Effective Communications with Military Service Members Webcast Series
Narrator: In the employment and readiness phase of the deployment lifecycle, [The title “Employment & Readiness” is displayed, then an image of the service member in this video holding a folder with documents is displayed.] a service member is focused on his or her civilian employment with VA. [An image of the supervisor in this video in the service member’s cubicle is displayed.] As a supervisor, your focus is on your team and day-to-day activities. [An image of the supervisor and service member talking is displayed.]
While you don’t immediately need to address military duties and deployment issues, you do need to communicate with the service member on your team about planning for future deployment. [A screen with the phrase “Letter of Agreement” is displayed.] You’ll want to talk with the service member about a Letter of Agreement, [A screen titled “Letter of Agreement (LOA)” is displayed. The phrases “1. Clarifies a supervisor’s role as it relates to supervising military service members” and “2. Clarifies an employee’s role” are displayed.] which is a document designed to clarify your role as it relates to supervising a Military Service Member, as well as to clarify the role of your employee. [An image of a pen next to the VA for Vets Letter of Agreement on a desk is displayed.] The Letter of Agreement helps promote effective communication between you and the service member, covering rights and responsibilities under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act or USERRA. [A screen titled “USERRA” is displayed. The words “Uniformed”, “Services”, “Employment &”, “Reemployment, Rights”, and “Act” are displayed under each other to spell “USERRA” vertically.]
[An image of the supervisor and service member speaking to each other is displayed.] When you have a service member assigned to your section, you will discuss [An image of the supervisor is displayed.] how his or her responsibilities might be transitioned to another individual if the service member deploys. A screen titled “Transition Plan” is displayed. The phrases “A living document that changes as the employee’s role changes” and “Documents the service member’s duties and assignments” are displayed.] Collaboratively, you and the service member develop a transition plan. The plan is a living document in which service members document their duties and assignments. [A screen with the following “The Transition Plan goes into effect when the service member transitions from civilian work to active military duty” is displayed.] When a service member leaves civilian employment for active duty, the transition plan is put into effect. [An image of is a pen next to the VA for Vets Transition Plan on a desk is displayed.] As a supervisor, you use the transition plan to orient the temporary worker who stands in for the service member.
[An image of the supervisor and service member talking in the service member’s cubicle is displayed.] Let’s take a look at an interaction between a supervisor and the service member. Pay special attention to the way the supervisor communicates with the service member.
[The screen fades to black.]
[A service member is at her civilian job and sitting in her cubicle busily typing on her laptop.]
Supervisor [entering abruptly]: We need to meet right away to sign this Letter of Agreement. [He tosses a folder containing the Letter of Agreement and other documents on her keyboard while she is still typing.] And, you’re supposed to have a transition plan on file so the guy who replaces you will know what to do when you’re gone. [The supervisor takes a seat in her cubicle.]
[The service member opens the folder and slowly swivels her chair to face the supervisor and looks him in the eye.]
Service member: I’m working against a deadline right now. Can I schedule a time to talk to you later?
Supervisor: Um, no. We really do need to meet right now [he points his pen to her in a condescending manner] – who knows when they’ll ask you to “travel.” [Supervisor curls his fingers to make quotation marks in the air while saying “travel.” He continues writing on his notepad ignoring the service member.]
Service member [looking frustrated]: OK, Carl. [She turns away from the supervisor and faces her laptop.] I guess I have to stay late to work on this report.
[The service member turns toward the supervisor when he starts to speak.]
Supervisor [smiling and not acknowledging the service member’s unhappiness]: Good! [He points to the folder.] So, fill out this LOA and I’ll sign it.
Service member [lifting open the folder]: Can you tell me what an LOA is? [She turns around in her chair to face the supervisor.] Why are we filling it out?
Supervisor [pointing at her with his pen]: It’s a requirement for anyone at VA who may be deployed. And we need to get a copy to HR.
Service member [a little hesitant]: Do you want to go over this right now?
Supervisor [continues to gesture at the service member with his pen]: Nah, just sign it and get it back to me. Now, about that transition plan. How soon can you get it to me?
Service member: Well, I do have this deadline…
Supervisor [cutting off the service member in mid-sentence]: I know. How soon can you get that transition plan to me? [He points his pen at her again.]
Service member [slowly speaking as she thinks]: Well, it will take me some time to document all my responsibilities, plus list all my…
Supervisor [cutting off the service member in mid-sentence]: C’mon, Antonia. How long can it take you to write up your plan? [He rolls his eyes.]
Service member [looking dejected]: [sigh] OK, Carl. I’ll start working on it right now. [She tosses the folder on the desk and resumes working on her computer.]
Supervisor [in a smart voice like his job is done]: Thank you! [He walks out of the service member’s cubicle.]
[The service member shakes her head and sighs while she continues to work. The screen fades to black.]
Narrator: Did you notice how the supervisor interacted with the service member? [An image from the enacted scene is displayed. The image is of the supervisor looking at his notepad while the service member is speaking to him.] First, the supervisor’s body language made it apparent that he wasn’t focused on the service member. [An image of supervisor looking at his notepad is displayed.] He made minimal eye contact, for example. [An image of the supervisor rolling his eyes is displayed.] The supervisor didn’t listen to what the service member was saying. Though it wasn’t a convenient time for the service member to talk, [An image of service member looking frustrated is displayed.] the supervisor insisted that they talk [An image of the supervisor pointing his pen at the service member is displayed.] about the Letter of Agreement and a transition plan—right at that moment. [An image of the service member picking up a folder with documents is displayed.] A Letter of Agreement and a transition plan are tools to help a supervisor coordinate with a service member. But this supervisor made the tools seem more like chores than support. [An image of the service member looking at the Letter of Agreement with a confused expression is displayed. Then an image of the service member with her back to the supervisor checking something on her computer is displayed.] He certainly didn’t take the time to explain the purpose or value of the Letter of Agreement or the transition plan to the service member.
The supervisor used the phrase [An image of the supervisor making quotation marks in the air is displayed.] “guy who replaces you” when referring to the individual, who would temporarily cover for the service member should she get orders to deploy. [An image of the service member looking at her computer with a folder in her hands is displayed.] The term “replacement” can cause concern for a service member who is worried about having a job when she returns to VA. This interaction [An image of supervisor and service member facing each other is displayed.] could have been a productive planning session, which could have made the supervisor’s job a lot easier. [An image of the service member looking at her computer with a folder in her hands is displayed.] Instead, the interaction left the service member feeling unheard and undervalued.
Let’s watch this interaction again. [An image of the service member looking at her computer while the supervisor is sitting across from her is displayed.] This time, look for the ways in which the supervisor effectively communicates with the service member.
[The screen fades to black.]
The service member is typing on her laptop working at her desk, when her supervisor comes to her cubicle.
Supervisor: [knock, knock] Excuse me, Antonia. Do you have a second to talk?
Service member [turns around and smiles]: Have a seat. [She extends her arm welcoming him to sit down.]
Supervisor [sitting down]: I wanted to chat with you about two documents that will help us plan for the time you might get deployed.
Service member: OK.
Supervisor [sitting toward the service member and making eye contact]: I know you’re writing a report, so I’ll just take five minutes to give you a heads up.
Service member: Thanks, Carl. Well my report’s not due until the end of business today, so I have few minutes to talk.
Supervisor [in a clear and patient tone]: Good deal. Now look, VA has developed two documents to help supervisors and service members work together more effectively. [He hands the service member the documents] Now, the first one is called a Letter of Agreement. [He points to the Letter of Agreement.] Now the LOA, as they call it, lays out our responsibilities with regard to your military deployment. [The service member skims the LOA] I think it’s a good idea to have an LOA on file so that we can be on the same page. [The service member shakes her head in agreement.] I’ll leave this copy with you to read over; and we can set up a time to go about it and add our signatures.
Service member: OK. I can see how the LOA would be beneficial. I’ll let you know if I have any questions about it.
Supervisor: Well, thanks, Antonia. Now, the other document I’d like you to look over is a transition plan. [He points to the transition plan in folder.] The plan documents the tasks assigned to you so that someone can temporarily cover for you if you’re deployed. [The service member turns around, reaches for a pen, turns back toward the supervisor and starts jotting notes on the transition plan.] You’ve got a lot on your plate, so it’ll really be helpful to have a document that captures your duties, your daily tasks, points of contacts, your meeting schedule, and any other details you think someone would need if you’re called to active duty. [He looks at the service member to listen for her feedback.]
Service member [nodding]: I want to make the process as easy as possible, if and when I get deployed. So, I’ll work on the transition plan as soon as I finish this report. Will that work for you?
Supervisor: Let’s aim for the end of the week, OK? And then we can sit down and go over the LOA and transition plan together.
Service member [smiling]: You got it!
Supervisor: Alright. Good job.
[The supervisor leaves the service member’s cubicle. The screen fades to black.]
Narrator: Did you notice that the supervisor was completely focused on the service member? [An image from the enacted scene is displayed. The image is of the supervisor pointing to a document in the folder that the service member is holding.] He positioned his body toward the service member [An image of the supervisor facing the service member and making eye contact is displayed.] and made frequent eye contact. This time, [An image of the supervisor at the doorway of the service member’s cubicle is displayed.] the supervisor is respectful—he asks the service member if it’s a convenient time to talk. The supervisor [An image of the supervisor looking at the service member is displayed.] clearly stated the purpose of the conversation. The supervisor also explained [An image of the service member looking at the supervisor is displayed.] the purpose of the conversation and was very clear about what he needed from the service member—[An image of the supervisor pointing to the LOA is displayed.] a signed Letter of Agreement and a draft transition plan. [An image of the service member looking at the supervisor is displayed.] By listening closely, the supervisor learned that the service member was facing a deadline and, in response, gave the service member time to work on the plan. [An image of the supervisor making eye contact with the service member is displayed.] In this interaction, the supervisor got what he needed from the communication, while acknowledging the service member’s needs. [An image of the supervisor at the doorway of the service member’s cubicle is displayed.] The supervisor was clear about the steps that needed to be taken to ensure that both the Letter of Agreement and a draft transition plan were completed. [An image of the supervisor talking to the service member is displayed.] In this vignette, the supervisor communicated clearly about what he needed to be done, while taking into account the needs of the service member. [An image of the service member smiling is displayed.] Because the guidelines for communication were followed, there was a very positive and productive exchange between the supervisor and the service member.
[The screen fades to black.]