IMCOM instructor Larry A. Doxtater teaches the CP-29 supervisors course March 29 on Fort Stewart. The once in-person training have now transitioned to a virtual setting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once developed with senior civilian leadership in mind, the courses have now transitioned into shorter half day virtual trainings that are offered to any Department of the Army civilian employee who would like to attend. (Photo by Pat Young)

CHIÈVRES, Belgium -- Ashley Dean, chief of Administrative Services at U.S. Army Garrison Benelux, follows up on leadership development training. Twenty members from USAG Benelux participated in a two-session workshop March 11 and 25 designed for supervisors but offered to anyone interested in knowing more about leadership. (U.S. Army photo by Julie Piron, USAG Benelux Public Affairs)

The U.S. Army's Supervisor Human Resources Orientation Course has been gaining significant traction as an essential training program for new supervisors transitioning into their roles. Recently, the Civilian Human Resources Agency G7 Team, responsible for managing SHROC, celebrated a noteworthy achievement of successfully training and graduating 1000 supervisors in the 3-day orientation course since its inception in early 2023. This is significant due to more than 80 new supervisors are appointed every pay period.

Additionally, over 400 CHRA HR Specialists have been trained as adjunct faculty to support the SHROC program in reducing the number of supervisors across the enterprise that haven’t been through the course.

The second course in the Supervisor Certification Program, SHROC, is designed to accelerate the learning curve for new supervisors by equipping them with crucial human resources knowledge and tools. The course covers a wide range of HR topics, including classification, recruitment, and onboarding, Fair Labor Standards Act, performance management, management-employee relations, and labor relations. Participants also engage in practical exercises such as fact-finding, employee counseling preparation, and identifying union notification scenarios.

The program is under the operational control of the CHRA G-7 SHROC team, which oversees the delivery of instruction either virtually with live instructors or face-to-face at various installations. “A key aspect of SHROC is its focus on providing supervisors with hands-on practice and in-depth understanding beyond the initial Supervisor 101 course,” said Shawn Branch, CHRA Chief Learning Officer. “It’s a course focused purely on supervisors understanding their human resource requirements.”

“SHROC offers more practical experience and detailed insights compared to the Supervisor 101 course,” said Tammy Woodruff, Supervisory Human Resources Specialist who runs the SHROC training. “Supervisors have unique needs and just like we want employees to be technically proficient, we need to ensure the supervisors are technically proficient as supervisors and this course helps with that,” Woodruff said.

“I anticipated a PowerPoint course that was going to go over everything that I had already done in other online trainings, and I thought it was going to be a rough three days,” said Brian Calvin, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist and a recent graduate of the course. “What it ended up being was some very interesting instructors, and SMEs [Subject Matter Experts] in their respective fields, who showed slides of information but moreover drew the class into the conversation and explained how the things we may have learned prior to the course fit into the big picture of supervising,” he said.

Woodruff added that common feedback they receive after teaching the course is “..I wish I received this when I was a new supervisor,” or “I’ve learned so much..” and “now this was a good use of time.” She said that lets her know they are really connecting with the course and gaining useful information to use as a supervisor.

Supervisors can find and apply to SHROC in Civilian Human Resources Training Application System (CHRTAS) under “Civilian HR Training”. “We would also encourage supervisors to ask their servicing Civilian Human Resources Service Center (CHRSC) about local availability of the course,” Woodruff said.

With an emphasis on professional development, the Army is working towards implementing a new policy that will add Supervisor 101, and SHROC  to the current requirement of the  Supervisor Development Course as mandatory for all new Army supervisors. The policy aims to ensure supervisors complete the necessary training within specified timelines to enhance their capabilities in handling HR responsibilities effectively.

The adoption of SHROC as a crucial component of the Army People Strategy reflects the organization’s commitment to nurturing world-class supervisors to drive talent-driven innovation and foster teamwide cohesion. By empowering supervisors with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in their roles, the Army is poised to elevate its leadership capabilities and achieve its strategic objectives effectively.

About Civilian Human Resources Agency: The Civilian Human Resources Agency is the organization in the Department of the Army that provides the full range of human resources services to support a highly skilled and ready professional civilian workforce that supports national defense. As a Direct Reporting Unit under the Department of Army G-1, CHRA is part of the Army's initiative to mold human resources functions into a corporate structure, enabling equitable, efficient, and effective management of Army civilians worldwide. The Agency manages all aspects of the human resources lifecycle for civilians – from recruiting to retirement.