F e a t u r e s
salary apportioned to X-Factor has failed to keep pace with the realities of Service life in the new Millennium.
Feedback from RAF Families was reported as follows Features of the Job Adventure & Travel Positive: Families appreciate that, in comparison to some civilians, there are more opportunities for the serving personnel to undertake travel and adventurous activities within the RAF. However, access and opportunity are often limited. Negative: Closure of units overseas has limited opportunity for travel. Many feel that access to Adventurous Training is limited. Closure of UK units has also reduced the opportunity to live in different parts of the UK, reducing the sense of adventure that prevailed when there were many more bases upon which to serve.
Job Satisfaction Positive: Most feel that their partners have reasonable job satisfaction.Negative: Many commented on the additional stress caused by increased workloads- covering for those Out of Area. This impacts on job satisfaction to a great degree as people feel overworked and undervalued. Some commented on the frequency of guard duty which is still required on some units, despite the arrival of MPGS staffs.
Job Security Positive: Good for the uniformed member and for obtaining mortgages etc.Negative: Impacted adversely by recent redundancy rounds – people are far less certain they will enjoy a full career. Reduction in uniformed numbers is reducing opportunities for promotion, which is linked to further service and job security. Job security for partners trying to pursue separate careers is non-existent.
TU Membership and Industrial Action Positive: General acceptance that not being allowed to join a Trade Union or take industrial action is part of the job and that service in the RAF means you put others needs ahead of individual rights.Negative: None.
Promotion & Early Responsibility Positive: None. Negative: Most feel that promotion is far harder to obtain and that levels of responsibility have been eroded, particularly at the junior non-commissioned level. Evidence of many turning to internal commissioning route in order to secure greater responsibility and promotion as they feel stuck in the lower levels of non-commissioned service, with some trades experiencing very poor promotion flows.
Degree of Autonomy/Management Control Workplace Flexibility Positive: Some report good experiences of flexible management.Negative: Most report a poor level of autonomy, albeit it gets better when on operations where there are fewer staff and individuals feel a greater sense of control. Returning to the UK home base can then be very frustrating as they revert to lower levels of responsibility. Flexible working practices is not part of the RAF ethos despite promises to the contrary for ‘family-friendly’ employment policies. Too much depends on the personality and management style of the boss.
Training Positive: Most feel that the RAF still provides high quality training.Negative: Many report that it is becoming far more difficult to get released from primary duties to
undertake professional and/or personal development training. Resettlement training can also be difficult to achieve if your last tour of duty is on a busy front-line unit where absence for key resettlement courses can impact on the operational effectiveness of the squadron. Family members can find it difficult to pursue training courses and higher education as postings disrupt the study period and access to colleges.
Impact of the Job Danger. Positive: None.Negative: Since the X-Factor was last increased, the level of danger and risk being faced by RAF personnel has gone up significantly, with casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan a regular feature of the daily news. The impact of combat stress has not been properly evaluated and families fear that repeated exposure to dangerous operational activity is having a negative impact on the mental and physical health of the uniformed members of the family, with knock-on effects on the rest of the family. Personnel return from current operations reporting regular attacks by mortar and small-arms fire, plus incidences of suicide bombers within their vicinity. This is not something RAF personnel (other than perhaps the RAF Regiment) were accustomed to experiencing before the Service moved towards ‘expeditionary’ ops in the global war on terrorism.
Hours of Work Positive: None.Negative: Most families report that their uniformed partners are working longer hours than they used to, carrying extra duties to cover for those on OOA or taking on more secondary duties as the number of uniformed personnel available to undertake them has fallen. This can impact adversely on provision of childcare if the other partner also has a job.
Leave Positive: Families acknowledge that an annual entitlement of 30 days leave per year is generous in comparison with many civilian organisations. However, this is counter-balanced by the negative comments which indicate that many serving personnel struggle to get their full leave entitlement at a time of their preference.Negative:Many report that, whilst they do manage to get most of their leave entitlements, it is often not at their preferred time of year due to operational commitments. Several report short-notice cancellation of family holidays. Where partners are also working, coordinating leave plans is very difficult, especially if children’s school holidays are also a factor. Many feel they cannot plan ahead for those ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ holidays for fear of seeing their plans unravel closer to the time.
Separation from Home & Family Positive: None. Negative: This is a major concern of RAF families and they feel that separation is increasing, with more frequent turn-arounds between operational tours and some trades routinely breaching the ‘harmony guidelines’. Some pointed out that separation from the uniformed partner is exacerbated when you are also separated from family and friends because you have opted to ‘follow the flag’ and live away from your family home.
Turbulence Positive: None.Negative: Although some would expect turbulence to reduce as we move to larger bases and withdraw from most overseas bases, most families feel that turbulence is still a major negative factor. The need
to move the family at frequent intervals impacts on so many family areas – housing, education, healthcare, partner’s careers, special needs, etc. The majority of respondents felt that they required more stability as a family. The impact of turbulence on a partner’s career aspirations is significant, even with those professions traditionally considered easily ‘transferable’ (teaching and nursing). Most partners cannot pursue a sustained career path of their own and this impacts on earning capacity and ability to afford housing, private education, private healthcare, etc, - options that could make the Service families’ lives easier, if they were affordable. The lack of stability also means the partner can rarely build up his/ her own pension entitlements. Many respondents highlighted the impact of postings on their ability to enter the housing market, something many aspire to, particularly in light of rising families quarters rents.
Social Aspects of the Job Divorce and Family Positive: None. Negative: Although comparative divorce/separation rates are not available, most RAF families feel that the level of divorce and relationship breakdown are higher than in the civilian world. They believe that it is often too easy for couples to marry, perhaps to gain that first home and access to an allowances package that used to benefit the married over the single. It is then relatively easy for the uniformed member to move out- he/she can simply return to the Mess or Barrack block, leaving the rest of the family to be eventually evicted from quarters. Reasons for the breakdown range from too much separation, posting to the wrong part of the country, impact on partner’s career aspirations or any number of relationship issues that seem to be exacerbated when the uniformed member is away from home too much.
Health and Education Positive: Access to good quality primary medical and dental facilities for serving personnel are appreciated but serve to highlight the lack of access for most family members. Negative: RAF families are still crying out for access to the RAF facilities they used to enjoy. Many families are commuting hundreds of miles back to old locations to maintain continuity of dental care. Whilst access to NHS doctors is not so acute, families still believe that partners and children of the uniformed member should be treated by the same doctor and not in isolation. As far as education is concerned, many families report difficulties in accessing their preferred school on relocation and many have to go through the stress of the appeals process. Whilst the Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS) provides excellent support, many feel they should not have to go through this process. Several commented that the increasing cost of boarding school is not reflected in the continuity of education allowances. Further requests for the postings of those with school- aged children to be timed for the main school holiday to minimise disruption.
Individual Rights Positive: None.Negative: None.
Stress at Work Positive: None.Negative:Many report that their partners are very stressed at work because they are either deploying frequently to areas of known danger and risk, or they are covering the duties of those who have deployed.
Winter 2007 7
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