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Days away from home port are one key measure of work conditions, but high OPTEMPO and other aspects of service also matter in maintaining morale

• Current days-away-from-home-port practices appear to support re-enlistment.
• For enlisted personnel, serving on a major cutter is associated with several positive outcomes.
• However, servicemembers have limited tolerance for higher-than-usual operational tempo.
• Working conditions matter; key conditions include unpredictable schedules, long work hours, and extra duties (while at sea or in port).
• Capacity to contact friends and family while at sea was identified by personnel as a driver of morale.
• Continued monitoring is warranted for personnel who spend extended periods of time away from home.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has a broad set of missions in the maritime domain, including 11 statutory missions across the categories of maritime safety, maritime security, and maritime stewardship. Among its assets for accomplishing these missions are major cutters — large, oceangoing vessels capable of spending substantial amounts of time away from their home ports. The USCG faces a challenge in determining the optimal length of days away from home port for personnel on major cutters. Confronting this challenge requires an understanding of how personnel tempo (PERSTEMPO) relates to USCG servicemember behavior. However, the empirical relationship between days spent away from home port and servicemember behavior is unknown. To help address this knowledge gap, the authors analyze how servicemembers respond to various levels of PERSTEMPO, as well as the effects of working conditions and incentives on these responses.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Descriptive Statistics of USCG Personnel and of Cutter Movements and a Discussion of Special and Incentive Pays

• Chapter Three

  PERSTEMPO, Working Conditions, and Retention: A Brief Review of the Literature

• Chapter Four

  Project Methodology: Quantitative and Qualitative

• Chapter Five

  Quantitative Models Explaining Retention and Promotion Within the Cutter Community

• Chapter Six

  Focus Groups with Major Cutter Crews

• Chapter Seven

  Conclusions

• Appendix A

  Quantitative Data, Definitions, and Details

• Appendix B

  Focus Group Materials

• Appendix C

  Qualitative Coding Guide

• Appendix D

  Subject-Matter Expert Discussion Protocols

• Appendix E

  Regression Results