JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska –
Following two and a half years of extensive refitting at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the World War II era aircraft carrier USS Midway was recommissioned in 1957 with an angled flight deck and steam catapults.
Though it was technically the same ship, the extensive modifications transitioned the ship from propeller-driven to jet aircraft allowing for the launch and recovery of the Mach 1.8-capable F8U Crusader air superiority fighter.
Recently, the Alaska National Guard Human Resource Office at the Alaska Army National Guard Readiness Center underwent a no-less dramatic modernization as the Midway. Though the organization’s people didn’t change, new furniture replaced 30-year-old units, a conference room was carved out of existing office space, and the floorplan was rearranged to better serve customers.
Kevin Park, AKNG HRO director, said the primary beneficiaries of the remodel are HRO customers who will be greeted with an office organized along functional areas as well as private spaces to be able to work through personnel issues.
“The heart of the redesign is for the customer,” Park said. “It's going to create better customer experience for privacy.”
Park said the effort took months of planning and work, and he immediately saw the difference it made throughout the HRO workforce.
“The remodel gives the team a better sense of pride coming into work having a new work area,” Park said. “I’ve seen the excitement and the pride in having this new furniture just bubble over.”
In addition to enhancing customer service and improving the workspace environment, Park said the modernization also served as an opportunity to reduce clutter.
“Getting this new furniture had us really review all of our old paper files to see what we needed to get rid of,” Park said. “We did, and it was a major purge and cleanup. Now everything's fresh and clean. Everything in here is just what we need.”
During the Jan. 13 HRO remodel ribbon cutting ceremony, AKNG Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe underlined the importance of a modernized workspace for the office that impacts every Guard member, military and civilian.
“This is the only section in the entire Department of Military and Veterans Affairs that touches every single federal person within the department,” Saxe said. “Why? Because you deal with people issues. You are the first touchpoint and you're the last touchpoint for people who may need help or have questions.”
Park echoed Saxe’s estimation of the office’s daily impact on the force.
“Our mission is to provide everything from hiring to retiring support to all the full-time personnel for the Alaska National Guard and all of the statuses,” Park said. “That includes technician, AGRs, and all statuses in between.”
The Alaska National Guard Human Resources Office supports the technician workforce through four branches.
The Technician Branch manages hiring, position classification and descriptions, employee benefits, and workforce training and development.
The Systems Branch oversees personnel systems such as the Defense Civilian Personnel Data System and MyPerformance, ensuring personnel actions like pay adjustments and step increases process correctly.
The Equal Employment Branch manages Equal Employment Opportunity programs for federal technicians and Equal Opportunity programs for military members.
The Labor Relations Branch serves as the liaison between management and the union.
Park said one of HRO’s core responsibilities is to advise commanders, senior enlisted leaders and customers on personnel issues with eye to solving oftentimes complex personnel problems.
“Our goal is to answer the question of ‘How do we get you there?’” Park said. “When you go into customer service with that mentality, you can’t go wrong. When a customer knows right away you’re on their team, you win right away.”
Through a range of functions serving the personnel needs of the entire force, Saxe said AKNG HRO consistently pursues excellence in its service to the Alaska National Guard.
“You are really good,” Saxe said. “You're proactive, and you care about people.”