WEBVTT 00:08.699 --> 00:11.489 Hello to the DL A team . I'm Kathy Rem 00:11.500 --> 00:13.500 from the Defense Logistics Agency's 00:13.500 --> 00:15.556 Public Affairs Office . And I'm here 00:15.556 --> 00:17.611 today with Mr Brad Bun , the Defense 00:17.611 --> 00:19.840 Logistics Agency's vice director who's 00:19.850 --> 00:22.100 going to talk about a recent shift in 00:22.110 --> 00:24.379 telework posture , sir . Thanks for 00:24.389 --> 00:28.149 being here today . So we commonly 00:28.159 --> 00:30.430 refer to it as return to work though , 00:30.440 --> 00:33.000 we know everybody's been working hard 00:33.009 --> 00:35.689 every day , even while they were in an 00:35.700 --> 00:38.049 alternate location during the pandemic , 00:38.139 --> 00:40.361 we just adjusted how we did many things 00:40.361 --> 00:42.639 at the beginning of the COVID pandemic . 00:42.680 --> 00:44.919 But now we're looking at going back to 00:44.930 --> 00:48.430 a minimum on site presence of 60% in 00:48.439 --> 00:50.470 the only authorized telework or 00:50.479 --> 00:54.000 compressed day off work days as Monday 00:54.009 --> 00:57.169 and Friday . So why did leadership feel 00:57.180 --> 00:59.750 expanded and regular on site presence 00:59.759 --> 01:02.509 is a priority ? Well , Kathy , thanks 01:02.520 --> 01:04.900 uh thanks for the question . Um because 01:04.910 --> 01:07.077 it's on the minds of a lot of folks in 01:07.077 --> 01:10.680 DL A obviously , uh and nothing spurs 01:10.690 --> 01:12.900 uh conversation and emotion like the 01:12.910 --> 01:15.269 telework question , but I'll start with 01:15.279 --> 01:18.190 just a few caveats here . One , we're 01:18.199 --> 01:20.088 really talking about the telework 01:20.088 --> 01:22.310 eligible population in the agency which 01:22.310 --> 01:24.589 represents about two thirds of our 01:24.599 --> 01:28.010 workforce , we often don't have at the 01:28.019 --> 01:29.963 forefront of our minds that a good 01:29.963 --> 01:32.980 third or more of our workforce are 01:32.989 --> 01:35.045 folks who never went home during the 01:35.045 --> 01:37.267 pandemic . So when we talk about tele , 01:37.267 --> 01:39.489 we're really talking about a portion of 01:39.489 --> 01:41.800 the population who are mostly office 01:41.809 --> 01:44.120 based workers that have that 01:44.129 --> 01:46.480 opportunity and that flexibility to do 01:46.489 --> 01:48.545 some of their work from an alternate 01:48.545 --> 01:50.656 location for the most part from their 01:50.656 --> 01:53.040 homes . And while we were uh we 01:53.050 --> 01:55.540 performed well during the pandemic , in 01:55.550 --> 01:58.160 spite of having that very virtual 01:58.169 --> 02:00.391 workplace , there were some things that 02:00.391 --> 02:02.113 were degrading . We are a high 02:02.113 --> 02:04.225 performing organization , we remain a 02:04.225 --> 02:06.280 high performing organization but the 02:06.280 --> 02:08.800 environment has changed . Uh We've had 02:08.809 --> 02:11.380 constraints when it comes to funding 02:11.389 --> 02:14.240 and , and budget . Uh We've had 02:14.300 --> 02:17.399 significant issues in the supply chains 02:17.410 --> 02:20.039 with the industrial base and really 02:20.050 --> 02:22.330 what's happened in the economy writ 02:22.339 --> 02:24.880 large and how and that has affected our 02:24.889 --> 02:26.830 ability to deliver support to our 02:26.839 --> 02:29.860 customers . And we are in what 02:29.869 --> 02:32.100 Secretary Austin calls a decisive 02:32.110 --> 02:35.720 decade . Now again , while we are high 02:35.729 --> 02:37.949 performing at our basic business and 02:37.960 --> 02:40.169 what we do , there are significant 02:40.179 --> 02:42.389 things that have to be solved in the 02:42.399 --> 02:45.830 logistics world uh for us to , to be 02:45.839 --> 02:48.470 successful in this decisive decade . 02:48.600 --> 02:50.656 And a lot of those challenges aren't 02:50.656 --> 02:53.429 transactional . Uh They are things that 02:53.440 --> 02:56.979 require collaboration . They require 02:56.990 --> 02:59.509 cross functional , cross organizational 02:59.520 --> 03:02.009 teams to come together to solve really 03:02.020 --> 03:05.410 thorny issues and our performance . 03:05.419 --> 03:07.419 While it's good . It's not where it 03:07.419 --> 03:09.529 needs to be in order for us to be 03:09.539 --> 03:11.919 successful in the coming years . And 03:11.929 --> 03:14.320 that again is due to a lot of changes 03:14.330 --> 03:16.399 in the environment and a lot of new 03:16.410 --> 03:18.466 challenges that have emerged just in 03:18.466 --> 03:20.577 the past few years . Uh When you look 03:20.577 --> 03:22.854 at things like the conflict in Ukraine , 03:22.854 --> 03:24.799 what's going on in the Middle East 03:24.799 --> 03:26.688 right now , as well as the pacing 03:26.688 --> 03:29.279 challenge in the Indo Pacific Command . 03:29.550 --> 03:32.520 These are , these are all converging as 03:32.529 --> 03:35.479 significant issues , much of which have 03:35.490 --> 03:38.610 have to do with the logistics support 03:38.619 --> 03:40.619 and sustainment world . So our 03:40.630 --> 03:42.949 performance needs to improve , to be 03:42.960 --> 03:45.759 even better than what we already are . 03:46.179 --> 03:49.539 Uh So the focus on bringing people back 03:49.550 --> 03:51.910 to , it's , it's really not about 03:51.919 --> 03:53.975 bringing people back to the office , 03:53.975 --> 03:55.752 it's about bringing people back 03:55.752 --> 03:57.697 together . Uh Because the way that 03:57.697 --> 03:59.752 we're gonna solve this , uh it's not 03:59.752 --> 04:01.808 through glass , it's not through the 04:01.808 --> 04:03.975 the virtual interactions . We can do a 04:03.975 --> 04:06.030 lot of things that way . But when it 04:06.030 --> 04:07.808 comes to solving a lot of these 04:07.808 --> 04:10.030 challenges , uh we need our people back 04:10.030 --> 04:12.380 together for a period of time . So it's 04:12.389 --> 04:15.570 a 6040 split if you will . And um and 04:15.580 --> 04:18.029 that is , that's derived from what we 04:18.040 --> 04:20.829 think is the right mix of in person , 04:20.839 --> 04:23.190 physical presence , uh and virtual 04:23.200 --> 04:26.119 presence . So , since the pandemic 04:26.309 --> 04:28.369 started and we went to that Max 04:28.380 --> 04:31.730 Telework posture , we've turned over 30 04:31.739 --> 04:33.959 to 40% of our total workforce , 04:33.970 --> 04:36.079 including many of those who have the 04:36.089 --> 04:39.279 telework , you know , capability um in 04:39.290 --> 04:42.470 very key critical occupations . So 04:42.970 --> 04:45.640 that's , you know , uh you know , going 04:45.649 --> 04:48.630 on a half of our workforce have , 04:49.220 --> 04:52.390 have started their career in DL A 04:53.190 --> 04:55.450 in a pandemic , in a COVID pandemic , 04:55.459 --> 04:57.890 mostly Telework environment that 04:57.899 --> 05:00.609 includes our trainees who come in and 05:00.619 --> 05:02.841 have to learn the business whether they 05:02.841 --> 05:05.049 are in the procurement or the tech 05:05.059 --> 05:08.690 quality uh or inventory management or , 05:08.700 --> 05:10.730 or finance or hr any number of 05:10.739 --> 05:12.795 different things that we do that are 05:12.795 --> 05:15.269 critical to our , our success . They've 05:15.279 --> 05:17.519 had to learn for the most part in that 05:17.529 --> 05:20.510 virtual environment . In our view , the 05:20.519 --> 05:22.241 way that we teach particularly 05:22.241 --> 05:24.549 civilians is for the most part on the 05:24.559 --> 05:27.309 job training , they learn by doing and 05:27.320 --> 05:30.470 in order for them to be most effective 05:30.480 --> 05:33.369 and learn in the most expeditious 05:33.380 --> 05:36.220 manner , we think that having on site 05:36.230 --> 05:38.450 presence and being there with others 05:38.459 --> 05:41.029 and having those ad hoc encounters and 05:41.040 --> 05:43.269 that on the job training where they can 05:43.279 --> 05:45.309 interact with their peers , their 05:45.320 --> 05:48.859 trainers , customers in some cases is a 05:48.869 --> 05:51.010 way more effective way for them to 05:51.019 --> 05:53.220 become uh what we'll call a full up 05:53.230 --> 05:55.397 round or a fully functioning member of 05:55.397 --> 05:57.589 the workforce . Those opportunities 05:57.600 --> 06:00.029 just don't exist in the same way if 06:00.040 --> 06:03.440 everyone is dispersed and virtual and 06:03.450 --> 06:06.079 we have got to build the next 06:06.089 --> 06:09.589 generation of workers for this agency . 06:09.980 --> 06:11.758 The other part of the workforce 06:11.758 --> 06:13.869 development has to do with leadership 06:13.869 --> 06:15.702 development . In order for those 06:15.702 --> 06:17.758 supervisors to really learn and grow 06:17.758 --> 06:19.702 and develop as leaders , they need 06:19.702 --> 06:21.813 interaction with their peers and with 06:21.813 --> 06:23.924 their subordinates in order to become 06:23.924 --> 06:26.036 as effective as they can be . So that 06:26.036 --> 06:28.147 leadership piece is a big part of why 06:28.147 --> 06:30.829 we're doing this . And then the final 06:30.839 --> 06:33.170 uh category that I talk about is 06:33.179 --> 06:35.880 culture . Uh So if you've been with DL 06:35.890 --> 06:38.079 A , uh you know , for any amount of 06:38.089 --> 06:40.339 time you've heard about our culture uh 06:40.350 --> 06:42.910 and organizational culture and how we 06:42.920 --> 06:46.130 view culture and , and its importance 06:46.140 --> 06:49.149 in our ability to , to deliver for the 06:49.160 --> 06:51.720 war fighter . Uh And that's because we 06:51.730 --> 06:53.563 believe that there is a definite 06:53.563 --> 06:55.508 correlation between organizational 06:55.508 --> 06:57.786 culture and organizational performance . 06:58.549 --> 07:00.382 But culture is something that is 07:00.382 --> 07:02.739 perishable . Uh It can degrade over 07:02.750 --> 07:06.390 time if it's not uh nurtured 07:06.799 --> 07:10.459 uh and well kept uh over a period of 07:10.470 --> 07:13.769 time . So the culture in this 07:13.779 --> 07:16.690 agency is one of mission performance . 07:16.700 --> 07:19.920 It's one that values uh our 07:19.929 --> 07:23.339 mission and our purpose . Uh It's , 07:23.350 --> 07:25.406 it's a culture of delivering for the 07:25.406 --> 07:27.640 war fighter that is something that is 07:27.649 --> 07:30.859 bred into this workforce . And my 07:30.869 --> 07:33.299 assessment is that , that culture has 07:33.309 --> 07:36.079 degraded somewhat over the past few 07:36.089 --> 07:38.311 years . And that there is a correlation 07:38.311 --> 07:41.130 between the dispersion of our workforce 07:41.140 --> 07:43.980 and the virtual aspect of how we've 07:43.989 --> 07:46.559 been operating and that , that 07:46.570 --> 07:48.737 deterioration in the culture , whether 07:48.737 --> 07:50.792 you're going into your home office , 07:50.792 --> 07:52.348 whether you're going into a 07:52.348 --> 07:54.514 distribution center , the headquarters 07:54.514 --> 07:56.626 building , whatever it might be , you 07:56.626 --> 07:58.848 work for the defense logistics agency . 07:58.848 --> 08:00.848 What motivates me to do that little 08:00.848 --> 08:03.200 extra every day to bring about an 08:03.209 --> 08:05.470 effect for the war fighter . That's the 08:05.480 --> 08:07.799 culture that we want . We've come to 08:07.809 --> 08:10.309 the conclusion that in order for us to 08:10.320 --> 08:12.700 sustain that culture , we need to have 08:12.709 --> 08:16.220 people working together , uh you know , 08:16.369 --> 08:19.940 co located interacting uh in a lot of 08:19.950 --> 08:22.119 different ways . It's also building 08:22.130 --> 08:25.239 that cohesion among work teams among 08:25.250 --> 08:27.839 work units . It's building that loyalty 08:27.850 --> 08:30.190 to our mission and really understanding 08:30.200 --> 08:32.500 our purpose . A lot of our folks , they 08:32.510 --> 08:34.677 work on military installations or they 08:34.677 --> 08:36.899 work in a military environment and what 08:36.900 --> 08:39.739 they see every day is the customer . 08:39.960 --> 08:42.127 And I think there is something to that 08:42.127 --> 08:44.349 when it comes to physical presence in a 08:44.349 --> 08:46.619 workplace , uh that , that helps 08:46.630 --> 08:49.479 sustain that culture that we want . So 08:49.489 --> 08:51.656 those are the three big things that uh 08:51.656 --> 08:53.822 that I talk about when we talk about , 08:53.822 --> 08:55.767 you know , coming back into a more 08:55.767 --> 08:57.989 frequent in present , you know , in pre 08:58.010 --> 09:01.539 po uh posture . Um And why we're making 09:01.549 --> 09:03.890 the shift , that makes a lot of sense 09:03.900 --> 09:06.299 to me just since supervisors have been 09:06.309 --> 09:08.630 coming in more consistently since 09:08.640 --> 09:11.289 supervisors went into this new posture 09:11.299 --> 09:13.355 in November , just the people that I 09:13.355 --> 09:15.577 see in the hallway , even some people I 09:15.577 --> 09:17.743 had never met before in person because 09:17.743 --> 09:19.910 we'd all been working more virtually , 09:19.910 --> 09:23.250 logistics is a complex , you know , 09:23.260 --> 09:25.919 difficult business and it requires 09:25.940 --> 09:28.729 contributions from multiple different 09:28.739 --> 09:30.770 functional areas , whether it's our 09:30.780 --> 09:33.669 inventory and planning experts , along 09:33.679 --> 09:35.735 with our procurement experts , along 09:35.735 --> 09:38.479 with our hr and finance folks , these 09:38.489 --> 09:40.600 are different teams that need to come 09:40.600 --> 09:42.600 together to solve these problems or 09:42.600 --> 09:44.822 come up with a solution . We've got the 09:44.822 --> 09:47.250 technology . So you know , kudos to J 09:47.260 --> 09:50.409 six for enabling with technology , the 09:50.419 --> 09:53.309 ability to stay connected uh when we're 09:53.320 --> 09:55.376 not able to be physically together , 09:55.376 --> 09:57.979 that has been awesome . But there are 09:57.989 --> 10:00.890 all kinds of encounters that you cannot 10:00.900 --> 10:03.330 have through that Microsoft teams or 10:03.340 --> 10:05.570 through the web RT C that happen 10:05.580 --> 10:07.802 naturally when people are together kind 10:07.802 --> 10:10.024 of under the same under one roof . Uh I 10:10.024 --> 10:12.549 mean , how many times have we run into 10:12.559 --> 10:14.615 each other in the hallway ? And we , 10:14.615 --> 10:17.090 you know , we might talk about dogs , 10:17.140 --> 10:19.559 but we might also talk about some issue 10:19.570 --> 10:21.681 that's happening and we get that kind 10:21.681 --> 10:23.681 of thing done that that's not gonna 10:23.681 --> 10:25.792 happen if you and I are separated and 10:25.792 --> 10:27.903 we're in our home offices and because 10:27.903 --> 10:30.070 it won't , you know , it won't trigger 10:30.070 --> 10:32.126 the thought to , to reach out to you 10:32.126 --> 10:34.630 that way those are hard to measure . Um 10:34.640 --> 10:37.549 But immeasurably important , how will 10:37.559 --> 10:40.039 this expanded on site presence help us 10:40.049 --> 10:42.580 provide better support to our customers ? 10:43.109 --> 10:45.710 Well , again , I think it's uh in a lot 10:45.719 --> 10:48.580 of different ways , um It will allow us 10:48.820 --> 10:51.229 to focus a lot of our energy and I know 10:51.239 --> 10:55.159 DL A is um you know , we operate like a 10:55.169 --> 10:57.113 business . So we have a lot of our 10:57.113 --> 10:59.049 functions are about that , that 10:59.059 --> 11:01.219 transactional work that we do . It is 11:01.229 --> 11:04.039 essentially filling customer orders . 11:04.049 --> 11:06.520 It's ensuring that we have what we need 11:06.690 --> 11:08.912 when we need it . And you know , at the 11:08.912 --> 11:10.968 right time , at the right place , at 11:10.968 --> 11:13.330 the right price . But so much more and 11:13.340 --> 11:15.849 beyond that are the things that we have 11:15.859 --> 11:17.679 to solve in order for us to be 11:17.690 --> 11:19.690 successful in the future . When the 11:19.690 --> 11:23.250 Ukraine conflict started year plus ago , 11:23.809 --> 11:26.010 we were beginning to see the 11:26.020 --> 11:28.729 consumption of inventory supporting 11:28.739 --> 11:30.683 weapon systems that we hadn't seen 11:30.683 --> 11:33.090 before because the army was using 11:33.099 --> 11:35.590 things that it hadn't planned to use 11:35.599 --> 11:37.969 and we couldn't just do business as 11:37.979 --> 11:41.150 usual . It required us to come together 11:41.159 --> 11:44.250 with multiple elements of our major 11:44.260 --> 11:46.593 subordinate commands , our headquarters , 11:46.593 --> 11:48.869 our customers and work together to 11:48.880 --> 11:51.047 solve a lot of these things and to get 11:51.047 --> 11:53.210 us on the right path . It is problem 11:53.219 --> 11:55.552 solving . It requires critical thinking , 11:55.552 --> 11:58.609 it requires communication . Uh And 11:58.619 --> 12:00.989 again , trying to do that in a , in a 12:01.000 --> 12:03.167 virtual world is only gonna get you so 12:03.169 --> 12:05.869 far . I think of uh the challenges we 12:05.880 --> 12:08.570 have with technology . We are what I , 12:08.580 --> 12:11.200 what I say , you know what I'll call 12:11.210 --> 12:13.750 recapitalizing our it infrastructure , 12:14.070 --> 12:16.237 uh our enterprise business systems , a 12:16.237 --> 12:18.348 lot of the platforms that we use that 12:18.348 --> 12:20.181 drive our , our , our day to day 12:20.181 --> 12:23.210 business . We're modernizing almost all 12:23.219 --> 12:25.559 of that . Um and we're doing it over a 12:25.570 --> 12:27.890 relatively short period of time that 12:27.900 --> 12:30.960 requires uh our technology community , 12:30.969 --> 12:33.270 our functional community uh to come 12:33.280 --> 12:36.320 together and reimagine how we do our 12:36.330 --> 12:39.710 business using new technology enabling 12:39.719 --> 12:41.608 artificial intelligence , machine 12:41.608 --> 12:43.789 learning , leveraging what what's 12:43.799 --> 12:45.960 possible in data analytics and all of 12:45.969 --> 12:48.489 those things . Again , it's hard to do 12:48.500 --> 12:51.770 that by exchanging that information in 12:51.780 --> 12:55.030 purely a virtual way . Um At the same 12:55.039 --> 12:57.206 time , we're also trying to solve some 12:57.206 --> 12:59.489 really gnarly audit issues . That is a 12:59.500 --> 13:01.789 significant priority for the secretary 13:02.159 --> 13:04.330 solving audit challenges is more than 13:04.340 --> 13:08.150 just rewriting a policy uh or updating 13:08.239 --> 13:11.210 an sop or doing some online training . 13:11.739 --> 13:14.349 It's another another great example of 13:14.359 --> 13:16.880 how you have to bring , you know , in a 13:16.890 --> 13:18.590 multifunctional mul multi 13:18.609 --> 13:21.130 organizational way , a lot of different 13:21.140 --> 13:23.700 folks together to work through these 13:23.710 --> 13:26.043 things and kind of white board them and , 13:26.043 --> 13:28.849 and hash over a lot of difficult and 13:28.859 --> 13:30.830 challenging issues to come up with 13:30.840 --> 13:33.849 solutions , you can do some of that in 13:33.859 --> 13:35.915 a virtual way . But when it comes to 13:35.915 --> 13:37.970 getting after those really difficult 13:37.970 --> 13:40.081 things and doing them on a timeline , 13:40.081 --> 13:42.940 uh that is biased towards speed . That 13:42.950 --> 13:45.369 is uh that's one of the reasons we 13:45.380 --> 13:47.530 wanna bring folks back together . And 13:47.539 --> 13:49.595 frankly , it's one of the reasons uh 13:49.595 --> 13:53.429 we've set the uh set the days . Um 13:53.780 --> 13:55.836 and I know this might be one of your 13:55.836 --> 13:57.891 questions , but I'll jump to it . So 13:57.891 --> 14:00.409 why , why have we chosen Tuesday , 14:00.419 --> 14:02.419 Wednesday , Thursday as kind of the 14:02.419 --> 14:04.363 core days that people are together 14:04.590 --> 14:06.849 based on some analysis . It became 14:06.859 --> 14:09.809 clear that the most popular Telework 14:09.820 --> 14:13.070 days were Mondays and Fridays . So , so 14:13.080 --> 14:15.247 I know there have been questions about 14:15.247 --> 14:18.000 why are we restricting what days can be 14:18.010 --> 14:20.121 used for Telework ? It's really about 14:20.121 --> 14:22.429 bringing people back together at the 14:22.440 --> 14:25.619 same time . Um And we know that most 14:25.630 --> 14:28.030 people , you know , the majority of the 14:28.039 --> 14:29.872 workforce choose Monday and , or 14:29.872 --> 14:32.095 Friday's Telework days . Anyway . So we 14:32.095 --> 14:33.872 thought that would be the least 14:33.872 --> 14:36.095 disruptive to most people's schedules . 14:36.095 --> 14:37.928 But it's also to get people back 14:37.928 --> 14:39.761 together , including people from 14:39.761 --> 14:41.928 different organizations , even if they 14:41.928 --> 14:44.039 don't sit next to each other being in 14:44.039 --> 14:46.206 the same place and kind of having that 14:46.206 --> 14:48.095 common experience of being in the 14:48.095 --> 14:50.317 workplace . At the same time , we think 14:50.317 --> 14:51.872 that is going to spark some 14:51.872 --> 14:54.039 collaboration and mutual learning that 14:54.039 --> 14:56.039 we don't have the opportunity to do 14:56.039 --> 14:58.150 right now under the current posture . 14:58.150 --> 15:00.150 Thanks for tackling that . That was 15:00.150 --> 15:02.261 definitely a question I was gonna ask 15:02.261 --> 15:04.261 because I think that's the question 15:04.261 --> 15:06.261 that I've heard most often from the 15:06.261 --> 15:07.872 workforce and in some of the 15:07.872 --> 15:10.039 organizational town halls , that's the 15:10.039 --> 15:10.030 question the leaders get the most . So , 15:10.039 --> 15:13.679 thank you . Why . Now , what makes this 15:13.690 --> 15:15.912 the the right time to make this shift , 15:16.130 --> 15:18.700 you know , based on agreements and 15:18.710 --> 15:20.821 arrangements we've made with employee 15:20.821 --> 15:23.239 representatives uh as well as our 15:23.250 --> 15:25.989 assessment of what we learned over the 15:26.000 --> 15:29.159 past year . Uh And the pilot officially , 15:29.539 --> 15:31.659 you know , uh , ending at the end of 15:31.669 --> 15:33.669 this calendar year thought it's the 15:33.669 --> 15:35.836 right time to , to bring people back . 15:35.836 --> 15:37.947 Importantly , we announced it to give 15:37.947 --> 15:40.169 people plenty of lead time , you know , 15:40.169 --> 15:42.820 to prepare , uh , to come back to the 15:42.830 --> 15:45.090 workplace more frequently . And again , 15:45.099 --> 15:48.599 it's not going from 0 to 100% . It's 15:48.609 --> 15:51.140 really going from , you know , kind of 15:51.840 --> 15:55.270 more of a bias towards telework to more 15:55.280 --> 15:58.000 of a bias towards in person , you know , 15:58.010 --> 16:00.719 work . But again , with the mission 16:00.729 --> 16:02.785 imperatives and the challenges we're 16:02.785 --> 16:06.000 facing , I think that 2024 is the is 16:06.010 --> 16:09.340 the right time to uh to return to uh a 16:09.349 --> 16:11.849 more physically present posture . 16:13.559 --> 16:16.419 You mentioned uh the shift in in the 16:16.429 --> 16:19.159 pandemic situation , you know , the 16:19.169 --> 16:21.225 government has declared the pandemic 16:21.225 --> 16:23.058 over , but we all have different 16:23.058 --> 16:25.169 comfort levels with our level of risk 16:25.169 --> 16:27.391 that we're willing to take . So what do 16:27.391 --> 16:29.260 you say to people who are still 16:29.270 --> 16:31.381 concerned about COVID and worry about 16:31.381 --> 16:33.326 the health implications of working 16:33.326 --> 16:35.437 closely in the office with others ? I 16:35.437 --> 16:37.619 think it's uh from our perspective . 16:37.630 --> 16:39.741 And this is also in consultation with 16:39.741 --> 16:41.686 our safety and occupational health 16:41.686 --> 16:43.574 professionals . Uh looking at the 16:43.574 --> 16:46.580 guidance from the administration and 16:46.590 --> 16:48.780 those government agencies whose job it 16:48.789 --> 16:51.690 is is to assess the risk . Uh We've 16:51.700 --> 16:55.580 assessed that the the risk is low and , 16:55.590 --> 16:57.368 and people can come back to the 16:57.368 --> 17:01.090 workplace safely . We owe people a safe 17:01.099 --> 17:03.489 place to work . One that's helpful and 17:03.500 --> 17:05.556 if people have those concerns , they 17:05.556 --> 17:07.611 can certainly raise them even simple 17:07.611 --> 17:09.556 things like wearing masks , that's 17:09.556 --> 17:11.722 perfectly fine . Uh We , we don't have 17:11.722 --> 17:13.890 any issue with people choosing to do 17:13.900 --> 17:17.260 that . We will still continue to uh 17:17.270 --> 17:20.489 communicate to the workforce that , hey , 17:20.500 --> 17:22.500 if you're not feeling well , yeah , 17:22.500 --> 17:24.667 whether it's COVID or something else , 17:24.667 --> 17:26.778 that's a , that's a legitimate reason 17:26.778 --> 17:28.889 to stay home , whether you're on sick 17:28.889 --> 17:30.944 leave or even a situational telework 17:30.944 --> 17:32.778 day that can be requested . So I 17:32.778 --> 17:35.000 understand that people might still have 17:35.000 --> 17:37.111 concerns . I think if they voice them 17:37.111 --> 17:39.333 uh up their chain of command , uh we'll 17:39.333 --> 17:41.333 certainly answer all those kinds of 17:41.333 --> 17:43.222 things . We have engaged with our 17:43.222 --> 17:45.333 installation management professionals 17:45.333 --> 17:47.444 who manage our facilities , including 17:47.444 --> 17:49.333 the air handling equipment in our 17:49.333 --> 17:51.459 buildings to ensure that those are in 17:51.469 --> 17:53.479 proper working order and that when 17:53.489 --> 17:55.959 people do return in a , you know , in a 17:55.969 --> 17:58.569 more frequent way in the new year , uh 17:58.579 --> 18:00.660 that we have a safe and healthy work 18:00.670 --> 18:03.449 environment and lucky for us , we still 18:03.459 --> 18:05.420 handle providing the COVID-19 18:05.430 --> 18:07.959 vaccinations . Yes , we do . And uh you 18:07.969 --> 18:10.250 just saw a news report that uh COVID 18:10.260 --> 18:12.500 test kits are kind of back out there as 18:12.510 --> 18:16.150 free issue from the US government . Um 18:16.160 --> 18:19.250 And DL A continues to be a big provider 18:19.260 --> 18:21.482 uh to the health and human services for 18:21.482 --> 18:23.704 lots of things in the , in the world of 18:23.709 --> 18:26.270 uh health and safety . So , thank you , 18:26.280 --> 18:29.310 sir . Do we have enough space for 18:29.319 --> 18:31.430 everybody to be working on site three 18:31.430 --> 18:33.486 days a week . And are our facilities 18:33.486 --> 18:35.541 and support services ready to handle 18:35.541 --> 18:37.819 everyone on site more consistently ? 18:38.160 --> 18:40.327 That's a great question . We started , 18:40.327 --> 18:42.790 you know , well , before we made the 18:42.800 --> 18:44.911 announcement again , working with our 18:44.911 --> 18:46.578 installation management , our 18:46.578 --> 18:48.689 facilities uh professionals , as well 18:48.689 --> 18:50.856 as the host organization where we're a 18:50.856 --> 18:53.078 tenant to assess the space requirements 18:53.078 --> 18:55.244 with more people coming back in a more 18:55.244 --> 18:57.670 frequent way . Uh And , you know , at 18:57.680 --> 18:59.902 the enterprise level , I would say that 18:59.902 --> 19:02.790 uh we're in a good place there . Um I 19:02.800 --> 19:05.109 believe that the agency has sufficient 19:05.119 --> 19:08.030 space to house everyone , but I've also 19:08.040 --> 19:10.849 charged local leaders , the MS CS and 19:10.859 --> 19:13.859 at all those locations to do that uh 19:13.869 --> 19:16.540 assessment and analysis to ensure that , 19:16.800 --> 19:18.967 you know , where we have gaps to close 19:18.967 --> 19:21.410 them quickly , to identify , you know , 19:21.420 --> 19:23.142 whether they need resources or 19:23.142 --> 19:25.364 something else from the headquarters uh 19:25.364 --> 19:27.476 to let us know and that we will , you 19:27.476 --> 19:29.698 know , we'll do what it takes to ensure 19:29.698 --> 19:31.587 that , you know , everybody who's 19:31.587 --> 19:33.531 coming in on a regular basis has a 19:33.531 --> 19:36.020 place to sit um that the networks are 19:36.030 --> 19:38.197 working , that the computers are up to 19:38.197 --> 19:40.252 date , that the phones are working , 19:40.252 --> 19:42.459 that the amenities and other services 19:42.469 --> 19:46.109 that you would expect uh at a at AD L A 19:46.119 --> 19:48.175 location , whether it's , you know , 19:48.175 --> 19:50.175 the child development centers uh at 19:50.175 --> 19:52.750 some of our locations , the , you know , 19:52.760 --> 19:55.099 the access control the gates , you know , 19:55.109 --> 19:57.069 the force protection all of those 19:57.079 --> 19:59.420 things are , are uh working the way 19:59.430 --> 20:01.319 they're designed and at the right 20:01.319 --> 20:05.099 capacity to uh uh for the level of 20:05.109 --> 20:07.165 occupancy we're gonna have under the 20:07.165 --> 20:09.810 New Posture uh cafeterias , food 20:09.819 --> 20:11.875 service , you know , those things as 20:11.875 --> 20:13.930 well . In my view , it's what we owe 20:13.930 --> 20:16.152 the workforce . And if we have issues , 20:16.339 --> 20:18.672 we'll solve them , we'll deal with them . 20:18.672 --> 20:20.783 Uh And that's why we have flexibility 20:20.783 --> 20:23.489 in our policy . Uh If there is a need 20:23.729 --> 20:26.699 uh for whatever reason , uh to 20:27.119 --> 20:29.520 um you know , use situational telework 20:29.530 --> 20:31.752 to solve one of those kinds of issues , 20:31.752 --> 20:34.030 we still have that tool in our toolkit . 20:34.030 --> 20:35.919 Well , I'm glad you mentioned the 20:35.919 --> 20:37.919 situational telework because that's 20:37.919 --> 20:37.780 right where I was going with my next 20:37.790 --> 20:40.439 question as I've listened in on several 20:40.469 --> 20:43.160 organizational town halls , a concern 20:43.170 --> 20:45.114 that I hear over and over from the 20:45.114 --> 20:46.948 workforce is the , the work life 20:46.948 --> 20:49.170 balance issue . And a concern that this 20:49.170 --> 20:51.010 new posture doesn't allow enough 20:51.020 --> 20:54.094 flexibility to individual needs , but 20:54.104 --> 20:56.271 supervisors do have some flexibility , 20:56.271 --> 20:58.437 don't they ? Can you talk about that a 20:58.437 --> 21:00.715 little ? Oh , absolutely . I mean , we , 21:00.715 --> 21:02.771 we , we have put some structure into 21:02.771 --> 21:04.493 the future posture in terms of 21:04.493 --> 21:06.715 predictability on the days for Telework 21:06.715 --> 21:09.094 and those those days that uh people are 21:09.104 --> 21:11.785 expected to be present . Um But our 21:11.795 --> 21:14.604 policy has always had flexibility for 21:14.614 --> 21:16.775 what we call situational telework or 21:16.785 --> 21:19.094 unscheduled telework . And just like 21:19.104 --> 21:21.574 how we use annual leave and sick leave . 21:22.030 --> 21:24.141 We understand that people they have a 21:24.141 --> 21:26.363 home life , they've got family issues , 21:26.363 --> 21:28.586 they've got health issues , they've got 21:28.586 --> 21:30.641 lots of different things that , that 21:30.641 --> 21:32.863 might affect their ability to , to come 21:32.863 --> 21:34.474 into a workplace . Um And so 21:34.474 --> 21:36.308 situational telework is the most 21:36.308 --> 21:38.790 obvious one that on occasion , would it 21:38.800 --> 21:41.209 make sense ? Uh You know , and working 21:41.219 --> 21:43.869 with a supervisor , they can request it 21:43.880 --> 21:46.102 and chances are they're , we'll be able 21:46.102 --> 21:48.324 to accommodate that . But the beauty of 21:48.324 --> 21:50.329 our policy is that it does empower 21:50.339 --> 21:52.650 supervisors to make those kinds of 21:52.660 --> 21:56.270 decisions uh in real time uh to grant 21:56.280 --> 21:58.447 that flexibility for someone who needs 21:58.447 --> 22:01.300 it . Sir . I understand the DL a equal 22:01.310 --> 22:03.310 employment opportunity and human 22:03.319 --> 22:05.208 resources teams have been working 22:05.208 --> 22:07.569 together to streamline and standardize 22:07.579 --> 22:09.801 the process for requesting a reasonable 22:09.801 --> 22:12.189 accommodation due to a health condition . 22:12.479 --> 22:14.535 So what should our dl a team members 22:14.535 --> 22:16.701 know about how such requests are being 22:16.701 --> 22:19.079 handled ? The one piece of guidance 22:19.089 --> 22:21.256 that I've given all of our subordinate 22:21.256 --> 22:23.200 leaders with respect to reasonable 22:23.200 --> 22:25.200 accommodation requests that come in 22:25.200 --> 22:27.145 potentially as a result of our new 22:27.145 --> 22:29.145 telework posture is that all of our 22:29.145 --> 22:31.200 employees are entitled to be treated 22:31.200 --> 22:33.367 with dignity and respect and we are to 22:33.367 --> 22:35.660 address and process those requests in 22:35.670 --> 22:37.892 accordance with the rules , but also in 22:37.892 --> 22:39.670 a way that treats our employees 22:39.670 --> 22:42.003 properly . I would encourage , you know , 22:42.003 --> 22:44.150 our employees to ask questions of the 22:44.160 --> 22:46.310 EEO professionals on how the process 22:46.319 --> 22:49.349 works . But one thing that I am 22:49.770 --> 22:52.449 interested in ensuring that we uh that 22:52.459 --> 22:54.430 we do with respect to reasonable 22:54.439 --> 22:56.839 accommodation is that we apply those 22:56.849 --> 22:58.709 standards and those rules uh 22:58.719 --> 23:01.369 consistently across the enterprise . 23:01.780 --> 23:05.589 Thank you , sir . What opportunities do 23:05.599 --> 23:07.989 employees have to share their thoughts 23:08.000 --> 23:10.229 on how this is going moving forward ? 23:10.239 --> 23:13.199 And conversely how will our leaders be 23:13.209 --> 23:15.560 assessing if this was the right move at 23:15.569 --> 23:17.859 the right time ? We have plenty of 23:17.869 --> 23:20.300 different ways that we get that uh that 23:20.310 --> 23:22.310 feedback , whether it's through our 23:22.310 --> 23:23.866 employee surveys that we do 23:23.866 --> 23:25.754 periodically the federal employee 23:25.754 --> 23:27.754 viewpoint survey or culture climate 23:27.754 --> 23:30.180 survey , but also in raising questions 23:30.189 --> 23:32.449 through the chain of command . Uh We 23:32.459 --> 23:34.626 also have our employee representatives 23:34.626 --> 23:36.640 or our unions uh that represent 23:36.650 --> 23:39.819 employees on workforce workplace issues . 23:40.099 --> 23:42.210 Uh So there are certainly a number of 23:42.210 --> 23:44.449 different ways and venues uh for 23:44.459 --> 23:46.681 employees to raise those kind of things 23:46.681 --> 23:48.737 as far as how management is gonna be 23:48.737 --> 23:50.681 assessing this as we do all of our 23:50.681 --> 23:53.270 policies . We'll look at it after some 23:53.280 --> 23:56.030 period of time , um assess how we think 23:56.040 --> 23:58.589 it's going . Uh Are we achieving the 23:58.599 --> 24:01.369 goals we set out to achieve ? And we'll , 24:01.380 --> 24:03.547 we'll take inputs , you know , through 24:03.547 --> 24:06.000 multiple different channels . Uh And 24:06.010 --> 24:08.010 look at as much as we can objective 24:08.010 --> 24:10.599 data on , on performance . We'll also 24:10.609 --> 24:13.130 look at human resources , information 24:13.140 --> 24:15.699 around retention and recruitment . Are 24:15.709 --> 24:18.329 we maintaining our place as an employer 24:18.339 --> 24:20.920 of choice uh in the federal space ? Uh 24:20.930 --> 24:22.763 So we have a number of different 24:22.763 --> 24:25.430 measures that will apply to this and 24:25.439 --> 24:27.550 like we've proven over and over again 24:27.550 --> 24:31.219 as we evolve and uh see the policy in 24:31.229 --> 24:35.050 action we'll adjust as needed uh after 24:35.060 --> 24:37.359 deliberate methodical , you know , 24:37.369 --> 24:39.780 thought and analysis , sir . Thank you 24:39.790 --> 24:41.846 so much for your time . I don't have 24:41.846 --> 24:43.957 any additional questions , but what's 24:43.957 --> 24:46.179 the closing message you'd like to leave 24:46.179 --> 24:48.329 with our workforce on this topic ? I 24:48.339 --> 24:50.979 think the takeaway here is that , you 24:50.989 --> 24:53.969 know , this is ultimately what DL A is 24:53.979 --> 24:57.420 doing is bringing people back together . 24:57.819 --> 25:00.209 So I recognize that this may represent 25:00.219 --> 25:03.060 a bigger shift or change for some of 25:03.069 --> 25:05.709 our teleworkers . But we're , we're 25:05.719 --> 25:08.150 kind of going back to a hybrid 25:08.160 --> 25:11.260 workplace where we uh have a 25:11.270 --> 25:14.510 telework policy that brings virtual and 25:14.520 --> 25:16.409 physical presence together . It's 25:16.409 --> 25:19.099 ensuring that not only do we do the 25:19.109 --> 25:21.387 work today to support the war fighters , 25:21.387 --> 25:23.387 but that we position the agency for 25:23.387 --> 25:25.553 success in the future . We're building 25:25.553 --> 25:28.550 the next generation of DL A workforce 25:28.560 --> 25:31.780 and leaders to be successful in that 25:31.790 --> 25:34.020 future , Mr Bunn . Thank you so much 25:34.030 --> 25:36.030 for taking the time to answer these 25:36.030 --> 25:38.086 questions . I know there is a lot of 25:38.086 --> 25:40.141 interest in this complex topic among 25:40.141 --> 25:42.199 the DL A workforce . And hopefully , 25:42.209 --> 25:44.376 we've answered some of their questions 25:44.376 --> 25:46.431 here and provided the opportunity to 25:46.431 --> 25:48.579 share leaders perspective about why 25:48.589 --> 25:50.700 this was necessary . So , thank you . 25:50.790 --> 25:53.310 Well , Kathy , thank you for giving me 25:53.319 --> 25:55.375 the opportunity to speak directly to 25:55.375 --> 25:57.652 the workforce and deliver this message . 25:57.652 --> 25:59.763 So thank you to our viewers on behalf 25:59.763 --> 26:01.986 of the production team that helped make 26:01.986 --> 26:04.208 this video . Thank you for watching and 26:04.208 --> 26:05.319 have a great DL a day .