FORT RILEY, Kan. -- There is no more money. Garrison Department of the Army employees will adapt and change.
That was the message sent by Col. John D. Lawrence, Fort Riley garrison commander, during the Address to the Workforce Oct. 4 at Riley's Conference Center. It was the first of two addresses scheduled, with the second Oct. 5.
Much of that change will involve the numbers of workers on Fort Riley garrison payrolls, Lawrence said. He added mandated restructuring of the garrison and related drawdown of garrison staff must be completed no later than Sept. 30, 2018.
"That has not changed," he said. "Please understand -- we are one year out from the Oct. 1 deadline."
The number of positions that must be removed from the Table of Distribution and Allowances, which serves as the manning document for all garrisons, is now 39, down from 115 Aug. 1, 2016, said Dianne Peters, director of the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center.
According to Peters, a mock reduction in force was ongoing the day of the address. Peters gave a tentative completion date of Oct. 11.
When the RIF is complete, it will give Lawrence more information as to who remains in the workforce, enabling him to provide as much support as possible to vulnerable workers, he said.
However, he said once the real RIF commences, any ability to help or affect the process leaves his hands.
"I no longer get a vote," Lawrence said.
Peters said the official RIF process could begin in June 2018. Between now and then, the garrison and CPAC will assist workers on retirement procedures including Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment program.
According to the Office of Personnel Management website, www.opm.gov, agencies undergoing substantial restructuring, reshaping, downsizing, transfer of function or reorganization to temporarily lower the age and service requirements in order to increase the number of employees who are eligible for retirement.
The initial move toward either VERA or VSIP must be made by the worker. To determine interest, Peters said, a canvass of workers who might elect VERA or VSIP retirements or separations will be conducted Oct. 9 to Nov. 3.
A canvass is a memorandum sent to garrison employees announcing there is an open window between those dates in which they may state their interest in VERA or VSIP. Those with questions can call CPAC at 785-239-6004.
Training and education opportunities
For those workers who remain in the workforce, there will be a number of opportunities for training and professional education, said Leza Chryssovergis of the Workforce Development Office.
Such education includes the Civilian Leadership Development Program for current and potential supervisors, Chryssovergis said. The CLDP is a college level course that is a combination of classroom and online coursework and features 18 classroom sessions that teach skills in subjects such as critical leadership skills, coaching and counseling, team management, assertiveness and motivating and dealing with people.
Chryssovergis added other training opportunities are available for those seeking skills such as conflict resolution, effective writing and team building.
The training will be vital to civil service careers of the future since, as Peters reminded the audience, gone are the days when people are retained or let go based primarily on longevity or tenure. Today, it's performance and skill levels that count.
Employees wishing information on workforce development training and education can call 785-239-2205.
Other items discussed
• The Combined Federal Campaign will take placed Nov. 7 to Dec. 12. In 2016, the CFC raised $166,205 for local, regional and national charities. According to the Office of Personnel Management website, donors can elect which charities their money will go to from an approved list. To find out more, see your unit's CFC representative.
• The Command Climate Survey is underway and Department of the Army civilians are encouraged to participate. "This is how I get feedback to solve problems," Lawrence said. The survey dates are Oct. 1 to Oct. 31, and it takes about 25 minutes to complete. To take the survey, login at www.deocs.net/user4.1/login/login.cfm.
• The garrison commander stressed the importance of safety while discussing the
Financial Liability Investigation for Property Loss program. A FLIPL is a way to mitigate the cost to the government in certain cases should equipment be lost, damaged or destroyed. It is supported by Army Regulation 735-5, Policies and Procedures for Property and Accountability.
Due to depreciation of the items and the hours needed to conduct the investigation "we lose all the way around when there is an accident," Lawrence said, adding that a FLIPL, which requires someone from inside the garrison staff to perform it, has labor costs the garrison cannot afford.
Accidents that require a FLIPL have risen, Lawrence said. The yearly average in about 35 such investigations; the garrison is up to around 45.
According to Harry Hardy, senior civilian attorney and garrison legal advisor, the FLIPL process "is all about accountability and responsibility for government issued property.
"Any monies received in the FLIPL process go to the Treasury of the U.S., not the Army.
Any loss, in addition to what is recovered by the Treasury, is the Army's loss -- not specifically the Garrison's.
Prevention is the key to reducing the numbers of FLIPL investigations, Lawrence said.
"We've got to do things safely," he said.
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