Posted on Dec 31, 2013
Writing your own evaluation (NCOER/OER)? Is it really THAT bad?
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As long as your rater/senior rater agree with it (by digitally signing it), why do some feel it's 'taboo' to write your own evaluation?<br><br>Here's some (hypothetical) reasoning:<br><br>Rater takes criticism personally - When we sit down to discuss my evaluation, I point out misspellings or grammatical inaccuracies; I don't want this held against me during a promotion board, but my senior rater takes this personally and gets upset.<br><br>It's worked this far, why change it? - I've been promoted on a previous centralized promotion board (or two) and I've read all the promotion board AARs to keep myself current on what's being looked at as higher importance.<br><br>Too Busy - My rater is too busy or I don't want to be a burden. I think it's my career and I feel a certain obligation to 'write it up' for my senior rater for review it and provide all necessary documentation to justify the quantifiable ratings.<br><br>Not an articulate writer - I'm a much better writer than my senior rater. I have a degree in English and my senior rater doesn't have a degree. I'm not looking to use fancy words, just words that appear on an educated level greater than high school.<br>
NCOER
OER
Military Career
Posted 12 y ago
Responses: 63
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Well, for starters, it's illegal. At least in the Air Force.
Section 8.1.4.1.3 of AIF 36-2406 (the regulation regarding performance reports) states that the Senior Rater "Will ensure no subordinate commander/supervisor asks or allows, an
officer to draft or prepare his or her own PRF. Note: Eligible officers may provide
input."
Section 8.1.4.1.3 of AIF 36-2406 (the regulation regarding performance reports) states that the Senior Rater "Will ensure no subordinate commander/supervisor asks or allows, an
officer to draft or prepare his or her own PRF. Note: Eligible officers may provide
input."
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We as NCO's have an obligation to make the time to write our subordinates NCOER's, and counsel them properly. The time it takes to write an NCOER is on the rater. If the rater is counseling ever quarter like they should, the NCOER really writes its self.
If you as a rater have a subordinate NCO write there own NCOER, you really should consider turning in your stripes. If you are an NCO and you don't nag your rater for your counseling, and basically force them to do there DUTY, then you are just as wrong as they are.
It is your report card, and if your not being counseling how do you know were you are going wrong, or if you are on the right glide path.
Raters and Senior Raters, if the counseling is not being done and you want to give the rated NCO a bad NCOER, all I can say is good luck. You don't have a leg to stand on. Just like when you want to frag a Soldier with AR15's and it doesn't happen do to lack of counseling. Any NCO that accepts a bad NCOER with no proof, shame on you.
End state is: Do your duty, and quit being lazy.
If you as a rater have a subordinate NCO write there own NCOER, you really should consider turning in your stripes. If you are an NCO and you don't nag your rater for your counseling, and basically force them to do there DUTY, then you are just as wrong as they are.
It is your report card, and if your not being counseling how do you know were you are going wrong, or if you are on the right glide path.
Raters and Senior Raters, if the counseling is not being done and you want to give the rated NCO a bad NCOER, all I can say is good luck. You don't have a leg to stand on. Just like when you want to frag a Soldier with AR15's and it doesn't happen do to lack of counseling. Any NCO that accepts a bad NCOER with no proof, shame on you.
End state is: Do your duty, and quit being lazy.
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With the new OER system it locks you out of the evaluation so that you cannot (from your own login) write your own evaluation. So either you would have to write it and they cut and paste it or have to do it from the rater's computer.
It should be interesting to see how long this works and if the NCOER system will follow suit.
It should be interesting to see how long this works and if the NCOER system will follow suit.
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COL Vincent Stoneking
As a follow-up, what I have seen in several instances is "send me rater and SR rater comments in a word document for me to copy and paste."...
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I have help write my NCOER with bullets or just input, however I left it to my rater to make all final decissions.
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Yes. I wrote my deployment award and I hated that I had to do it. But I took it as an opportunity to figure out how to write an award for when I became an NCO (I was a Specialist at the time) so the Soldiers I'm responsible for never have to.
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SSG (Join to see)
Yes. I am actually in the process of writing my own NCOER. I was told by my OIC that he wanted me to write the initial draft of the NCOER for self development and then he would then create a final product. I believe that this is an effective way to develop an NCO especially in my situation when I only have one other NCO under me.
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Sgt (Join to see)
yep, my boss during deployment looked over and asked what I did for the year... So I drafted it up and sent it to him in a Word doc. T'is the life of a NCO.
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I wrote my last 5 PCS awards, my retirement award, and a few impact awards.
As far as NCOER's, I probably did the base for about 5-6 of them, all annuals, and maybe 2-3 COR, and 1 complete the record.
Not saying it should be the norm, but many times it is becoming that way with many leaders stating they are too busy to do it over the past decade or so.
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Of course. I imagine it's fairly common.
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CW2 Jonathan Kantor
I have written my own awards and NCOERs a lot throughout my career... never an OER, which is good. Once, I was voluntold/begged to write NCOERs for 4 other NCOs in the office, 2 of which outranked me. I just gave everyone the best write-up I could come up with.
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SFC Michael Hasbun
I suspect we've all been there. It may be "poor leadership" to be a bad runner, but it's perfectly acceptable to have the grammar and writing ability of a first grader. Our priorities break my heart.
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COL Vincent Stoneking
SFC Michael Hasbun Well said. Sometimes the things we focus on make me shake my head. Of course, this is not just an Army thing. I cannot believe the evals I see in the civilian world - and people are stunned that the ones for my staff evaluate (and even enumerate!) them. This is just Management 101, which is the LOWEST level of leadership.
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Yes to both..had to write my own PCS award, and AAM, when I left Recruiting duty back in '98; Company Commander didn't even want to submit one, because I wasn't a stellar recruiter, station commander (was acting 1SG) had me write one up and he "pushed" it through told the commander it's the least I deserved for surviving the 3-years of hell and leaving with the same rank. Lol...
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I have written my own in the past; I now refuse to write my own. My rater should know all of my accomplishments. Though there are a few that I feel I didn't get what I thought I deserved, I took it as an opportunity to do better for my Soldiers. I have always written a first draft, then sit down and having long discussions regarding the past years performance and articulating the accomplishments in a way that for a good Soldier makes that Soldier feel good about the evaluation (counseling session). Yes, the eval is what may or may not be looked at for promotion; however, my feeling is that the NCOER is for the Soldier. Nothing demotivates a Soldier than having a leader that doesn't care or know what that Soldier did over the past year. Writing an NCOER should be difficult and time-consuming because the Soldier should be worth the effort and time.
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