Service Culture Initiative: How this affects Soldiers, families at USAG Bavaria

By Ms. Jaclyn Pennoyer (Grafenwoehr)August 5, 2017

Garrison commander signs SCI pledge
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria Commander Col. Lance C. Varney signs Installation Management Command's Service Culture Initiative pledge following an all-hands garrison assembly. Hundreds of garrison employees from Tower and Rose Barracks gathered at the ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Garrison employees sign the pledge
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Installation Management Command's Service Culture Initiative pledge asks garrison employees around the world to work together to create a supportive work environment and focus on proving the best in customer service. Hundreds of garrison employees fr... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Leadership Pledge
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – USAG Bavaria leaders traveled from Grafenwoehr, Vilseck, Hohenfels and Garmisch to sign the leadership pledge and show support to Installation Management Command's Service Culture Initiative. Hundreds of garrison employees from Tower and Rose Barrack... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Service Culture Initiative Leadership Pledge (English)
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – USAG Bavaria leaders traveled from Grafenwoehr, Vilseck, Hohenfels and Garmisch to sign the leadership pledge and show support to Installation Management Command's Service Culture Initiative. Hundreds of garrison employees from Tower and Rose Barrack... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -- Hundreds of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria employees from Tower and Rose Barracks gathered at the Reel Time Theater here for a garrison all-hands staff assembly July 27 to recognize team-led progress and reinforce the group's enduring mission as leaders in Army community support.

"This garrison is always going to be busy. There's always going to be something -- that big-next-thing something -- and we're always going to be in a state of some kind of transition," said USAG Bavaria Garrison Commander Col. Lance C. Varney. "But I believe we have a strong team, and if we put our heads together, we'll figure out the best way forward."

Following an all-hands meeting from January earlier this year, garrison leaders have led a charged community effort to help create a sustainable garrison battle rhythm and maintain positive, supportive work environments for a large and diverse workforce spanning five geographically separate communities, said Annette Evans, deputy to the garrison commander, USAG Bavaria.

The overarching effort to improve operations and strengthen team cohesion has used the garrison commander's long range plan -- published late last year -- as a foundation and Installation Management Command's guiding customer service mission, known as the Service Culture Initiative, to enhance the day-to-day workflow, said added.

"Several of our leaders have been through our areas in the last few weeks," Varney said. "It didn't matter if it was in the headquarters or if they met with folks taking care of the grounds, everyone they came in contact with had a positive, can-do attitude. They came away thinking, 'Wow, we just visited the largest overseas U.S. Army garrison with one of the toughest missions anywhere in the world, and this group deals with it and gets it done at a higher degree than ever seen before."

At the last all-hands assembly, garrison employees from all directorates and levels of leadership submitted over 200 cards with recommendations on how to improve garrison services and productivity. Evans followed up on those suggestions and highlighted ten accomplishments the garrison organization made in the last six months.

• Reduced mandatory annual training for general schedule civilian and local national employees.

• Cut back the amount of short-notice taskers by requiring command group signature and approval.

• Launched an automated and digitalized time card program for civilian employees.

• Created IMCOM-Europe's first Readiness Welcome Center for incoming Soldiers, families and civilians.

• Initiated a quarterly command orientation for new employees.

• Distributed ceremony administration with tenant unit leadership.

• Redesigned the Soldier for Life Center, located at Bldg. 244, for better customer flow and productivity.

• Trimmed down organizations' tasks to prevent duplication of services.

• Enhanced communication by installing digital phones across the footprint.

• Extending the Civilian Fitness Program.

The garrison command group also stood up a workforce development team to bridge the gap between identified challenges and solutions and lead projects Evans hopes to implement in the near future, including minimizing signature authority for documents, optimizing work hours, reducing paper use, consolidating administrative duties and the improving the background check process.

Garrison leaders called on the hundreds of employees to sign a pledge of commitment to IMCOM's Service Culture Initiative -- the "one thread" binding all of USAG Bavaria's enduring values, and the Army ethic, together, Evans said.

"Ultimately, it's about establishing an environment in which all employees feel valued and respected for the jobs we all perform," she said. "It means you have caring and involved leaders, and you know where you fit and how important you are to USAG Bavaria."

The steady improvements and, in some cases, "astonishing" successes accomplished by the garrison are a product of the garrison's committed, highly-capable team, said 1st Sgt. Michael Toolin, acting USAG Bavaria command sergeant major.

Varney and Evans mirrored this sentiment, extending thanks and all owed recognition to Bavaria's 'ready to fight' workforce.

"We very much appreciate what you do on a daily basis," said Varney. "You are part of one of the greatest teams in existence in the United States Army."

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