07 September 2005: No 52/05

THE DOD HR STRATEGY 2010: DISTINGUISHING FACT FROM FICTION

The DOD HR Strategy 2010 (Edition 2) was approved in 2003 and has since been widely communicated in the DOD by way of briefings, pamphlets, posters and an article in SA Soldier. The strategy is also published on the DOD Intranet under Policy Publications. The implementation of HR Strategy 2010 forms one of the Minister of Defence’s priorities and is indicated as such in the DOD Level 1 Plan.  Yet, there still seems to be uncertainty regarding the strategy, which leads to rumours and wrong perceptions.

This requires that the facts about the implementation of the strategy should be confirmed and that fiction and rumours should be dispelled. HR Strategy 2010 includes the following main desired end states or goals:

Rejuvenation

With the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Military Skills Development System (MSDS) intakes, the SANDF has made huge progress in rejuvenating its human resources from the bottom up and in enhancing mission readiness. There are currently 5 775 MSDS serving members. As a result of the MSDS intakes, the number of privates aged 18 – 24 years has increased from only 1 941 (10%) of all Regular Force privates in 2002 to 5 695 (33%) of all privates currently, an improvement of 23%.

The SANDF will continue to have annual MSDS intakes to boost its rejuvenation. The next big intake will take place in January 2006.  Rejuvenation will, however, not occur at the expense of serving SANDF members and will not lead to job losses.  No serving SANDF member will have his/her services terminated just because of her/his age.

Rank-age compliance is being managed together with all the other factors that play a role in career management.  What the DOD does, however, is to identify alternative career opportunities for SANDF members who do not have further career advancement prospects because of advanced age and other factors leading to their stagnation in the ranks.

The initiative to make it possible for such members to follow an alternative career in the SA Police Service on a voluntary transfer basis is an example. Up to now, 214 SANDF members have taken up the offer and been transferred to the SAPS while 150 more may soon be transferred. This in an ongoing initiative.

Effective, Efficient and Economic (E3) HR Composition

The achievement of this goal depends on a proper balance between the different service systems, namely the MSDS, term contract systems such as the Core Service System and Medium Term Service System, the Long Term Service System, the Reserve Force and Non-Uniformed Personnel.  The ideal is to have more MSDS members and to utilise the Reserve Force to a greater extent in order to make it more efficient and to contain HR expenditure so that more funds will become available for other priorities such as infrastructure, accommodation, messing, training, etc.

The E3 goal will, however, take time to achieve and will gain momentum as the components of the old Flexible Service System (the Short, Medium and Long- Term Service Systems) naturally phased out, while the components of the New Service System (MSDS and Core Service System) steadily grow.  Current Short and Medium- Term Service members whose contracts expire will be considered for Core Service System contracts. The Long Term Service is steadily being reduced in size as members retire, resign, etc.

The bottom line, therefore, is that existing employment contracts will remain in force until they expire naturally or until the member terminates the contract through resignation etc or until the DOD terminates the contract through disciplinary measures, such as discharge determined by a military court, or administrative measures such as those taken by a medical board. It should be noted that the Mobility Exit Mechanism (MEM) is a voluntary measure where the DOD can recommend to a member that her/his service should be terminated, but the ultimate decision to stay or to leave rests with the member.

The One Force Model

This goal means that the Regular Force, the Reserve Force and Non-Uniformed Personnel must be educated, trained and developed and utilised together to achieve the aims of the DOD.

The Reserve Force, in particular, needs to build capacity. Recently, a lot of effort has been put into direct recruiting drives for the SA Army Reserves and the first mission-ready Reserve Force Motorised Infantry Company has been deployed externally on Peace Support Operations. These initiatives will continue.

The capacity building of the Reserve Force does, however, not mean that the SANDF will neglect the Regular Force.  The ideal of a larger ratio of Reserve Force members compared to Regular Force members is an ideal, but it cannot be realised right now at the expense of serving Regular Force members.  The legality of existing Regular Force service contracts will be respected and planning for a larger ratio of Reserve Force members in the future will take account of this.

SANDF New Service System

The crux of this goal is that the SANDF should steadily move away from employment contracts that have absolutely no flexibility, such as Long-Term Service (old Permanent Force) contracts. The organisation needs to have the initiative to be able to tailor its HR strength according to changing security demands, the available budget and the required make-up of the HR composition.

It can only do so by having some flexibility built into employment contracts. If every member has an employment contract until age 60, the SANDF will have no mechanism to adjust the required HR strength according to the changing security and budget situation.

Besides, it will lead to the rapid ageing of the force at all rank levels and a loss of mission readiness.  It will mean that intakes will be very small and that members who stagnate in their careers will hang on until retirement, thus preventing more suitable members from being appointed.

For the above reasons, the new service system (MSDS and Core Service System) has been implemented in terms of which all new SANDF members are only able to serve in terms of term-based contracts with specified termination dates.

Disciplined members who perform well will be able to continue to receive successive new Core Service System contracts up to age 60. The organisation will, according to its needs and resources, decide whether to issue new contracts to members once their existing MSDS or Core Service System contracts expire.

The implication of the new way that members serve is that members serving in the Short and Medium-Term Service whose contracts expire, will be considered by the SANDF for a possible new Core Service System contract.  Members of the Long-Term Service System will be allowed to complete their service until normal retirement as per their contract (including those members who do not wish to avail themselves of MEM offers).

Employment Equity/Representivity

The DOD has already attained the broad-based employment equity targets for race as contained in the Defence Review.

Currently, there are 63% Africans, 13% Coloureds, 1% Indians and 23% Whites in the full-time HR component. There are also 22% women and 78% men in the full-time HR component, which compares favourably with the gender composition in other Defence Forces. The DOD is, however, currently still short of the 2% target for declared disabled persons.

The remaining challenges are to address the over-representivity of White males in middle management and in scarce combat, technical and statutory professional corps and musterings and the under-representivity of Whites in junior ranks.

The complexity of the above challenges require that the DOD should close representivity gaps while at the same time not lose scarce expertise.  Various measures are being employed to address employment equity. These include the implementation of the DOD Affirmative Action Plan which has led to a marked increase in the number of Black members promoted.

From February 2004 to February 2005, 4 413 Black members have been promoted compared to 1 460 White members.

Also of note is the DOD Youth Foundation Training Programme, through which 715 young Black learners have already been employed, including in scarce corps and musterings.

The Foundation Training Programme will continue until such time as equity imbalances in terms of race have been addressed satisfactorily.  Recruiting efforts also indicate the progress being made. The race composition of the MSDS is 90% Black and 10% White as well as 30% women and 70% men, which indicates the corrective actions being applied to close employment equity gaps.

While the DOD is under statutory obligation to close remaining employment equity gaps, this does not mean that there is a witch-hunt against any particular group.

Neither does it mean that any group is being pacified at the cost of the fair advancement of another group. The achievement of a more balanced employment equity composition in terms of race, gender and disability will remain a top DOD priority, but will be undertaken in such a way that the effectiveness of the force, morale and expertise are not only maintained, but also improved.

The DOD/SANDF regards highly the contributions of all its members who are part of this One Force. While it boosts efforts to close employment equity gaps in various ways, unfair discrimination against any component of the DOD will not be tolerated.  Allegations of unfair treatment, specifically directed against members of the former Non-Statutory Forces are unfounded.  The measures contained in HR Strategy 2010 apply to all DOD/SANDF personnel and not just to former NSF members.

HR Service Delivery

With the approval of the DOD HR Management Strategy in 2004, the basis has been laid for improvements in HR service delivery in pursuance of Government’s Batho Pele policy.  The strategy directs the DOD towards a range of improvements in HR service across the total HR management value chain, from recruiting to separation.  A new HR Acquisition Strategy will, for example, be implemented soon and will lead to improvements in the way that the DOD jointly markets careers and does recruiting.

Work on a new Remuneration Strategy for SANDF members will also start soon.  More detail on the roll-out of the HR Management Strategy and HR functional sub-strategies will be published once approval has been granted for the implementation of the new structures of the DOD’s HR function.

Harmony between the Uniformed and Civilian Components

HR Strategy 2010 duly recognises the contributions by both components and calls for no differentiation between the management and administration of the two components and a step-up in the education, training and development of all Non-Uniformed Personnel.

Efforts are therefore under way to investigate the possibility of also including Non-Uniformed Personnel under the Defence Act, thereby bringing the total Defence family under one Act and unified management and administration.

More detail on progress being made in this regard will be published in due course. Retention of Operational and Functional Expertise

Over the last few years, the DOD has made significant progress in stemming the outflow of expertise. The outflow rate of members serving in scarce musterings, such as pilots, navigators, naval combat officers, engineers and technical musterings has been reduced.

The DOD has successfully implemented monetary retention measures for these scarce musterings. In addition, the opportunities provided by external deployments and projects also contribute to maintaining expertise.

The DOD, however, recognises that the private sector’s competition for scarce expertise will remain and that it must remain alert to identify and act upon any new trends in personnel turnover. New guidelines have therefore been issued in 2005 that have established a formal process through which the DOD is now managing the loss of expertise at the highest level.

HR Strategy 2010 provides a broad vision and framework for the strategic management of the DOD’s human resources.

It provides for step by step constructive ways to realign the HR composition towards improved operational mission-readiness, Governmental compliance, effectiveness, efficiency and economy. It does not infringe upon members’ rights, but also duly recognises that South Africa has only one Defence Force, the resources of which must be properly managed in all respects for it to carry out its assigned duties now and in the future.

HR STRATEGY 2010 IS NOT A “RETRENCHMENT TOOL” AIMED AT COMPULSORY RETRENCHMENT AND JOB LOSSES, IS NOT AIMED AT UNFAIR DISCRIMINATION BASED ON FACTORS SUCH AS RACE, AGE AND HEALTH STATUS, IS NOT AIMED AT ANY PARTICULAR FORMER FORCE, BUT IS AIMED AT ESTABLISHING A VIABLE, MISSION READY HUMAN RESOURCE COMPOSITION IN THE DOD THAT CAN EXECUTE THE DOD’S MISSION AND THE SANDF’S MILITARY STRATEGY.

DOD personnel are reminded that, irrespective of whether there is an HR Strategy 2010 or not, there will always be individual HR matters that must be attended to and solved, such as career management issues, ETD, grievances, pay queries, housing and other maintenance issues, etc.

Such matters must be taken up by members through the established channels, which are there for this purpose. All commanders, managers and supervisors are similarly strongly encouraged to promote the chain of command/divisional system as a means of communicating and resolving HR management matters within their various fields of responsibility.

Enquiries: SSO HR Strat Plan - Capt (SAN) W. van Niekerk. Tel (012) 355-5877 or fax (012) 355-5886.