The Psychologically Healthy Workplace 

Winner of this year's Healthy Workplace Award in the military category, the 624th Regional Support Group is an Air Force Reserve organization with 850 members who, despite having full-time civilian jobs, must be prepared to deploy to a wartime environment if our nation calls. Right now the 624th has 37 members deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. The organization, with four squads at Hickam and three on Guam, provides excellent injury prevention, employee involvement, career development, and family support to its members.

The 624th conveys an attitude of "safety even before mission" so that every mission can be accomplished as safely and effectively as possible. They have a robust safety and Operational Risk Management Program. Every activity is engineered for safety and the unit is proud of being mishap free for two years.

The organization works hard to support its members and their families. The base family assistance center is available for members of the unit and DOD training programs to address harassment, sexual assault, and violence are required annually. The military decoration program is used extensively for Outstanding Performance and Warrior Spirit. Over 100 decorations were given during last year to recognize employee excellence and promote involvement.

Career development is their key to retention and it is encouraged through a mentoring program, tuition assistance, cross-training, and utilization of a standardized three tiered level of skills training program for each career field. Leadership courses are offered for every member at sometime during their career.

Family support is a critical issue for military reserve units. The 624th addresses this area with very flexible scheduling of military duties to accommodate family needs. Furthermore, each activated member is required to have a "family care plan" that includes a will, power of attorney, and life insurance. The squadron commander contacts the families of deployed members once every six weeks and annual events are held for the families. Finally, when a member retires the member and the member's family receives separate service awards in recognition of the service and sacrifice made by the family.

Their programs are designed to instill a desire for excellence and convey a sense of pride in what they are doing for the country. It is through the remarkable efforts of each and every Reservist that the Air Force Reserve Command remains strong, relevant, and ready to fulfill its duty to the people of the United States.