REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama—The global pandemic, COVID-19, has changed the way organizations worldwide conduct their operations and forced all to accept the term and concept, “the new normal.”
The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command is no exception to the new normal, as many of its workforce are currently conducting their duties through a telework schedule.
Telework, also known as telecommuting, is a work arrangement in which employees do not commute or travel to a central place of work, such as an office building, warehouse or store.
“AMCOM G-, Training and Career Development Division (TCMD), was piloting a telework program before we were told to go home,” said Adam Mathis. “I teleworked the Wednesday before St. Patrick ’s Day to try it out. I had no idea we would all start teleworking the following Tuesday.”
Mathis, who has been teleworking since March 17, performs many duties within his section from coordinating and moderating virtual training, to serving as an administrator for the Total Employee Development (TED) site. He is also the videographer and a data analyzer.
Before he started teleworking, Mathis was often first in at Toftoy Hall in an effort to open the classrooms.
“I conducted AMCOM Onboarding every two weeks and a new employee orientation quarterly,” said Mathis. “Teleworking put the brakes on everything.”
Another immediate change during telework was onboarding of new employees, according to Mathis. New employees would typically report to CPAC (Civilian Personnel Advisory Center), then meet him at Toftoy Hall, and follow on to G-2.
Some onboarding procedures were not being conducted during the telework schedule, which led G-1 to develop an easy guide for new employees and their supervisors/sponsors.
Mathis’ supervisor, AMCOM G1 Director Karen Bandera, recognizes the innovative work Mathis has accomplished while teleworking.
“We want to recognize Adam Mathis for doing the virtual retirement courses, the data analysis courses, the virtual onboarding and the coordination he has done to ensure connectivity works because this is new to many,” said Bandera. “He is known to successfully run Business Skype and Microsoft Teams at the same time. The work he has done has affected approximately 500 AMCOM employees in class attendance, on boarding and in assistance provided.”
Mathis, an Army veteran, attributes his dedication to service from overcoming a life-altering event that took place in 2001.
“In 2001, I was about to leave the service when I was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor,” said Mathis. “My doctor said if I made it past Christmas of ’01, I had a fighting chance.”
Mathis underwent surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
“I do not wish it on anybody else. You may never know what someone else is going through. I am blessed to work again for the U.S. Army,” Mathis said.
And, now that he’s back, Mathis is proving his worth to AMCOM. Mathis put in a lot hard work and hours to ensure that the classes went as planned. He built and executed three 20-person virtual Data Analytics courses, a 200-person AMCOM virtual Retirement Class, and the AMCOM virtual New Employee Orientation.
“I knew the AMCOM workforce could not download a third-party program to their computers and there may be VPN issues. Plus, I may need to communicate on a one-to-one basis with each participating AMCOM employee,” Mathis said. “Remember, most if not all employees have never teleworked. I was not going to leave people stranded and unable to get to their training.”
Mathis reached out to 12 vendors regarding Data Analytics and the retirement class. He sat in on some of the classes to see how an employee would access training.
“Some of the classes required downloads and some did not but they were way too expensive,” said Mathis.”
Mathis chose vendors whose products allowed him to access everything he needed. He created help sheets for the employees and continues to edit them as new ways of training are developed.
“Imagine a 20-person local class where you may have at least four different internet providers, VPN or no VPN, plus all the different browsers,” said Mathis. “Then, expand that to a worldwide, 200-person class. I like a challenge!”
AMCOM had not hosted a New Employee Orientation (NEO) since February. After some deliberation, the G1 hosted the NEO on Microsoft Teams. Mathis rehearsed with the presenters and assisted attendees that needed help.
“The result was all 20 presentations occurred and the system was functional all day. We learned many great lessons. There were a few minor glitches but you don’t know until you try.”
Military One Source published an article titled, “Tips for Teleworking During the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019,” highlighting things to do to be productive and create a healthy balance while teleworking.
• Make a Plan
• Create a work space and manage distractions
• Be creative in developing new routines and activities
The entire article can be found at https://www.militaryonesource.mil/family-relationships/family-life/preparing-your-family-for-emergencies/teleworking-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.
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