Recruitment and Retention Trends in the Ontario Primary Reserve

Home , Canadian Armed Forces, Canadian Army, Primary Reserve

February 2021 Volume 7, Issue 1

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION TRENDS IN THE ONTARIO PRIMARY RESERVE

Bibora Imre-Millei CIDP Gender Lab

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has recently women. Twenty-five participants identified their experienced difficulties in maintaining its desired ethnicity as Caucasian. Insight into National Recruitment and Retention numbers of personnel and has sought to remedy this Patterns with a renewed 1 emphasis on recruitment and retention. Adjacent to this focus, the CAF is also attempting to reach the goal of 25% women in the CAF 2 Based on our interviews, a successful strategy Canadian Military Journalby 2026. The reserves have also been a highly involved making recruitment a priority at the unit. debated topic of late, with various articles in the Mentioning recruitment at parade night and at training claiming the reserves need a 3 events and encouraging reservists to carry recruiting stronger focus on recruitment and retention; that the cards were key factors. Asking reservists to be present reserves are not ready for the next conflict Canada will 4 5 at recruiting events is also important, as it makes local face; a rebuttal to the previous assertion;6 and an units seem more accessible. Social media engagement article in defence of reserve armouries. These trends by recruiting teams across multiple platforms also prompted the CIDP’s Gender Lab team to conduct a helped to attract recruits. study on the members of the Canadian primary The effectiveness of this strategy rests partially on the reserve in Ontario in order to elucidate member population density of Ontario as a whole, and the attitudes towards recruitment and retention. The exposure of the general population, particularly results of our study have broader implications for the university and college students, to the military. The CAF’s practices surrounding recruitment and part-time nature of the reserves, as well as recently retention. implemented programs such as full-time summer Our study, funded by a Mobilizing Insights in Defence employment, and a stipend which goes toward higher and Security (MINDS) Targeted Engagement Grant education, appeal especially to the student (TEG), aimed to gather qualitative data on perceptions demographic. Overall, five key trends from the study and beliefs regarding recruitment and retention are instructive and nationally relevant. Success was seen when an environment was trends in the CAF. Members at various levels within the created which encourages others to join reserves were part of our study including those . This involved with command and recruitment as well as environment is most successful when created at two newly recruited and trade qualified members. The levels. First, the command team’s (the commanding original plan of conducting focus groups was disrupted officer and the senior non-commissioned member of by COVID19, and interviews were conducted primarily the unit) commitment to involving all members over the phone. Twenty-nine reservists were directly in recruitment helps create a culture of interviewed in early 2020: twenty-four men and five attracting talent. Second, when camaraderie was high

Recruitment and Retention Trends in the Ontario Primary Reserve February 2021 Volume 7, Issue 1

Junior members were more satisfied with their experiences and there were activities to participate in, reservists actually wanted to talk about being a part of the . From our interviews, it seemed that reserves because they enjoyed their work. Fostering junior members were satisfied with their initial an environment that is positive went a long way training and excited for their future. However, as they towards encouraging recruitment. Creating a progressed through the ranks, individuals began to permissive environment for recruitment also included find problems with the lack of training for corporals not discouraging those who wanted to be in the and lieutenants who constitute the junior-most reserves temporarily, or were using the reserves for a leaders among both the non-commissioned and particular purpose, such as a stepping stone to the commissioned officers. A lack of quality equipment to regular force, or as a part time job during university or train with was also noted. Corporals and lieutenants in college. In short, reservists join for many reasons, and particular felt undertrained and underqualified to gaining units need to be more inclusive of them.Problems persist in the recruiting process train incoming recruits. This is an issue for retention, as new recruits may receive lower quality training, and . Despite corporals and lieutenants may themselves feel the changes to the recruiting process, which have undervalued. Retention strategies were not well defined made it more accessible, the participants in our study reported that problems persisted. Recruits often still . felt that they had to follow up themselves to keep the Training was often cited as a key strategy for retention recruitment process going, and experienced by participants. The logic here is that providing difficulties navigating the recruitment system or members of the unit with training opportunities will getting accurate information. Overall, it seemed that keep them engaged and motivated to stay in the the recruiting timeline was slightly sped up under the reserves. 8 While training is an effective recruitment new system.The public has a bad perception about the CAF’s strategy, there is little guidance on how to leverage treatment of underrepresented groups this as a retention strategy. Building on the previous point, corporals and lieutenants feel unsatisfied with . The parti- available training opportunities and this cipants in our study claimed that they felt like the dissatisfaction is poised to negatively impact public thought the CAF was not a good place for retention. Developing tailored retention strategies will women or racialized groups. Participants felt that their be especially important as COVID-19 impacts the own environment in the reserves was a welcoming and recruitmentPreliminary Recommendationsand individual training at thecycle Unit. Level safe place. A lack of confidence in the CAF’s treatment of underrepresented groups is confirmed in opinion polls from the Canadian public, and the CAF is Some of these trends can be implemented as currently trying to challenge this through 7 diverse sug gestionsTarget a for primary reserve units across Canada. diverse set of demographics which portrayals in their ads and other programs. However, relate to long-term goals it should be noted that discrimination and violence 1. against underrepresented groups does exist in the . Both our participants CAF, and this can be difficult to measure when our and supplementary documents identified students sample was mostly white men. Many of our as the primary demographic for recruitment. While respondents found it hard to talk about issues that this is a prudent move to increase recruitment might affect underrepresented populations and did numbers, this population is less stable as they are not know how to make their own places of work more likely to move away from the area or look for a job welcoming. As recent headlines suggest, this problem outside the military in the field of their degree. This continues. Moreover, it not only poses a risk to trust in talent pool, while important, cannot constitute the the organization, but it also poses a major risk to only source of growth. Other students are also attracting and retaining talent. attaining professional degrees for specific

Recruitment and Retention Trends in the Ontario Primary Reserve February 2021 Volume 7, Issue 1

qualifications while at the reserves. Each city is in the reserves. As mentioned, participants also different, but some key demographics to target struggled to name strategies for a more overall could include for example part-time inclusive unit. Equity, diversity, and inclusion workers who would be attracted by CAF benefits as well as sexual violence prevention needs to and options for career advancement. Part-time be part of the culture. Incorporating accurate workers are perhaps more likely to stay long-term and relevant statistics, as well as clearly Focus on building a culture that members want than students. defined procedures and values in training is to be a part of and want to promote key to fostering an inclusive culture. The 2. Training for both skills and camaraderie realities of what the CAF looks like must be . addressed. For example, a woman is very a. . The unlikely to walk into a room full of women most commonly discussed positive experience when joining the military, but this does not reported by participants was training. It seems mean she cannot be made to feel welcome. that training not only allows for the career Culture change needs to be taken seriously and advancement which members strive for, but should be explained as a positive policy shift Addressing and preventing sexual misconduct. also builds the community and camaraderie of rather than a “softening” of the CAF. a unit, encouraging members to stay. Ensuring c. training experiences remain positive and build We found that most participants were skills and camaraderie will be key to both unfamiliar with and surprised by the reality of recruitment and retention efforts: the current sexual misconduct in the reserves. The CAF members will want to stay and will encourage should work on presentations that can be those around them to join due to their positive tailored to the unit in question and create a experiences. Units should ensure junior model which allows outsiders to the unit to leaders are adequately trained and feel valued present the information. Senior members and ready to take on responsibilities. The presenting the information might ring hollow issues that keep units from functioning when sexual misconduct in the reserves is cohesively should also be addressed, such as often perpetrated by a senior member against 9 equipment issues and frustrations with a more junior member. A culture of command (such as how instructions are transparency, with clear standards and communicated and duties are assigned). procedures should be promoted: our Feedback from the junior non-commissioned participants did not know how to report sexual and commissioned officer ranks are important, misconduct at their own unit. Clear processes as these individuals clearly have opinions and A culture which fosters diversity need to be established and explained for ideas for a better CAF. reporting and accessing resources in cases of Directions for Future Academic Work b. . Operation sexual misconduct. Honour training and material related to diversity in the CAF was only delivered to our participants at initial training and on days such In future academic work it will be especially important as International Women’s Day. Participants to look beyond units with the advantages of those in expressed the perception that there was too Ontario to examine the challenges that more isolated much training on diversity, but at the same units with fewer resources face. We found that training time did not know how to report sexual was an essential aspect of both recruitment and misconduct or even basic facts about sexual retention in the reserves, but this may not be the case misconduct, or equity, diversity and inclusion for the regular force where career trajectories and

Recruitment and Retention Trends in the Ontario Primary Reserve February 2021 Volume 7, Issue 1

culture are different. We suggest that comparative training and recruitment schedules will be crucial work on the reserves and the regular force would be research going forward. Finally, we had a low sample useful in parsing these differences. Relatedly, our of women and people of colour, and we could not research was conducted as COVID-19 began to affect examine the dynamics of being 2SLGBTQIA+ in a Canadians and affect our participants’ lives. How this reserve unit; we look forward to academic studies pandemic affects the culture in the CAF due to delayed which can better fill thEditor of the CIDP Policy Briefese Series: Thomas Hughesgaps.

ENDNOTES 1 Office of the Auditor General of Canada. (2016). Report 5— 5 Howard G. Coombs, “Letter to the Editor.” Canadian Military Canadian Armed Forces Recruitment and Retention—National Journal 20 no. 3 (2020): 4-5. Defence; Office of the Auditor General of Canada. (2016). Report 6 Doran, Dan A. “Sacrificing Culture in the Name of Strategy: Why 5—Canadian Army Reserve—National Defence; Department of Militia Armouries Matter.” Canadian Military Journal 20 no. 4 National Defence (2017). Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada’s (2020): 66-70. Defence Policy. 7 Earnscliffe Strategy Group. (2018). Views of the Canadian Armed 2 Fuhr, S. (2019). IMPROVING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN Forces 2018 Tracking Study.” Prepared for National Defence; Fuhr, THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES. Report of the Standing S. (2019); The Director General Military Personnel Research. (2019). Committee on National Defence; Strong, Secure, Engaged. (2017). Canadian Armed Forces Prospect Survey. Defence Research and 3 MacKenzie, Rob Roy and Howard G. Coombs. “Canadian Armed Development Canada. Forces: A New Vision for the Reserves.” Canadian Military Journal 8 Office of the Auditor General of Canada, “Report 5—Canadian 20 no. 3 (2020): 6-15. Army Reserve—National Defence” (2016). https://www.oag- 4 Riedel, Wolfgang W. “The Canadian Army Needs a Paradigm bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_201602_05_e_41249.html. Shift.” Canadian Military Journal 20 no. 2 (2020): 19-34 9 Burczycka, M. (2019). Sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserve, 2018. Statistics Canada, Summary Report.