By Megan O’Donoghue
Special to GUIDON

Col. Charles Williams, Fort Leonard Wood garrison commander and Wayne Bardell, director of Fort Leonard Wood Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, signed the employee covenant on the main stage at the July 4th celebration in front of 17,000 FMWR customers and hundreds of FMWR employees.

The signing of the Family and MWR Employee and Customer Covenant marked a commitment to increase employee morale and customer satisfaction.

The driving force behind the covenant is the Installation Management Command, replicating what the Army did with the Army Family Covenant. Army Senior Executive Leadership approved the comprehensive, holistic customer service program for the Army family and FMWR to create and sustain a customer-service culture.

“The signing of this covenant is the Army, IMCOM, and Fort Leonard Wood’s commitment to provide our Family and MWR employees a higher quality of life and holds FMWR and garrison command accountable to its team members,” Williams said. “This is part of a changing culture so that all team members feel they are part of the team, they matter, they make a difference in our community.”

The covenant is part of the Operation Excellence Program being implemented by FMWRs Army wide. There are two promises within the covenant, the employee and the customer. With the employee covenant, it is knowing that taking care of customers begins with taking care of employees. With the customer covenant, it’s about providing quality through service excellence. 

Under the theme of “One Standard – One Voice – One Choice,” the covenant outlines the desirable attributes of quality customer service. FMWR’s action plan for creating a customer service culture includes implementing monthly team member orientations, formalizing performance standards for each employee, providing operation excellence in customer service, providing support tools, implementing recognition and incentive programs, and offering career development opportunities.

“The covenant, signifies a new program of training, opportunity and recognition so that Fort Leonard Wood’s Family and MWR employees – our team members – can provide the best in customer service for the Soldiers, families, retirees, and civilians of our community,” Bardell said.

But F MWR as an organization is not the only partner in the covenant signing. So too, are the employees who provide services to customers through a variety of programs, therefore in the weeks to come, each facility will sign their own employee covenant.

“We are a customer service driven organization, but if we are not taking care of our team members, then how can we expect them to take care of others.” added Bardell.  “Every employee matters, from the custodians to the management, everyone and every job is important. This program gives our employees the tools needed to set MWR on the path to better customer service.”

As part of the covenant signing, FMWR and its employees promise customers they will be treated with respect and as valued individuals, given prompt and friendly greetings in a professional and courteous manner, provided with aesthetically-pleasing facilities, given timely, accurate and helpful information, offered high-quality products and services, and provided an opportunity for feedback.


“It’s about providing quality services and facilities, it about putting customers first and having them make MWR their first choice.” Bardell said.


Employee Covenant

Taking care of our customers begins with taking care of you, our employees. We are committed to providing a strong, supportive environment where you can thrive. To that end, we promise to position you for success with:

- A robust orientation to welcome you to the Family and MWR team.q Clear performance standards for service excellence.

- Formal and informal training to develop your skills.

- Performance support tools to assist you on the job.

- A holistic program of recognition and incentives to reward excellent service.q Career-development opportunities to reach your full potential.

 

 

We are committed to providing quality through service excellence to our Soldiers and families commensurate with the quality of their service to our nation.We understand that we create value for our customers through predictable, consistent, efficient and customer-focused service.To that end, we promise our customers they will:

- Always be respected and treated as individuals who are valued.

- Receive a prompt and friendly greeting in a professional and courteous manner.

- Experience aesthetically-pleasing facilities.q Receive timely, accurate and helpful information.

- Be offered high-quality products and services.q Have an opportunity to provide feedback.

(O’Donoghue is the FMWR marketing manager.)