NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD, Portsmouth, Va. –
Following Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) recent change of command, employees are being asked to share their experiences and feedback. Members of the NNSY workforce will have a chance to have their voices heard by participating in the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS) April 5 – 26. The survey provides an avenue for civilian employees and military members to share their impressions of the organizational climate by focusing on issues of effectiveness, equal opportunity, and sexual assault response and prevention.
The DEOCS provides valuable insight to command leadership by assessing 19 protective and risk factors that can impact an organization’s climate and ability to achieve its mission. According to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (Code 1103) Director Tarane Parker, “in order for leadership to address cultural systemic issues that exist in the command, it is important that this information is captured where it can be assessed and monitored.”
Though NNSY completed its last DEOCS in July 2020, a new survey is required to be administered within 80 days of a change of command.
There will be some changes for this year’s DEOCS that NNSY employees need to be aware of as they prepare to participate. As with the most recent DEOCS, a paper copy of the survey will not be available. A link to the survey and the departmental access codes will be provided to the departmental DEOCS points of contact (POCs). The DEOCS POCs will then distribute the link and access code to their respective departmental personnel prior to or on April 5. Employees with regular computer access will be able to take the DEOCS using this access code. Employees without regular computer access can participate in the DEOCS by utilizing one of the laptop kiosks set up on the NNSY waterfront. The laptops are for DEOCS use only. The location of these kiosks will be announced prior to the DEOCS launch date April 5.
The results of the survey are completely confidential and employees are highly encouraged to participate to provide the shipyard a thorough assessment of the issues.
Following the conclusion of the survey, the results of the DEOCS are supplied to NNSY leadership Command Resiliency Teams (CRT), led by each code’s DEOCS lead that will analyze the information, identify areas of concern, and propose to their department head a way forward. “The goal is to have leadership champion their DEOCS lead and to use the information gathered to identify, assess and create specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely (S.M.A.R.T.) goals to address trending problematic areas,” said Parker.
By participating in the DEOCS, employees have the power to provide feedback to leadership and to help shape the path forward at NNSY. Have your voice heard and make a plan to participate in the DEOCS!