When Airmen Refuse to Play Ball
Although Airmen don't write their own EPRs, they are expected to keep track of their accomplishments and provide a list of EPR inputs when it's time for EPRs. Once in a while, even after being asked several times, an Airman will not provide any inputs at all. This puts you in a tough spot because, on the other side, you have an NCOIC or First Sergeant who demands good, well-written EPRs on everyone. What are your options in this situation? How do you produce an EPR with no input? Replies will be posted below.
I once had a troop who refused to provide any EPR inputs despite being asked several times. He didn't outright refuse, he just never gave them to me. He always had an excuse. I asked him at least three times and stressed how important it was, especially as it got closer to close-out time. He had just rotated back to the states after being assigned to Korea and was scheduled to get out in 6 months so maybe that's the reason for his lack of motivation and refusal to cooperate.
Anyway, so here I am, faced with a deadline -and I cannot be late -and no content. Although I would have liked to have given him a two and a blank EPR, the policy in the squadron was that anybody who hadn't been in trouble (anyone without documented trouble) was an automatic FIVE. So, what I wound up doing for this inconsiderate jerk was making up an entire EPR with other people's accomplishments. They were the type of accomplishments that were team efforts and that were already being shared in multiple EPRs even though he had no part in most of them. I really hated doing that but the First Sergeant (who QC'd all EPRs) was inflexible.
The only bright spot in this story was when a civilian job recruiter called me a few months later as a reference for this Airman. This jerk had the gall to list me as a reference! I told that lady that I was astonished that he would list me as a reference because he was the most irresponsible troop we'd ever had in our workcenter. I gave her examples of his performance and told her how he used to neglect his responsibilities, sleep on mid shifts, and leave junior Airmen unsupervised. He didn't get the job and I didn't receive any other calls.
The above comment is the best example of a Teflon NCO that I have read in a long time. A supervisors job is to know your subordinates, putting what you know about them into an EPR should not be difficult. The above asked a subordinate to do the supervisors job, and then got angry and vengeful when he didn't. It isn't hard to imagine why his subordinate separated from service with an example of leadership like that. If you want your subordinates to go the extra mile for you, you had better be already going the extra mile for them. They learn from you, if you aren't aware of what they are doing at work, and taking the time to get to know them, how can you possibly expect them to want to do your work as well? I am a Munitions Flight Chief and a MASO, I used to be a First Sergeant, and I am ashamed of the above comment.[131.62.10.25]
yeah yeah we all know the party line. But we're talking about reality not ideals. We, who are actually in the workcenter, ARE aware of what everyone is doing and CAN write an EPR that accurately describes what anyone in it has done. But we might not have enough content. And it would be very nice if an Airman was considerate enough to provide inputs when asked. We may actually be surprised by something we weren't aware of.[131.10.254.60]
I think this might be the same First Sergeant who insisted I give a dirt-bag SrA a five when I had already given him a four (which was more than he deserved). This First Sergeant didn't know either one of us and had never been to our shop. He said people's careers were being "affected"! I asked him, where were you when I got a four last year and I worked my ass off! His excuse was, well, I wasn't here then. What a load of manure. I would have given that guy a THREE.[143.81.103.41]
It is not the First Segeant's fault, they can not make policy, they are only following the Commanders' instructions. [132.3.65.82]
First let me state that I'm an AF Reserve MSgt, and before you AD guys say he doesn't know what he's talking about, I want you to hear me out. I've been writing EPRs for the last 10 years and it was my Capt from AD that taught me how to write EPRs to his standard and he was tough back when he was teaching me and he is still tough now as my current Squadron Commander today. So, my comments are based on the way my Sqdn CO taught me how to write EPRs and keep track of what my Airmen are doing. The NCO in the first comment should have gotten a 3 for not knowing his people. EPRs are not hard to write if people would just read the directions for each individual section. The direction for each section tells you exactly what to consider and write about. The second commenter is correct in that work center personnel are aware of what's going on and who is doing the work. If the NCO in the first comment had such a hard time with the Airman then he should have held a counseling session, but it does not excuse him for not reviewing his duty assignment records and 632a entries in the Airman's training record, to be able to write that EPR. He basically wanted the subordinate to write it for him. I currently teach EPR writing in my squadron to the CO's standard, and the famous line I hear a lot is "I don't have anything to write", so I reply what do you mean, and I get "He/She is a new gain" and hasn't done anything yet. I tell the shop supervisors to assign the Airman as shop safety rep, Squadron Booster Rep, get the Airman CPR/AED certified, ask about community service, ask if he/she donated monies to a charity when paying for groceries at local supermarket, bought Girl Scout cookies, and so on. The EPR program is inflated because our leaders constantly say "Careers are affected", so we get inflated EPRs. I wrote an EPR and gave my TSgt 4s (I actually wanted to give her 3s, but was instructed not to) across the board and she refused to sign and demanded that I change my rating. I refused. She went to the 1Sgt and CO and demanded that they make me change my rating. I had a counseling session with both Co and Shirt and I explained to them why I was not changing the rating. I told the CO and Shirt that I was here to serve the needs of MY country and the Air Force not the personal needs of any individual and that they could remove me as her rater if they wanted to, but they let it go at that. The CO tasked the Shirt with convincing the TSgt to sign the EPR. She refused and then called 4th AF IG on me. When contacted by the IG I presented 3 LOCs on the TSgt in a 12 month period, 1 from our Sq Chief while I was deployed and 2 from me when I returned from deployment. The IG asked, does she have a UIF and I said "No", because the CO did not want to hurt her career. Well, the IG said I did not have to change my rating because of the 3 LOCs and informed the TSgt of this. She was upset and still refused to sign. Long story short, a month after the IG investigation and refusing to sign for the 4th time, she disobeyed a lawful order from our sq Readiness officer and went AWOL. When confronted with she did, she knowingly gave both verbal and written false statements which were used to convince her sign and retire at her present rank or face a court martial and lose rank, money and possible confinement. She was not happy but she signed the EPR and retired. [132.3.1.79]
Wow. The above comment is the best example of a vengeful NCO I have ever read. A supervisor's job is to mentor, guide and groom their subordinates, not murder their careers. I am an active-duty First Sergeant and ashamed of the above conduct. We are here to help and mediate.
I'm a SrA trying to find bullets, I didn't expect all this drama. I was told to write things down that I do such as work bullets, volunteer and Schooling. Then I try and make them into good bullets and submit them to my supervisor. It's really not hard as long as when you do something you take notes. The only difficult thing is the wording, I can't use fancy words but have to make it sound fancy. Get. Me. Out. DD214 please.
For the above comment, I'm a SrA, and have been writing my own bullets since tech school. (super long tech school, had to have an EPR done) the easiest way to write a bullet before changing it so it fits and is the "correct" wording, is to look at it as: 1)what did I do? 2)who did it affect, and 3)what was the impact it had on mission
Wow; I am surprised that a 1st Sergeant would see that MSgt as a vengeful SNCO. I see a SNCO who is holding his NCOs accountable for their actions. We can mentor, guide and groom subordinates but it is kind of like leading a horse to water; you cannot make them drink.
The MSgt did NOT murder his subordinate's career; she did THAT all on her own. It saddens me that (assuming you are not a troll pretending to be a Shirt) we have people in that level of leadership who would see this dirtbag as automatically reflective as bad supervision instead of an adult fully capable of making their own decisions and taking the consequences for those decisions.
Everyone is bashing the first comment. Maybe he's in the same boat I am. I didn't find out this individual was my troop (one of six) until I deployed and I haven't worked directly with this individual in 8 months. Now because he tested well and made rank I'm expected to write a gold plated EPR. He isn't good at his job and has provided me with very little information.
In a large workcenter, with multiple shifts, how is it unreasonable to ask your subordinate to keep track of their own work? It's not like they need to write their own bullets, it can be as simple as a list of what they've done.
Don't try to pretend you're the best supervisor on the planet that knows every single task your troop on another shift has done all year... you probably don't even remember everything YOU'VE done. If your troop isn't sending you information, elevate it. Ask YOUR supervisor to have a word.
The last commenter has the best advice on this topic yet.
How do you write an EPR on someone that doesn't even have a security clearance and cannot do their job, or core tasks?! He's a nice guy and is eager to learn but I've got nothing to go on.
Sounds to me like that supervisor should have written him up several times...sleeping on duty? If he would have documented properly with the units policy it would have been a much easier EPR to write, possibly even a referral.
I'm a first-time-tester 1 year SSgt. I am guilty of being the airman that can't write bullets that well. However, I have always kept track of all of my work. Working a desk job is very fortunate because I open up a text document everyday I work and put everything I do inside it. I also keep track of an excel document every week by combing through the notepads and picking out the best stuff I did and throwing them inside the excel document. Every week is a bullet. I will say that writing bullets that meet leadership standards kinda feels like being pulled around a bit since not all SNCO's have the same standard for how bullets should be written.
I was assigned my first troop after I sewed on Staff. He's a smart SrA and does his job well. I know a lot about him and his personal life and what he wants to do (get out and do nothing as a contractor). He doesn't want awards. He doesn't want anything except to do his job until he separates this year. Leadership keeps volunteering him for all kinds of stuff and sending him TDY, but it makes me think "Why are they sending him?" I know he's good at his job and he's a smart dude, but he doesn't even want to be here. He doesn't volunteer. He doesn't do anything outside of work unless it's mandatory or someone up top tells him to do it. The duty position I'm in right now is what the rest of the squadron says is the "black hole" of the workcenter. So, it's hard to motivate my troop because yeah I know it sucks being here. Oh! He made staff selections this year! But guess what? He getting out. So I've done everything within my power to help the kid out with whatever he needs until his separation date comes. Sorry for the rant. I ended up using my last EPR to write his last cycle EPR (which his turned out to be BANGIN' and so much better than mine. you're welcome). It took me 4 months to write his EPR...with several people's help...including our SNCOs...just because he had given me NOTHING to work off of. I had to scrounge around and ended up using my own EPR bullets, but just doctored up for a SrA.
I wanted to rate him all the way to the right for his job and Followership/Leadership, because the guy is great at it and training others! However, even after I've talked to him many times about volunteering and prof development and how it's important for him to do, he went the entire year with no volunteer and prof development. I felt very discouraged as his supervisor. How could I have let this happen? I gave him sooooo many opportunities to take throughout the year, yet he just didn't do it because he only wants to do his job and nothing else before leaving the AF. The part of the EPR that took the longest was that part. EVERYONE was working on his EPR to make the bullets. But I'm his supervisor. I wanted to rate him as "Met some but not all expectations". And you know what leadership did...the took something that he didn't even do...and made it SUPER fancy...and stuck it on there...rated him as "Exceeded some, but not all expectations". I tried talking to everyone about it. I spoke with leadership about it. But they said "He's a smart good guy and we want to rate him as this." I guess character and people that like you is all you need in the Air Force to get by, huh?
This kid is older than I am, has a girlfriend/wife, way better at his job, leadership LOVES him because of his character and attitude, but...how can I reach this guy? It just seems like he doesn't care. This guy does not talk. Like, at all. To anyone.
I'm an AD MSgt and I'd like to share my bullet standards with everyone. I communicate these standards with all subordinates during feedbacks, and I recommend that my subordinates who are supervisors apply these standards as well. First and foremost is that the rater is responsible for writing the EPR, and that they must understand what their ratees are doing well enough that they *could* write an EPR with no inputs. That said, here's the responsibilities I levy on my folks.
AB-SrA (No ALS): General, plain-language information about what they did during the rating period. I prefer no more than two lines per act, but they should write as much as is needed to get the point across. If they choose to write "bullets", that's great! No matter what, I will be writing their EPR bullets from scratch. The key is that they're involved in their career and ratings, think critically about what they're doing, and learn to do some basic research (going through old emails and such). Follow-up mentoring will discuss how to figure out impacts and basic formatting. Line for "failure": No response/inputs.
SrA (w/ ALS)-SSgt: I expect basic -Action; result--impact bullets. They don't need to conform with a particular writing guide (though I will provide it), nor do they need to be of a particular length. I also expect the member to write about one additional plain-language line per bullet that explains what they did. I should also receive sufficient quantity of bullets to roughly fill half of the form (at a minimum). I will probably write the vast majority of their EPR bullets from scratch; at the very least, the provided bullets will get a complete overhaul. The goal is to get the member used to writing bullets and doing research on work activities and impacts. Follow-up will include use of writing guides, word choice, better research/how to dig deep. "Failure": Only plain-language inputs with no attempt at bullet format, or no input.
TSgt+: "EPR-Ready" bullets. Inputs should be properly formatted (per applicable writing guides) and of proper length with sufficient quantity to fill the form (or very close). As a technical expert who is leading, supervising, and mentoring others, I expect the member to lead by example, think, read, and write critically, and take a personal interest in their career. I will re-work most bullets to give them some more "punch" or fix an odd error or two; "routine" work bullets might get used as-is (emphasis on "might"). Mentoring will involve digging even deeper for impacts, and how word choices influence the tone of the bullet and EPR. "Failure": Not meeting the above criteria.
I mentioned a criteria for "failure"; the consequence of that is that we will have some counseling about the importance of following directions and how that reflects on meeting feedback-documented expectations. If the member provided inputs, but they were't good, we will spend time discussing how the inputs need to be re-worked and what I expect from them. The goal behind all of this is personal professional growth (for the member), and for supervisors to develop the skills needed to properly supervise and rate their own juniors. It also gives me some additional information about how the member performs, and how much they care about their work and career.
Under no circumstances is the member "writing their own evaluation". When I send my subordinates a reminder that EPRs are coming due, I have already begun writing their evaluation. Normally, I receive replies after I have finished my first (complete) draft of their EPR, and their inputs help me strengthen my first draft. I would estimate that I know about 90% of my subordinates work accomplishments, and about 70% of their "extracurriculars". Naturally deployments make all of this tougher, but thankfully electronic communication (including a basic phone call) helps. Additionally, I would like to re-emphasize the important of providing this guidance in feedback. Subordinates should understand what is expected of them now, and what could be expected in the future (in case they would like to take on an extra challenge). Lastly, if you have not received feedback, you must demand it. If you supervisor does not provide it, do not sign anything stating that you received it.
"He had just rotated back to the states after being assigned to Korea" You all need to learn to read. He just got the airman. How is he supposed to know this dudes stuff without asking for it. You are all too old. Get out now.
As an NCO and an AF Reservist I meet with my subordinates once a month and catch up on their life with them. I ask them if they have done any volunteer stuff or personal development. They sit with me for about 30 minutes to an hour and we create a draft bullet together. We then take about 10 minutes to set some professional and personal development goals. If the supervisor has the time to make a 10 minute phone call to ask for the bullets, then he has the 10 minutes to give an example and draft up a bullet as they are talking. Great opportunity to set future expectations.
I have found that writing EPRs and Award Packages and Medals are sometimes overwhelming for some people. Not everyone is blessed with the same skills, but having different skills is what makes us a great team. Furthermore, it is important to share that knowledge with each other. Yes, I could just tell him to google it and not explain how I got from point A to point B and just draft up an EPR and send it out, but I'd rather teach a man to fish than just catch all the fish for him. I was NEVER taught how to write an EPR, award, or medal. I had to spend a lot of time figuring it out. I wish someone had mentored me. To this day, I still have a great relationship with my past subordinates even though we have moved on to different bases and it's all due to taking the time to teach them my expectations. After a few bullet writing sessions they would come to me with bullets already drafted and then we would finalize the bullets together. It's important to set a base line and then continue to raise the bar so they can effectively grow. And yes, I've had some troops that did not want to contribute to the Air Force as much as I think they should have so I've had to deal with that on a case by case basis. Maybe I'm just really blessed, but I have found that 9 times out of 10 they just need a little guidance to see how to write bullets.
For people who get deployed and don't get a chance to meet their troops, I feel like the next supervisor should have stepped in to assist. If that is not possible then, I have sent an example of what info I needed from my troop and have always gotten the information I needed. I can't say those EPRs were my best work, but I can say that we gave 100%. Again, I sent my troop an example of what I needed and clear instructions. Communicating expectations saves a lot of heartache.
I am a SrA, with no ALS experience, and after reading all of these comments, I am relieved to know that there are still smart and reasonable people in the Air Force, I am just unlucky and got some really bad leadership. The AD MSgt comment is really eye opening, I would say his standard based on rank is realistic. Now for my story.
So my supervisor asked me to do an EPR draft for him. Initially, he just told me "hey, I want you to do an EPR draft for me." That was his order, no directions, no guidance, and he told me that if I don't know how to do it, I can ask other NCOs on my flight or him for help. This is the first problem I have with him. As my supervisor, it is his job to take some time out of his day, meet me face to face, and mentor me as a SrA who hasn't been through ALS and doesn't know jack squat on how to fill out a AF910, What he did is basically throw me into the water, sink or swim, and expect me to do most of the work for him after I asked for help. Thing is, when I asked an NCO (a TSgt and one level above my supervisor) on my flight for help, he just said "yea, I saw your EPR draft, you can do better", so much for asking for help.
It was some random NCO that works in a sister sq in my work center that helped me with the EPR draft with some hints, he told me that as a SrA who had not gone to ALS, I am only responsible to give my supervisor the bullet as 12-13 short paragraphs in plain language on a word document, no AF910, and if my supervisor are not satisfied and ask for more, I can take it to the next level on the chain. I should not have to do this, really. But just because I can be a SrA who can exceed above and beyond, I'm gonna do the AF910 with plain languages bullets so my supervisor can finally do his job and take all the credits for that golden EPR.
If I were to take to the chain, it should be easy enough when it gets to my flight chief, right? Oh no, I wish it was that easy. My flight chief was in my TDY group when we went to DC with a few other people on my flight, after the trip, she ordered us to write what we did in DC in proper EPR bullet format. I wrote mine in proper language format and she responded saying I did not do what I was told to do and my writing style does not commensurate with my rank. I actually got an LOR for not following a lawful order for this, not kidding. She finally was satisfied when I changed them into AIR format. I could had done more and bring this incident to my Shirt, but since I am a nice guy and lazy to deal with the drama, I let it slip. I also don't know about the AIR format when I was doing this, it was my former recruiter, who just happened to be at my current base, told me about the format.
You know, I should in fact thank my supervisor, for showing me how to not be a supervisor. When the time comes for me to be a SSgt, I will actually sit down with my troop(s) and give them pointers for the EPR, and if I can't have face time with them, I will send them emails with the basic 101 of how to write an EPR. I will also communicate my expectations clearly to them in one on one meetings, or emails, and will definitely use that AD MSgt's standard as a guide to make sure my subordinates are not doing extra unneeded torture work.
For those of you guys that are harassing the NCO for not knowing his Amn: he mentioned that the Amn had just come back from an assignment to Korea. How has he supposed to know his Amn? He was "getting back" at his Amn by denying him a good reference for a civilian job then proceeded to mention all the lazy stuff this guy did between getting there from Korea to getting out of the AF. There's no reason to jump on the NCO because that Amn was already lazy before he got to the NCO's shop and continued to be lazy until he left the AF. Why are you people defending the lazy Amn instead of learning from an NCO that tried to help his Amn out by asking him 3 times for something and still getting nothing in return?
I just spent more time reading these comments than I plan on spending writing the EPR!!
NCO's sometimes ask for input for the EPRs to also see what the troop feels like they would want in them. While it is the NCOs job to make an EPR it is the person in questions job to care or the NCO can give them whatever they want. IE: he swept the floor really well... ect. Not having or caring to have a say in your performance reports that will affect your future is your own responsibility, Not your supervisors. Supervisors sometimes care to give you the work you may deserve but they may have 3+ EPRs due at the same time. If you don't supply any detailed info they will give a general comment that wont be looked at highly when you go for: special duties, cross training, ect. So Amn need to make an investment in their own career.
I do supply my supervisors a draft EPR for my reporting period, and yes I usually work with them to improve it. I also know what my troops do mostly and have enough to complete an EPR on them but there are details I will possibly miss if I did it that way. This is due to 5 troops, TDY's,and Deployments. I cant see everything, so I hope that the Amn care to take a vested interest in their own lives.
I am going to repeat a comment from above:
"1)what did I do? 2)who did it affect, and 3)what was the impact it had on mission"
There is no reason you cannot expect a subordinate to produce a set of these bullets on a regular basis. They don't have to be polished or perfect. Hell, they don't have to be in English (as long as you can read them). Just keep a record of what you have been doing for the past year.
For someone to fail to produce this Periodic Report for someone to fail to produce any other type of report. You wouldn't ignore the commander when asked about the results of an op. Why are you ignoring your supervisor when asked about the results of the last month. Now, it's up to the rater to make gold out of that content. Polish those bullets after you verify them. Add metrics from ops or training or whatever.
So, what do you do when your troop doesn't play ball? You follow the discipline procedures for failing to perform an assigned task. You just do your job and let the chips fall where they may.
On another note: asking someone for a Periodic Report (notice the capitalized letters there?) is a standard practice out in the real world. Many times your rater may not be your work supervisor. How else will they know what you are doing if you don't tell them? Also, many companies need a record of what is going on, this often time includes personal, professional, notes.
SO... this is a life skill. You are not hurting anyone by making them consistently produce a log or report. You are helping them grow.
When people say "track what you did" to make bullets, what exactly should I be tracking? I mean, obviously if I volunteered for the Booster Club, animal shelter, took classes, etc... and any information I can find like number of people/money/etc involved... but what about work related things, what should I track with that if anything?
This is something I have always been confused on and didn't really know who to ask, or how to word it. I've been kind of guessing and winging it.
For the young guys E4 and below. Just keep a daily running journal of what you did. Even if it was take out the trash and sweep the floor. This repetition gets you in the habit of tracking your stuff. When bullet time comes up, and your rater asks you if you have anything, imagine the look of delight when you provide that sweet sweet list of pre-sifted bullets. I hear a lot of the new NCO style on here. I think they are getting it twisted though. Yes.. you should know your troop and have your own running log of bullets, but... you are not doing your troop any favors by letting them off the hook with no responsibility to keep bullets. If they do it as A1C, then they will do it as SSgt and TSgt, which will just make their job easier in the long run. I make my troops submit three bullets to me by COB every Friday. I critique their bullets and send them back. I have a running log... they have a running log... everyone is happy, and EPR's are not a big deal in my shop.
So here is what I do for my troops. Since I have mostly A1Cs and Amn, it is much easier to manage because I don't need to write an EPR for them until they become a SrA. That being said I have them at an absolute minimum send me at least one bullet a month if not every couple weeks. That way by the time EPR season comes around I already have strong bullets from these guys and can get EPRs done quicker that way. It's something I was taught and it has helped me in my career.
I dont see how the NCO was vengeful towards the Amn when he got out. The Amn used him as a reference and when asked by a job recruiter, he gave him his honest opinion which seems to be backed up by facts. What if that Amn was trying out for a job in the medical field? Would you want a lazy, unmotivated person taking care of your medical needs? Also, he wasnt asking the Amn to write his own EPR, he just needed info. I think you can offer suggestions on bullet ideas to your troops since we all work in a specific career field. Do you fix planes? Send me information on what you fixed. However I call bullcrap on any supervisor that says they should know their troop and what he's accomplished at work 24/7. I run multiple programs and lead my own shift of people. I don't have time to babysit troops and I fully expect bullets and the details needed to complete an EPR from them. Doesn't have to be perfect but information is what I need.
Half of these comments are ridiculous and obviously varying based on career fields. As a maintainer I have between 5 and 10 troops at any given time. At our high tempo base, I've deployed 4 times in the last 4 years along with back-to-back TDYs. Between myself and my troops being in and out of the shop, face time varies or is slim. I've gone 8 months or more without seeing a troop face to face. Due to this, we lay out guidelines for our troops to track their accomplishments throughout the year and provide information during EPR season so my peers and I can work with as much information as possible to put together the best EPRs we can for our troops in EPR season. And yes, I do care about my troops and will do everything in my power to set them up for success although, at the end of the day, you cannot know absolutely everything 5 to 10 troops have accomplished during a year with as little face time as we get during the year.
Without writing their EPR, a troop should be able to provide info on what they accomplished over the last year especially if they're NCOs. I've heard the saying many times, it's your career and no one's going to look out for it more than you. The more time and effort you put into your personal EPR to reflect your capabilities and accomplishments, the more it not only shows that you care about what you have accomplished but solidifies what you want on your report versus what a supervisor thinks you may or may not have done throughout the year. In my opinion, you get out what you put in. If you don't care about your own career, it's going to be hard for anyone else to. Overall, if you're in this for more than 4 to 6 you should be taking your career into your own hands by putting some effort into the report that's going to affect your career to enable your supervisor to give you the best report they can without grasping at straws.
Woooooooow. A good chunk of these, I only read half way because I don't have time for all of it, sounds like none of these individuals have jobs that Keep them away from their troops. I work on different shifts than 3 of my 5 troops because I'm flightline MX. I'm also a flyer (FCC) as is one of my other troops. So I might see One of my troops every couple of weeks for a day or two and you say I'm a bad NCO because I don't know what they are doing or being trained on? I didn't ask for that many troops and there's plenty of other SSgts that only have one or none. Thinking back, I have seen one of my troops Zero days since his last EPR. Luckily he is also a FCC and I can easily find out what cargo he's moved and what mx he's done.
When I did my ACA with each of them I told them I expect them to write 3 sentences about what they do a month. Basically a bullet each. Partially to help them know their impact but also to help me get them a good rating.
EPR's are stupid. EPR's are lies. If the public only knew how many hours of their tax dollar are going to worthless time spent writing bullshit bullets making a hero out of every ordinary person that enlists, they'd flip their lid. The EPR system is GARBAGE. It's more outdated than shining boots and needs to disappear just the same. And it's all lies. People just make up things they did or enter a bunch of canned bullets found online. The irony of dishonest EPR's is that they do nothing to embody "Integrity first" There is no integrity in EPR's and never has been. No one is saving the Airforce and everyone is expendable. The real purpose of EPR's is for cronies to promote their buddies and to discriminate against people they don't like. Stop lying to yourselves. You know EPR's are TRASH, and only trashy people believe they do something good for the Air Force.
You guys need to get Commanders will some fortitude. My CC said plain out, if you have an average subordinate, do not do them the disservice of feeding them rainbow evaluations. The rankings are there for a reason. If you have a troop who is average with 2-3 lines of content, don't paint them as a star player. Later down the road they will be expected to perform at a level they were never at. You can give them all the opportunities in the world but some troops are just lazy and don't care how they are rated. Rate them accordingly. If a superior is forcing a false eval, be an NCO and respectfully disagree.
As a SrA, I've been writing my own EPRs since Tech School as well. In fact, my supervisor did not know they needed to do one on me, so I was fubbled between a 1st LT and TSgt on who was going to do my EPR. I was new. All my bullet points had to do with completing NREMT, BLS, clinical practice, etc.. I thought that would have been enough, but nope. So I dug into my civilian side (reservist). Funny thing is, many of our "leaders" deprive Airmen the opportunities for bullet points, flat-lining their career. I have fought for opportunities just to do my job / AFSC, to become qualified, or at least be awarded the opportunity to function within my AFSC. A contract goes both ways, and so far, I am not impressed with the reserve side of fulfillment.
RE:"The above asked a subordinate to do the supervisors job, and then got angry and vengeful when he didn't."
No, he expected his troop to provide input of the activities he'd completed throughout the year. If a troop 'wants' to write their own bullets, for practice or to make the job of the supervisor easier, that's great. But this is a guy "who refused to provide any EPR inputs". That is unacceptable on the troops part. Could the supervisor have done a better job? Probably. Have a sit-down with your troop and discuss things. Ask questions. "What do you do during your off-duty time?" "Walk me through a typical week?" "Oh, you help out at the church running youth events? Let's write that down". But, the troop should know what they do throughout the year and should be expected to help with that.
Lastly, he wasn't vengeful. He told a new employer exactly what type of worker the troop had been. I believe in fresh starts, but if you're using me as a reference, I will tell the employer precisely what to expect, good or bad. Don't do a crappy job then expect me to rave about you.
I like to consider Airmen and NCOs masters of their own destinies. I will put as much effort and love into an EPR as the member does. Whether the end rating is a "meets" or "exceeds" in the markings, we know that the writing is what counts.
These comments are very interesting and I would love to share my side of the story regarding writing bullets. I am an A1C and have only been in for under a year. I am at a very high tempo base, adjusted well, and completed my 5 lvl earlier than most. I took a couple of CLEPs and passed and completed my CCAF. I was a PTL and eventually became the alternate UFPM. I do my work and get bullet information from my clients and put them in a very organized excel spreadsheet.
I was requested to provide bullets to my NCOIC since my supervisor was on his mid tour. When I got pulled into his office, he stated "I didn't provide enough bullets to my supervisor". During this talk, I said that I would send him my excel spreadsheet to see the discrepancy between what he can make out of my information and what my supervisor did, because I am pretty sure I provided enough information.
Many "talks" followed this as I was instructed to come up with my own bullets essentially. Overwhelmed and stressed out, I was questioning my own ability and if I was good enough. So I began talking to other sources to verify what is true. I was informed by multiple people that what he is doing is wrong and essentially being lazy.
I eventually got fed up and told him it was not my responsibility and he is being lazy and telling me wrong information. Eventually, after my supervisor got back and several talks, they did back off and mentor me more than pushing that responsibility on me.
The excuse for the mistreatment that was given to me was "they saw potential in me and have higher expectations for me". My counter argument was that I understand I am the only one responsible for my growth and success in my career. However, not knowing and not wanting to learn are two different things. I believe I went above most when it comes to the short amount of time I have been in. I was just not knowledgeable on how to write exactly and instead of guiding me, I was "talked" to.
You've asked your troop multiple times to provide some things they've done and they haven't provided. What do you do now? Research and schedule some time to sit down with your troop. If your troop is an airman then you should have plenty of journal entries from TBA or MyTraining. Use those. If those aren't doing the job then 1) learn how to write better journals or 2) utilize job logs, emails, conversations with people who have worked with them etc. Then you need to actually sit down with the troop at a computer and go through the journals and write bullets with them. It's good practice for them because its a chance for them to see how they're written and its a great time for you to talk with your troop, learn a little more about them, and hopefully establish a better working relationship. And if they're just an a hole, talk to your supervisor.