Coast Guard Case Study

Words: 1475
Pages: 6

1. The Coast Guard hires civilian employees to maintain consistency in Command Centers due to Active Duty members transferring every year; however the civilians are not in a high enough position to keep policy from changing. The work ethic, work/rest requirements, and management styles between civilians and Active Duty members vary greatly in Operations Centers leading to significant leadership challenges for Senior Leaders. Senior Leaders are forced to employ two different management and leadership styles between the groups even though both groups do the same job. The Coast Guard should establish civilians in senior positions to maintain consistency in Command Centers.

2. The Coast Guard hires approximately 7000 civilian employees with specialty skills to support the Active Duty members. Of the 7000 civilians, over 340 work in Command Centers and Vessel Traffic Centers standing watch alongside the Active Duty members of the Operations Specialist rate. The two groups stand watch together and rely on each other for reliefs at the end of what is usually a 12 hour watch. While civilian and Active Duty members in the Coast Guard do routinely
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Active Duty and civilian watch standers have different policies governing requirements for work hours, sick call, and leave. According to 5 U.S.C. Chapter 61, Hours of Work, civilians must work 40 hours a week or 80 hours in a pay period. They receive 160 hours of liberty and 104 hours of sick leave every year. Active Duty personnel are regulated by the Military Assignments and Authorized Absence Manual, COMDTINST M1000.8A which does not have a set number of work hours, receive 30 days of leave a year, and do not receive any hours for sick call. Active Duty Members can be recalled without much notice and do not require extra pay for hours worked. A civilian must be given a 30 day notice to schedule changes; this makes it difficult to make watch schedule changes when unexpected illnesses, emergencies and family events