Decision identifies jobs at Human Performance Wing

  • Published
  • By Daryl Mayer
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  While the building that will house the 711th Human Performance Wing grows larger every day, a recent personnel decision adds another piece to the puzzle that identifies the exact membership of the Wing.

The term "Transfer of Function" gives a rather impersonal face to a decision that affects a lot of people.

Thomas Wells, 711 HPW director, likes to keep the decision in its proper perspective.

"I know I'm getting the functions, but what I really want is the people," he said. "I want and need all the 711 HPW people from Brooks City-Base, Texas and Mesa, Arizona to move to Wright-Patt."

In a recent briefing to employees, Mr. Wells outlined his four priorities during the BRAC process. They are: Sustain the mission and support the customers; Take care of our people; Execute BRAC and Leverage synergies across the Wing.

"I can't sustain the mission unless I take care of the people," Mr. Wells said. "So while the mission always comes first, I know I must focus on people."

The Transfer of Function decision is a process that the Civilian Personnel Office uses to determine the move and placement rights and entitlements of affected employees. Generally, unique functions that aren't currently being performed at the new location are considered a 'Transfer of Function', while some standard jobs like administrative support similar to jobs already at the location are defined as 'non-Transfer of Function'. The main effect for employees is specifically when they must decide if they are moving to Wright-Patterson and some of the benefits they will be offered.

Under the existing rules, employees whose positions are TOF are entitled to be placed in a job at the new location, while non-TOF employees are not granted the same regulatory rights, but this difference is not an issue for this transfer. "We will have jobs here at Wright-Patt for everyone at Brooks and Mesa, regardless of whether their position was determined to be TOF or non-TOF," Mr. Wells said. "We will pay for moving expenses and do everything else that we can to help them during the transition."

The timing of the decisions may actually work to Mr. Wells' advantage. While TOF employees will tend to move at roughly the same time, non-TOF employees could move earlier.

"The more I'm able to phase these moves over a longer period of time, the better for mission continuity," Mr. Wells said.

So far, the feedback from employees has been very positive. Early in the process, Mr. Wells said he wanted at least 40 percent of civilian employees to move to Wright-Patterson. Historically, only 10 to 15 percent of employees affected by previous BRACs have moved to the new location.

To gauge his progress, Mr. Wells sent an e-mail to all his affected employees and asked for feedback. Of the approximately 350 civilian employees, 65 percent said they were considering the move. A total of 20 percent - which is already above the norm - said they are definitely moving to Wright-Patterson.

"I'm pleased, but I want them all," Mr. Wells said. "Every person I keep is corporate knowledge I maintain."

Mr. Wells attributes the current positive results to a number of factors including the Wing's efforts to communicate directly with employees about jobs and benefits and to address their concerns. He also credits the strong support of the Dayton community.

"I'm not originally from this area, but I couldn't be more proud of the way the community has supported us," Mr. Wells said. "The Dayton Development Coalition sponsored 'Meet the Community' events at Brooks and Mesa that were extraordinary and we really appreciate the large number of community leaders who participated."

The DDC is also sponsoring a 'Community Pride' initiative where they host visiting employees to show them the community and answer specific questions about the area. So far, only a small number of employees have taken advantage of this support, but participation is expected to grow in the coming months.

Community sponsors, as well as the Wing leadership, have made several trips to Brooks and Mesa to speak with employees about moving and will make many more trips in the future.

"If someone has a concern about moving - if they are looking for spousal employment or special education needs - I want to do everything I can to address it," Mr. Wells said. "Unfortunately, when they don't want to leave their grandchildren who live two blocks away there isn't much I can do about that."

Even for those who choose not to move with their jobs, however, Mr. Wells still wants to do everything he can to help them successfully transition.

"We are doing everything we can to make sure our employees understand the available support programs, such as Priority Placement, and we are committed to providing sufficient time for employees to take advantage of these programs," Mr. Wells said. "Our talented people have served the Wing and the Air Force well; if we can't get them to move with us, I'd like to at least keep them in the federal service."