5, but he encouraged those who want to get the vaccine to take the first one that becomes available.

He asked the CECOM workforce to take the access-controlled COVID Vaccine Survey on the CECOM SharePoint site so that the installation receives enough doses for those who want it.

SOUL of CECOM and VOTE

CECOM Command Sgt. Maj. Kristie Brady spent time speaking about the command’s people strategy, along with two initiatives based on feedback from the workforce designed to address CECOM’s diversity, inclusiveness and readiness.

The vision of the SOUL of CECOM program is “A dedicated team of Selfless professionals who take Ownership of our role, pride in the development of our people, and foster a culture of Unity necessary to achieve the command’s Larger purpose of ensuring Army readiness.”

Brady shared lines of effort, actions to tackle the goals and metrics designed to measure their completion. She encouraged the workforce to provide more input.

“We will continue to improve our foxhole here at CECOM with the more feedback we get from each and every one of you,” she said.

Brady also shared information on CECOM’s Voice of the Employee effort, a unified employee engagement program designed to reduce survey fatigue and increase employee participation and feedback.

At this time, leadership is accessing all employee surveys disseminated throughout the year and developing a calendar to reduce the number of survey requests an employee receives and maximize feedback.

Brady said it’s important to take ownership of CECOM and provide feedback so that changes for the better can be made in the present and the future.

“Your voice matters because with your voice, we can make change,” she said.

Anti-Harassment program enhanced

CECOM has appointed Ria Johnson as the command’s new Anti-Harassment Program Coordinator. The position, which is based within the G1, was created March 1 and designed to promptly document, track and monitor allegations of harassment to ensure timely investigations and corrective actions.

“We’ve never had a way to track and see the trends of the program,” said Shea Lemuel, CECOM Equal Employment Office director.

The CECOM anti-harassment program, which is separate and apart from the EEO’s complaint procedures, reinforces the requirement for an independent investigatory process to proactively respond to allegations of harassment, whether or not accompanied by an EEO basis.

Its goal is to encourage all employees to report harassment before it becomes severe or pervasive so management can promptly bring the harassment to an end.

Lemuel said reports should be completed within 30 days of the date it was initially reported. The identity of the employee alleging the violation will remain confidential, except as necessary to conduct an appropriate investigation into the alleged violations.

“We want to be able to address it promptly and quickly before it becomes severe,” she said.

Awards

Kilgo took time to recognize nearly 65 people from throughout CECOM and the C5ISR community for various achievements and length of service awards, the latter for dedicated contributions to the U.S. government of up to 45 years. Top among other awardees were Adrian Gamez and Jeffery Lumbery, lauded for their 2019 Army Materiel Command Louis Dellamonica Awards for leadership, dedication, commitment and perseverance in ensuring the success of the Army Materiel Command mission.