Up until recently, my experience with civilians in the Army was a more intense indoctrination into the chain of command than less, due to hiring civilians almost exclusively from a career military or near career background. Having recently attended DPMAP (DoD Performance Management Appraisal Program) training to qualify as a supervisor of civilians, I’m realizing the rules regarding civilians are even stricter than we enjoy wearing the green suit. Punching your timecard incorrectly may as well be an honor violation, and it’s not uncommon for a task to be refused for not being included in the Position Description (PD). One time we even had a civilian refuse to take out trash from a class because “it wasn’t in his PD”. Then we have those that are so over-enthusiastic they’ll work past their 80 hours per two weeks if we let them, which would leave us in a precarious spot – do we pay them overtime or do we accept the extra work for free?

My experience with civilians has recently widened significantly, after being exposed to fresh hires spanning the gamut of experience – everything from former battalion commanders to kids fresh out of college. Leading each one requires an individual approach. Position descriptions can be tailored, and maxi-flex hours are a real blessing so far. The most recent advice I received (from a SAMS grad) was to give an endstate and left/right limits, and let them run. This is producing mixed results, and I’m trying to adjust appropriately without being overbearing.