Military families face numerous challenges during relocations, and a recent U.S. Army Financial Management Command (USAFMCOM) policy to help them is paying big dividends in readiness, family support and employee relations. Army Military Pay Office (AMPO) employees moving with their military spouse to a new installation with a USAFMCOM presence are guaranteed employment with a like-position and at the same grade at the new location’s AMPO, promising career continuity.
If the PCS move is to a location without a USAFMCOM presence, the employee will be placed on “leave without pay status,” so they keep their employment status within the command. The only stipulation mis that the AMPO employee must currently be rated as “fully successful” in their duties without any pending disciplinary actions.
“When we hire people ‘off the street,’ they often don’t know anything about the military, but the military spouses have an understanding of what our Soldiers face, which increases their value to the AMPO team,” said Susan Gillison, USAFMCOM Military Pay Operations director.
“They don’t have to learn it; they live it. They’ve experienced issues with pay, so they are more conscientious about their work and taking care of our military.” The employment guarantee policy increased the number of technicians available to support military pay, which allows them to resolve any issues and get Soldiers back to the mission faster than ever.
“When the AMPOs came back to the Army from DFAS in 2020, the number of military spouses was relatively low with maybe 40 employees,” recalled Gillison. “Now, we have 144 spouses in the program. With them, we know we will lose [fewer] people. We have loyalty to them, and likewise they [are loyal] to us.”
On top of their increased institutional knowledge and commitment, the program is also increasing military pay expertise. As the Army moves its Soldiers through various jobs to improve their experience and understanding, their AMPO employee spouses receive the same benefit.
“With the old way, the Soldier would move five times, and the spouse would have as many jobs—at the Exchange, the child development center, the AMPO and so forth,” Gennaro Penn, retired Army Finance Corps regimental sergeant major and AMPO branch manager stated.
“Now, they develop their skills, staying in our AMPO network, and we can use those skills for 20 years or more.”
While increased readiness and employee satisfaction are huge measures of success for military organizations, perhaps the biggest impact of the policy is the support it provides to military families, which Army Secretary Christine Wormuth described as “the force behind the force.”
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