What do you "customer" find as the most challenging when receiving service from your S-1/Pers Office?

SFC Toby Northen I'll think on it and try to reply on a computer where I can type more.

SFC Toby Northen Minimum effort required, because we're a captive audience so to speak. Our S1 literally has a monopoly on our SRB so, it's not like we can find another personnel office to go to if you don't do a stellar job.

On top of that, there is the cardinal rule of never screwing with anyone who:

1) Packs your chute
2) Fixes your ejection seat
3) Handles your food
4) Handles your mail/orders/pay/SRB

SFC Toby Northen I think Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS put it well. Systemically any time an organization doesn't have to do a good job to keep getting its money it tends toward minimal effort. Personal experiences of lost documents and missed deadlines aside the system is the challenge. Defining it as a mission for the S-1 shop personnel is probably the best way to fight it, to illustrate how the Main Effort of winning wars and killing bad guys is supported by the Supporting Effort of a good administration shop is the best way to forestall/delay/reduce this problem.

I agree. But if you consistently receive sub-par and or unacceptable service than this is a direct reflection on leadership and that should be addressed immediately to identify deficiencies and how to improve them.

True but so unfortunate.

I find that hard to read sir, as a 42A its our job to take care of the soldiers. I have worked an S1 shop for many years and I have never ran into the issue of the S1 shop being the last resort.

SSG Cosme, it's everyone's job on the full-time side to take care of the soldier. The S-1 shop does a great job handling personnel matters without question. As you read other responses to this great question, I hope you come out on the other side with a better understanding of some of the issues M-day soldiers deal with when interacting with the S-1 shop. Thanks for serving!