JPA and their appalling administrating

[Wader2]

Originally Posted by Chugalug2

My advice? Support your bosses to the hilt and go to them with every financial, career, family, accommodation worry that you cannot resolve, but they might. Resume the age old compact. Those that respond will be encouraged by your faith in them, those that don't will be seen by their inaction to be unfit to command.

Good theory but take time to fix, time that too many in command now do not have.

Staff are leaned, OOA, or PVRd and the load is simply pushed sideways.

"WTF are you bothering me about now?"

"Why haven't you answered my email?" ~ "Sorry for not answering your email boss but I was on leave as in the email I sent detailing all my leave for the next 12 months as you requested - pillock! - Sir."

[Chugalug2]

Thanks for the reply Wader, and the kind commendation. Not sure I follow the lack of time scenario though. What extra duties does a Sqn boss now have that prevents him attending to Personnel issues, which other than Operational ones should be his top priority anyway? If it's routine admin, stats, etc surely it can be parceled out to others (My secondary duty at Changi was Sqn Dep Adj, hence the insight into what the boss was dealing with). If it's dealing with the lack of admin support at Station level (ie no Accts/Admin accountability as stated by TheInquisitor above) then that deficit is having a direct effect on the operational capability of the RAF and should be made good as a matter of urgency. I have no doubt that the final solution to JPA, Quarters, Messing, Schooling etc problems is money, but the pressure to make the urgent reforms needed must come from below so that the dead wood Air Staff that sit on this mess are squeezed from both directions and hopefully get out of the way for someone who can do what needs doing. That the MOD is rubbish is worrying, but that the stations and squadrons are fast joining the same pungent heap is utterly alarming. Everyone serving or retired must have common cause to sort this before the RAF in particular becomes unfit for purpose!

[cornish-stormrider]

Well I'll be buggered!!!

What we here is some effective cheap and workable solutions to most of our woes.

IMHO these should be nailed to the face of every zob from a light fluey upwards. Their snec's should be made to enforce this stuff as a priority, as to keeping up with the b*llsh*t admin.......

do what they did in the old days LIE

if you all lie together they will never catch you out.

[Al R]

Making mistakes is part of being a future effective leader, we seem to have forgotten that now. I suppose someone at the top now is there because he has built up a record of either not making mistakes, or not having those mistakes detected. A young FO would have the old FS to guide him, there would be time and he would have the space to grow. That seems to have been lost, certainly when I have involvement with the military at work, locally (or more often, socially). Nowadays, and I might be wrong, but the climate doesn't allow scope for learning - its all about running at personal levels near to max capacity, learning on the job (which is fine to a degree) and not having the space and time to consolidate learning and the learning experience. There's nothing proactive about moulding our military leaders anymore, and this is due almost entirely to low manning levels, a Corporate mentality instead of a Forces mentality and workloads that are unsustainable. Outlook, philosophy and ability are being forged in far from ideal conditions, and this leads to far from ideal performance.

I accept that there are some fantastic leaders in uniform. I was watching a Flying Officer at a motorway service centre recently. The convoy was parked up and he f#cked the troops off while he looked after the wagons. A little too trendy you might think? Maybe. But he spent his time chatting with an even younger lad who was having what looked like serious difficulties with something. His deportment, his manner and his attitude shone out. He might have been an absolute c#ck in real life, but I doubt it. My bullsh#t radar is quite well tuned these days. I was never one for measuring my success by my rank (which was just as well). My current trap reading is Jeremy Paxman 'The Political Animal'. The comparisons he draws between for instance, Enoch Powell and Jeffrey Archer are interesting. One of them was compelled to lead through a clear cut certainty that something was wrong and needed to be put right, and the other simply needed something to hide behind and which made people think he was something he wasn't.

[RETDPI]

Being a simple soul I always remember the three interlocking rings for "Functional leadership"

1. Task needs
2. Team needs
3. Individual needs.

Play the balance on these according to the prevailing situation.

Was it so wrong?

[Pontius Navigator]

You need to take an holistic approach to new WoW*.









*Ways of Working

[RETDPI]

Of course! I must have missed the point!
Good job I left and went on to work for myself eh!
Saved the true Air Force leaders no end of further embarrassment.

[D-IFF_ident]

Mike, I think the most appropriate part of your quote is:

at the lowest appropriate level.

Low level? I think we've hit rock bottom!

[dallas]

Mike

Perhaps because it's written in bolleaux it's not just verbal garbage - it's practical garbage. 'We' don't mind innovation and imagination if it saves a few quid, but certainly don't nurture or encourage people to do so. As for decision-making, after much consideration I would have to say my primary reason for leaving is the manner in which decisions are made and the frustration I suffer watching us waste valuable resources inventing Wheel Mk. XVIII.

I actually quite enjoy my job, but the way we operate has forced me to leave, as opposed to having flt cdr no. 36 experiment on me with his man management skills - or increasing lack of.

[Al R]

In order to deliver the Royal Air Force Vision we must develop our speed and accuracy in analysing and delivering effects, underpinned by innovative and imaginative solutions resulting in reliable and effective decision-making at the lowest appropriate level.

I can imagine the scene on JROC at The Depot.

'Ok, Flying Officer Jones, pin your ears back and listen in son. This is whats happening. Your Flight is taking sustained fire from key terrain up there, your signaller is down, nos 3 and 4 sections need help pronto and your FS is away filling out some Health and Safety paperwork. This is your mission. You are to (with all due dilligence to the consequences of tardiness and the principles of expeditious benefit) make a cost benefit analysis and deliver an over arching solution in an lean, imaginative, passionate and innovative manner, which offers long lasting underpinning results. You are to consider the need at all time for financial prudence and thriftiness; ask yourself - at the assault, do I really need to select 'automatic'? When you've done that, you've got 4 hours to compose a powerpoint presentation highlighting the plan's key features and present the sqn cdr with a proposed budget for execution of the appreciation. You do have a budget holder qualification, don't you..?'

[Maple 01]

In order to deliver....etc

I assume in 'old money' it's "drop bombs on HM's enemies?"

or if you want a slightly more sophisticated and thought-out version

"drop lots of big f-off bombs on HM's enemies until they are all dead"

[ZOFO]

Maple 01, Ah but the signaller is down, or perhaps he was too busy trying to get through to the SPOC to get his kit up and running again and as I was always taught: No comms no bombs, Ah well I suppose I could of always got my trusty Morse CCT up and running

[larssnowpharter]

Being a simple soul I always remember the three interlocking rings for "Functional leadership"

1. Task needs
2. Team needs
3. Individual needs.

Play the balance on these according to the prevailing situation.

Was it so wrong?

Absolutely not. John Adair who was an instructor at Sandhurst played a part in introducing the concept th the British military. He has recently published a book 'How to Grow Leaders' which takes things back to basics and includes the 3 needs describes above.

Get your boss a copy for Christmas this year.

[Top Right]

It's rather challenging to expect "imaginative and innovative" solutions with no £££ in the budget, except £££ already marked for those large projects in train that soak up all cash and prevent room for either imagination or innovation.

Unless imaginative and innovative is supposed to mean - do it as best you can at zero cost, which is what we military types manage to do in getting the job done on ops sometimes anyway.

Here's an imaginative and innovative idea - put high specification video teleconference facilities into all RAF (or Defence) installations. The Norwegians did it to good effect (large country, extremes of weather, difficult to convene meetings cheaply). Imagine the savings in travelling time and costs, including less time away from your unit/desk - your main area of production. Just one problem - needs cash. Do we still spend-to-save? Or would it be just too difficult to do the sums for a cost benefit analysis in the first place - despite the idea having just a little bit of merit worthy of consideration.

[22/7 Master]

Congratulations to the Lt Cdr who was awarded an MBE in the New Year's list for his smooth introduction of JPA into the RN.

[Chugalug2]

put high specification video teleconference facilities into all RAF (or Defence) installations

With respect Top Right, that is not what this is about. If subordinate commanders did their job as they should (IMHO) then all it needs is face to face dealing with their guys and girls who need their help. They then pile on the pressure through channels, in this case to get JPAC to do what they are meant to do, which is to ensure that Pay and Allowances are paid correctly on time every time. If every unit that has pay problems (100%?) complained through channels the pressure would be enormous and recorded. The upper echelons (er... that's you isn't it CAS?) would have to take decisive action to correct this big morale morass. It is a scandal that an individual serving officer is left to tackle the MOD on his own to recover what they owe him. For shame every boss in the food chain above him!

[Top Right]

Chugalug2,

Apols for the tangent, I was merely reacting to the management speak earlier in the thread of "imaginative and innovative" creeping into the RAF Vision, Strategy and Objectives, in a system that actually stifles such things unless created by yes-men. In no way would I wish to belittle the sterling efforts of HeliAviator and the "challenges" of JPA.

[nigegilb]

Getting back to thread, I am not surprised by the intimidation on offer from the MoD. There is absolutely nothing that the Ministry can do to stop people taking their cases to the small claims court. Remember, if you choose to go down this road, you attend at your local court and the MoD is obliged to send it's legal team/lawyer to present evidence wherever you choose to have your case heard. The thought of a mass action must be causing considerable anxiety in whitehall. Firstly because of the logistical problem of sending lawyers all over the country and secondly the cost.

Also worth remembering, that the level of evidence to secure a judgement in favour is not as great as a normal court of law.

I encourage anyone who has not been paid correctly and is not happy with the complaints process to press to test and fire that small claim into court.

Happy days.

[Chugalug2]

Chugalug2, Apols for the tangent

Top Right, no need to apologise to me, for it seems that I am just as guilty of thread drift! I admit that the thread is about the JPA problem, per se, and the answer seems to be 'sue the brassards'! Well fair enough, but it seems to me to be worth asking how did it ever get to this? The answer as with so many things on this forum is the MOD, of course. Inept, arrogant, dysfunctional, and more! That is a problem of course, and an administration that is itself less inept, arrogant, dysfunctional, and more than the present government will one day have to tackle its root and branch reform. In the meantime the real concern is the adverse effect that the MOD and its apparatchiks are having on the armed forces. The fact that the first line of defence against maladministration, the subordinate commanders who tackled P2, Accounts, Station Admin, whoever to nip problems in the bud, no longer seems to be the case is worrying and puzzling. I have asked why and am really none the wiser. The RAF, and for that matter its sister services, are not commercial companies but unique organisations even amongst other public services whereby you may be called upon to risk, and even lose, your life on behalf of your country. In return the compact is that your welfare, and in many ways your family's, are the responsibility of the RAF as expressed through the personal involvement of your subordinate commander. If that is no longer the case that is a much much greater scandal than the inept incompetence of a bunch of disinterested jobsworths in JPAC. They can, and should, be replaced by an organisation capable of doing the job. The RAF's subordinate commanders cannot. They must function or the whole shebang goes down the tube. If that is indeed where it is going then urgent attention to the powers and performance of commanders at unit, wing and station level is vital.

[AdanaKebab]

May I add an aside ....
Would anyone else agree that the new style payslips are difficult to understand.
My Nov slip showed a NET Public Debt to the tune of 900quid (owed since Jun), none of which was taken that mth. 450 was taken in December, but they have not taken the other 450 in January. Nowhere does the slip tell me when this money will be taken .... Crazy!]

Don't worry CAS we're all busy saving a years worth of salary so JPA doesn't catch us out!