FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii (March 6, 2019) The Pacific Ocean Division (POD) is now a World Class Workplace award recipient.
POD received the designation, the highest of its kind, during a ceremony at its headquarters last Wednesday, issued through the Partnership for Public Service’s annual ranking, published in December.
A federal survey conducted with POD staff, showed 89 percent of employees would recommending their organization to others as a good place to work. Results also show current and prospective employees insight on leadership, pay, innovation, work-life balance and as well as other considerations.
Brig. Gen. Thomas Tickner, POD commanding general, says the award is a reflection of its most valuable resource. “We’re a world class workplace because of our people. We work to recruit the best and the brightest, and then invest in our workforce through career broadening assignments and leadership development programs at all levels. I think we’ve also been able to develop a work culture that’s centered on ohana, or family. This means our leaders put their people first, knowing that the mission will follow. So when you take POD’s highly talented, diverse and adaptive workforce, and combine that with leaders who care, you get a winning combination.”
Ardine Marie, POD chief of human resources, says the annual rankings provide invaluable insight into the issues that matter to employees and assist in monitoring the organization’s role as an employer of choice. “I am proud to be a part of this great team; and while these results are certainly something to celebrate, I look forward to working with functional chiefs in the coming months to ensure we respond to any employee concerns,” she said.
POD, a geographically diverse region with locations in Honolulu, Alaska, Korea and Japan, also took home a Best Place to work award at its Japan District office, with an 84 percent employee rating.
Tickner also added that POD’s world class workplace standing only further cements its reputation in providing engineering solutions that extend beyond just the nation’s toughest challenges.
“We have one of the most unique missions in USACE, which I believe attracts a pool of candidates that’s equally exceptional. One of our more strategic goals, beyond our well known military and civil works capabilities, involves partnering with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Department of State to provide our expertise to build partner nation capacity and strengthen our alliances and partners in the region. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has already conducted over 700 activities in 24 countries in the Indo-Pacific since 2007. These activities leverage our core competencies in integrated water resource management, environmental stewardship, engineering and construction, disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in the Pacific. Whether it be building a clinic or a kindergarten in Laos, hosting a flood modeling workshop in Myanmar, or engaging in strategic partnerships with our allies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is here to support our nation's strategy to maintain a free and open rules based Indo-Pacific, where all countries can participate and prosper,” said Tickner.
POD’s higher headquarters, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), ranked as the 3rd overall Army Command and the highest ranked agency subcomponent with more than 20,000 employees. USACE also ranked number 89 out of 415 federal agencies.