Canadian Armed Forces Military Personnel Instruction 08/03 – The Canadian Armed Forces Retention Intervention Process

1. Identification

Date of Issue: 2003-07-14

Date of Modification: 2024-12-01

Application: The Retention Intervention Process applies to Military Occupation Codes embedded in the Regular Force component.

Approval Authority: Chief of Military Personnel (CMP)

Enquiries: Administrative Response Centre (ARC)

2. Introduction

2.1 The Retention Intervention Process (RIP) has been developed to comply with two tasks set out in the CMP's CF retention strategy action plan (30000-2-8 (DMEP 4) 23 October 2001). One task is to monitor attrition from a corporate level; the other is to provide support to the Managing Authorities (MA) for the development of MOC-specific retention strategies. In order to accomplish these tasks the Directorate of Military Employment Policy (DMEP) has created the Attrition/Retention Team (A/RT) as an integral part of the Directorate.

Note – MA is Chief of the Land Staff, Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of the Maritime Staff, Provost Marshall, CF Medical Group, CMP (Support MOCs)

3. Attrition

3.1 There are 4 types of attrition:

1. Non voluntary: medical, non renewal of contract;
2. Functional voluntary: poor performer leaving;
3. Unavoidable non-functional voluntary: good member pulled out by outside factors, often personal; and
4. Avoidable non-functional voluntary: member pushed out by internal factors.

3.2 A/RT‘s prime focus will be avoidable voluntary attrition. A/RT will also analyze attrition that occurs during training, but will not monitor or investigate issues directly related to recruiting.

3.3 An Attrition Monitoring System (AMS) has been developed that allows for attrition monitoring of the total strength of the CAF. The AMS is updated monthly and records characteristics including, but not limited to, occupation, years of service, age, gender and release item. The AMS contains data on all releases from fiscal year 1997/98 when PeopleSoft was introduced as the Departmental Human Resource Management System. Data is available from a variety of sources for previous years; however, PeopleSoft data now provides adequate detail to conduct a continuing quantitative analysis of attrition. An annual report will be produced to advise the MA of the patterns and trends of attrition by MOC.

4. Retention

4.1 Retention results from preventing attrition. The solution can be transactional or relational. Transactional methods, i.e., all elements of compensation, buy a member‘s retention. Relational methods, i.e., quality-of-life issues, build a member‘s commitment. Either, or a combination of both, can be the appropriate method for a retention initiative depending on the cause of the attrition.

4.2 The Retention Intervention Process is nine separate but connected activities, and functions as a continuous loop. These activities are listed below and graphically depicted in Annex A.

4.3 The activities are:

1. Information gathering;
2. Analysis;
3. Identification of problem MOCs;
4. MA approval to diagnose the problem MOCs;
5. Conduct the diagnostic and analyze the results;
6. Create a unique interdisciplinary team;
7. Option analysis;
8. Recommendations; and
9. Intervention.

5. Information Gathering

5.1 Directorate Human Resource Information Management (DHRIM) provides attrition information from PeopleSoft by the 10th day of the following month. DHRIM provides two files; one contains data for members who leave, the other contains data for members who enter. The record for each person leaving the CAF contains Service Number, occupation, rank, age, years of service, gender, first official language, terms of service (TOS), release date, and release item. The file on joiners contains only the number of people who were assigned to an occupation during the month. The data is then incorporated into the AMS database that is then analyzed to identify patterns and trends.

6. Analysis

6.1 The data is analyzed on an occupation-by-occupation basis. It is matched against previous months and previous years to identify patterns and trends as they appear. The data is analyzed using two different approaches for both Officers and NCMs. The first approach considers total attrition, i.e., those who release voluntarily, those who complete their Terms of Service, those who are released for medical, disciplinary, or administrative reasons, and those who are not advantageously employable. Occasionally, there is no recorded release reason, but this is rare and has no impact on the totals. This total attrition number is compared to those who enter the occupation as a check to determine if the problem may lie with insufficient numbers entering an occupation rather than too many members leaving. The second approach is focused on voluntary leavers and this number is analyzed by years of service at the time of release. The second approach provides the voluntary attrition percentage, which is the primary focus of the Retention Intervention Process.

6.2 The results of this analysis are distributed to the MAs on an annual basis. This report, produced in June each year, describes the entire previous fiscal year and relates the data to that of the previous four years.

6.3 If a problematic trend is identified before the scheduled report date the MA is notified. Customized analyses are conducted at the request of the MA.

7. Identification

7.1 The first identification of a problem within an MOC will occur as a result of the data analysis. The identified MOCs will be further analyzed through discussions with the MA who may be able to provide an explanation as to why the situation has occurred. An example of this would be a major decrease in Terms of Service offers in a single year to bring an occupation down to Preferred Manning Level (PML). Other HR cells such as the Directorate Strategic Human Resource (D Strat HR), and Directorate of Human Resource Research and Evaluation (DHRRE) are consulted as necessary to provide specific support, such as forecasting or literature reviews of societal pull factors.

Note – Societal pull factors are outside influences that draw people out of the CAF and into the civilian workforce. An example would be a sudden upsurge in the economy demanding a ready pool of skilled and experienced employees. Recruiting drives in the airline industry, police forces, and the "High Tech" industry all pulled members out of the CAF in the 1990s.

7.2 After an MOC has been identified as a possible target for a diagnosis, then the diagnostic tool must be identified. Diagnostic tools currently available include surveys and focus groups, with the preferred method being the survey.

8. Approval to diagnose

8.1 Two separate authorities must approve any proposed diagnosis, the appropriate MA and DHRRE. The MA is responsible for the members to be diagnosed and must decide on the seriousness of the problem. There may be reasons not readily apparent to DMEP why an MA would not want a group surveyed. DHRRE has the mandate to coordinate all surveys administered in the CAF. The active support of the MA and DHRRE will help ensure ease of administration of the diagnostic. In the event that there are too many problematic occupations to survey the MA will have the final say in determining the priority of MOCs to be diagnosed.

9. Diagnostic

9.1 The diagnostic will be managed by DMEP. The MA and DHRRE will provide support as necessary. Contractors may also be used, and the funding requirements will be discussed with the MA prior to retaining a contractor. A/RT will analyze, or in the case of a contractor, supervise the analysis of the data. D Strat HR may be asked to provide supporting data such as forecasting or compilations of external data. A protocol for the diagnostic is available on request.

9.2 A/RT will analyze the results of the diagnosis and identify the potential cause or causes of the problem based on the research results and ensure that it is avoidable voluntary attrition, i.e., a problem whose resolution is reasonably possible. A preliminary list of interventions will then be constructed within A/RT in consultation with the MA.

10. Unique Interdisciplinary Team

10.1 A unique interdisciplinary team will be formed to deal with each diagnostic that requires intervention. A/RT will co-ordinate the team and act as the secretariat. The MA will chair the team. The team will be selected for their subject matter expertise that would be relevant to the intervention. The list of options for intervention will then be created. Detailed Terms of Reference for the unique interdisciplinary team are attached as Annex B.

11. Option Analysis

11.1 All options will be analyzed by the team and a recommended intervention chosen.

12. Recommendation and Intervention

12.1 DMEP and the responsible MA will recommend the intervention to CMP. Any other authority that may have a stake in the intervention will also be invited to attend the presentation. CMP will ensure that the intervention meets all legal, financial and administrative requirements.

13. Monitoring

13.1 Monitoring, or evaluation, of the success of the intervention will be incorporated in the on-going information gathering process.

14. References

Acts, Regulations, Central Agency Policies and Associated DAOD

• N/A

Other References

• CF Retention Strategy ADM (HR-Mil) Group Action Plan (30000-2-8 (DMEP 4) 23 October 2001).
• DMEP A/RT Report 2002-001 Quantitative Analysis of Regular Force Attrition From the Canadian Forces, 1997/98 Through 2001/02 (John G. Currie, 6 November, 2002). 

15. Annexes

1. Annex A – Retention Intervention Process
   Note – The diagram at Annex A is described stage by stage in the CAFMPI, sections five (5) through to twelve (12).
2. Annex B – Terms of Reference - Attrition/Retention Interdisciplinary Team