The Defence Forces can’t just recruit itself out of a retention crisis because “no amount of water will fill a leaky bucket, a high-ranking officer has said.
Lieutenant Colonel Conor King, who is also general secretary of RACO, the body that represents officers in the Army, Naval Service, and Air Corps, explained that work will need to be done to ensure the organisation is transformed into an employer of choice and said once this happens it will have a positive impact on recruitment.
He said he still thinks joining the military is “undoubtedly an attractive job for many” and said the role has a lot of benefits.
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Over the last two years, the Defence Forces spent almost €1.25 million on recruitment advertising trying to drum up interest among new recruits.
Spending was considerably down last year to a total of €490,739, which was around two-thirds of the just over €750,000 that was spent in 2021.
More than half the money – or €666,000 – went on online campaigns on Instagram, Facebook, with Snapchat and TikTok also proving particularly adept at generating interest from potential recruits.
A further €198,000 was spent on print advertising with another €140,000 spent on radio campaigns, according to figures released under FOI.
According to the military, the various recruitment campaigns they ran led to applications from 17,189 different people throughout 2021 and 2022.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror yesterday, Lt Col King said: “We cannot simply recruit our way out of a retention crisis. No amount of water will fill a leaky bucket.
“If we plug the gaps and stop people leaving by making the organisation an employer of choice, we will see a positive impact on recruitment.
“It is vital that the recommendations of the recent Commission on the Defence Forces are implemented in tandem with the recent IRG recommendations, to ensure an attractive, dignified, and safe working environment.
“These recommendations must be adequately resourced if the Defence Forces is to effectively tackle the retention and recruitment crisis.”
He said while the starting salaries for junior positions within the Defence Forces seem “competitive” on paper, it doesn’t reflect the reality because the organisation does not count or record the working hours of its personnel contrary to the EU’s Working Time Directive.
Lt Col King said many members regularly work more than 50 hours a week.
He explained: “These pay rates are described as competitive, and broadly comparable with the rest of the public sector.
“There is one glaring problem though - the Defence Forces, contrary to EU legislation under the Working Time Directive, does not count or record the working hours of its personnel.
“Therefore, while the above rates appear competitive and attractive as a starting salary, this is only true for a working week that is comparable to the public sector (35-40 hours).
“With personnel in the Defence Forces regularly working well in excess of 50 hour weeks on average … some working far more, the pay rates are not competitive.
“Only when the Defence Organisation begins to record the working time of its people, and provides adequate pay, allowances and paid time off to fairly reflect and remunerate for actual hours worked, can the organisation claim to pay a fair wage.”
Lt Col King added: “The Defence Forces is undoubtedly an attractive job for many.
"It has many benefits and is exciting, adventurous, and hands-on.
“It is not your typical career. You will find a tight-knit community of colleagues with a sense of camaraderie.
“It’s a relatively stable and permanent career, notwithstanding forced early retirement, and is indicative of a sense of national pride … However, drawbacks include the inequitable conditions of service, with the organisation writing a blank cheque with the time of its members and their families.
“There is a lack of workforce planning which leads to uncertainty and unsuitable pension arrangements and contracts for new entrants.”
But added: “The more than 17,000 applicants across 2021 and 2022 show that there is plenty of interest in a career in the Defence Forces.”
When asked what his thoughts were on how much the Defence Forces spent on their recent recruitment campaigns.
Lt Col King said: “Every organisation needs to attract new talent, and the Defence Forces is no different.
“We are in a competitive employment market with a relatively buoyant economy, so I wouldn’t criticise spending on recruitment campaigns at all.
“They can however be undermined by the failure to address glaring retention issues such as working time, allowances, and pension entitlements, as well as the recent well publicised cultural deficiencies.
“Fix these issues quickly, and the recruitment campaigns will be stronger than ever.
“Recent reports in the media following the report of the IRG are bound to have a negative impact on recruitment, but the organisation and government has acted quickly and commenced implementation of recommendations on independent external oversight, reviews of complaint procedures to ensure that they are fit for purpose, and a statutory inquiry into serious current and historical cultural deficiencies, which have tarnished the reputations of all the good people in uniform who continue to serve the State with dignity and honour.
“We commend the Women of Honour and all brave members, serving and retired who came forward with their lived experiences, some of them absolutely harrowing.
“We owe it to them to make the necessary changes to our culture and policies, which if properly addressed, will ensure recruitment campaigns will be successful in the future.
When asked about what he would like to see in the future, he said: “We need to address pensions and contracts and ensure safe staffing levels, which have been worrying low in recent years, with an inevitable impact on mentoring, supervision, wellbeing, and governance.
“I would like to see all of the recommendations of both the IRG and the commission on the Defence Forces fully resourced and implemented, but the representative associations and the men and women we represent must be at the centre of all of these positive changes, if the organisation is to survive, thrive, and strive for the 11,500 personnel that we need to achieve, from the current record low strength of below 8,000.
“The Defence Forces is a proud organisation, worth investing in and can be a great place to work as long as the well-publicised shortcomings are addressed.
“We can’t afford not to, but it will take political will and involvement of all stakeholders, including the representative associations in particular.”
When asked to comment on how much they spent on recruitment costs, a Defence Forces spokesperson said: “Óglaigh na hÉireann offers a diverse range of recruitment opportunities across its three services, from general service recruits and cadets to highly specialised technically proficient soldiers, sailors and aircrew.
“Óglaigh na hÉireann offers a chance for successful applicants to BE MORE with fully funded education and training, with skills not available elsewhere that develop confidence, leadership, and teamwork.”
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