VIEWPOINT
Lt Ben Feist Quality of life at CSTCs themselves is also a topic of serious concern. The most pressing issues are not economic— no staff member expects a five-star resort. Staff are mainly concerned with personal treatment and working conditions. Although I have been fortunate in the CSTCs I have personally attended, stories abound of CSTCs where, among other things, individuals work long hours with little to no time off, adults cannot cross quarters, married quarters do not exist, members live in rundown buildings, and members have limited access to personal Internet and phone. Why would people repeatedly return to this kind of poor treatment and substandard conditions?
Recommendations <
The quality and efficiency of all CSTCs are reviewed every year in an effort to get best value out of them. Based on a review of Albert Head Cadet Summer Training Centre in Victoria, new staff accommodations have been built.
Summer employment and selection—the best we can do? Quality of life was the theme of a 2003 Cadence issue. Nearly five years later, has quality of life improved? At a time when many cadet summer training centres (CSTCs) are desperate for staff, can anything be done to attract, and more importantly, retain CSTC staff over a period of several years? The CF defines “quality of life” as follows: “Quality of life in the CF is the degree to which the well-being, work environment and living conditions of our people and their families are consistent with evolving standards, while recognizing the unique demands of military service in accomplishing the mission of the CF.” 1 Although CSTC employment is a unique type of CF employment, it is no less important. In a CF Directorate of Quality of Life study, 4000 CF members were asked to evaluate the statement “Senior leadership truly cares about my quality of life”. More than 50 percent somewhat disagreed.2 How would CSTC adult staff and staff cadets respond to a similar question?
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Change needed A 2008 study on psychological climate and job satisfaction determined a strong negative correlation between autonomy and individual attrition.3 “Autonomy is the degree to which individuals can set their own work procedures, goals, and priorities.”4 If members of an organization feel they can set their own goals and priorities, they are more likely to remain in the organization. It is imperative that we consider this reality within the Cadet Program if we want to reduce staff turnover at CSTCs or in the CIC nationally. Nationwide, the summer staffing process is outdated and arbitrary. Individuals, particularly at the junior officer and staff cadet level, are slotted into positions and given limited choice. Placing individuals into staff positions on the sole basis of element or immediate vacancy at a particular CSTC is ineffective and unfair.
A first step would be to set a base-level standard for appropriate staff accommodation and access to amenities such as phone, Internet, fitness facilities, and messing. At the very least, this would provide guidelines for CSTCs and assist in identifying those that require infrastructure upgrades. A second step would be to develop a national, centralized demographic cell to determine trends and attitudes concerning quality of life at CSTCs and the summer staffing process. Comparatively reviewing staff turnover among CSTCs would provide valuable insights on which CSTCs and regions retain staff at a high rate. An annual CSTC quality of life survey would allow a clearer perspective on the attitudes and perceptions of staff. Open access to this information on the national website would also be helpful. A third step would be to create a national CSTC staffing and quality of life cell and to remove this responsibility from the regions. Alternatively, a national policy could clearly delineate responsible summer staffing procedures. Individual preferences, previous experience, and academic qualifications should be held above all concerns, and modified only when a clear and defensible need exists. Alternatively, the responsibility for staffing could be shifted to CSTCs themselves. CSTC staffing procedures would also benefit from transparency. Publishing CSTC slates and waiting lists on CadetNet weekly would reduce the CADENCE
Issue 26, Fall 2008