Military working directly with GS Civilians / Contractors... Thoughts and or experiences?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 09:49:28 -0500

I do work directly with them and only them. The only other "green suitor" in my section is a Sergeant Major, whom is the Deputy Director of the section (DOET or glorified S-6) and also my first line supervisor. When I first started the position, I was the only military member of the section and found it extremely difficult to develop a good working rapport with them. I believe some of it was me ,and how my previous duty assignment impacted the style of work and communications I tried to employ with them. I also believe that their "laid back" mentalities and lack of solid work ethics had an impact as well. These issues obviously created a great deal of tension in the room, almost to a point of fist-a-cuffs. The tension has since died down and we are mostly at an understanding with each other now, even more so with the arrival of the above mentioned SGM. Still I cannot help but always feel as if there will always be sort of a rift between myself and them.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 5 at 2014 10:09 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 10:09:22 -0500

I work in training development for the Aviation school house and you can't throw a rock without hitting a civilian. I have never had an issue with them because they have been in the business so long and they have a lot of knowledge to share.

A lot of them are retired military so their work ethic has not been deemed poor in my opinion. We have that one or two that will complain about doing things and claim that we are setting goals that are too ambitious - you can definitely see the difference of the personality by what rank they attained prior to retiring.

All in all, I respect them and am proud of what we accomplish as a team.

I also think that it is good to keep them around to provide continuity in a duty such as this because we only serve 3 years at a time here...

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 5 at 2014 10:59 AM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 10:59:46 -0500

I work SRRC (SRP) and four of the six in my section are civilian contractors, not one of them is prior service. I have two that have been in the section for 8 yrs and 6yrs. They get a new boss every year. They were very happy when I was extended for an additional year. I think it is important to remember this when you start implementing your work style/ethic. It can be very frustrating having to adjust to a different style of management year in and year out. What I find hard to do is not always leaning on the strongest of my civilians. I try to always ask for input so they feel they are part of the process. Forntunately for me they fully understand the "mission first" standard.

Response by SPC(P) Thomas Beliveau made Oct 19 at 2014 11:17 PM

SPC(P) Thomas Beliveau — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 23:17:34 -0400

I work with all civilians as well, and have to say that I really enjoy it. They have a ton of experience and have been very helpful, moreso than any military I've worked with I'd have to say. Also, it is nice to work with them, because they provide a different point of view from military personnel, which is refreshing to say the least. Also, it really helps when developing contacts for employment after the service.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 13 at 2015 10:54 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 22:54:05 -0400

I am a contractor and work for GS civilians and work with active military. In my experience it has helped that we have all worked or work in the same field and are there to complete a critical mission.

But when I was active I did have some experiences that were not that different than you described. Most of them the common thread was people that just wanted to collect a paycheck and had the "we get paid by the hour" mindset.