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What is right with the Air Force


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  • 1 month later...

I think this is a step in the right direction, let's how the execution plays out

 

‘We’re not going back,’ Air Force leadership says telework is here to stay

I think they are looking at the model of going into the office a couple of days a week and the rest work from home, something to that effect...  Obviously, ops will have a tougher time to execute this.  I see  this more beneficial for staff weenies.

 

Quote

Top leaders of the Air Force are fully adopting telework and engraining it into post-COVID plans, seeing it as a way to save money for the service and increase productivity in some areas.

“We’re not going back,” Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen Wilson said Wednesday at the Air Force Association Virtual Air, Sea, Space and Cyber conference. “We’ve had an 800% increase in our ability to do this teleworking digital experience. Nobody wants to go back to what we were doing. So, how do we take this challenge and use it as an opportunity to move us forward?”

Gen. Arnold Bunch, leader of Air Force Materiel Command, echoed Wilson’s commitment stating that working for the Air Force will never look the same again.

Teleworking is being adopted in new ways in the total force as well.

 

Edited by panchbarnes
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So will personnel that have to work in person (mx, cops, etc.) get more pay than those that can stay home? Those that can telework may save a bunch of money on things like childcare that are a coat burden for the "essential workers."


Will teleworkers get more BAH to offset the cost of having to maintain a larger residence that includes space for a home office (extra bedroom/den above what they may have been comfortable living in, plus office furniture, and increased utility bills)?
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1 hour ago, jazzdude said:


 

 


Will teleworkers get more BAH to offset the cost of having to maintain a larger residence that includes space for a home office (extra bedroom/den above what they may have been comfortable living in, plus office furniture, and increased utility bills)?

 

We are on the right track here...

Will flyers get more pay for having to play musical chairs with public workstations that have so many user profiles that they crash under the lightest workloads?

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3 hours ago, panchbarnes said:

Obviously, ops will have a tougher time to execute this.  I see  this more beneficial for staff weenies.

It will be impossible for ops; meanwhile the underworked/underperforming shoe clerks will produce an even shittier product/service. Now for staff, that makes a lot more sense, at least in terms of pilot retention (probably get the same product, but more guys will be willing to take staff if it means not moving/still get to fly). Copy retention a smaller issue right now, but it’ll be right back to a huge issue shortly in the grand scheme of things.  

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The right answer is laptops for everyone. The problem is they have to be on the physical network every 14 days.

I had one telework day a week authorized on staff. It was a good model because everyone had their laptop issued to them.

The ops squadron model of only enough computers for 33.33333333333333% of the squadron is not good enough to implement this plan.


Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

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1 hour ago, ThreeHoler said:

The right answer is laptops for everyone. The problem is they have to be on the physical network every 14 days.

I had one telework day a week authorized on staff. It was a good model because everyone had their laptop issued to them.

The ops squadron model of only enough computers for 33.33333333333333% of the squadron is not good enough to implement this plan.


Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Pressing to test on that physical network thing on extended TDY. Hopefully VPN is enough. 

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The one bad thing about telework though is it creates the insidious problem of always being available to work, or at least that becomes the expectation. At least I know, and for others who have had iphones/blackberries, there comes this expectation that you are always available and always reading your email. This could turn out bad if its not steered the right direction. 

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3 hours ago, FLEA said:

The one bad thing about telework though is it creates the insidious problem of always being available to work, or at least that becomes the expectation. At least I know, and for others who have had iphones/blackberries, there comes this expectation that you are always available and always reading your email. This could turn out bad if its not steered the right direction. 

Maybe in the military, but not in the civilian world that I've experienced. 

Edited by Sua Sponte
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2 additional problems

1- Support functions haven't implemented it properly yet. Email MPF trying to get a document fixed, auto reply "this inbox has a 72 hour turnaround due to covid manning". Sounds like less work being done

2- No good way to call someone. Sometimes you need info/action immediately, sometimes it's just easier to get the point across over voice. Putting cell numbers in Global would pose the issues in Flea's post; some companies and agencies can forward desk phones to a cell.

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When I’m teleworking I forward my office phone to my cell phone. When it rings it has a six digit number that is obviously from base which I don’t answer if it’s after 1600. The answer here may be to have the support agencies have on call phones that are forwarded from the desk phone in the same way. The problem here is that aren’t able to ask for their supervisor if they are incompetent.

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11 minutes ago, Breckey said:

When I’m teleworking I forward my office phone to my cell phone. When it rings it has a six digit number that is obviously from base which I don’t answer if it’s after 1600. The answer here may be to have the support agencies have on call phones that are forwarded from the desk phone in the same way. The problem here is that aren’t able to ask for their supervisor if they are incompetent.

Yep.  Did the same in March when all this started.  Our laptops were VPN-ready and had very little issue getting into the base network (occasionally, if you procrastinated, the VPN server would fill up and you couldn't get on until others disconnected).  Forwarded the office phones to cell phones.  My office set up an internal Slack channel for quick instant-messaging/file sharing (nothing classified, obviously, but normal NIPR stuff was fine).

It actually worked pretty good for the IG office.

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Oh great, MPF customer service is going to get even worse.  It's already bad enough they never answer their phones as it is, now I won't be able to walk over there and corner them to get answers.  They already appear to set their schedules around dropping off/picking up their kids from school, now they won't be answering their phones because they're helping little Timmy with his schooling during the work day.  Yay customer service...  

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  • 2 weeks later...

96facefc7a40f90ec3680e362f05c02f.jpg
This could go in the other thread but the AF did give me, average joe, non shiny penny, IDE via correspondence only a shot at running a squadron a few months back.

So far so good. And for the record you have no idea until you take that guidon what it truly is like.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yes, this is what's right with the Air Force.  In the midst of a political, social, and military stupidity, a C-17 crew landed an emergency airplane in the combat zone and NO ONE noticed.  Dear crew: well done.

 

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  • 1 year later...

It’s been awhile, but my staff work was at least 85% classified, and a fair amount of that was TS/SCI.

I did know a couple of guys in special access programs that had secure phones at home, is that done these days?

Can classified work can be be done from home in today’s Air Force?n

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