Creating a family supportive environment Published Aug. 14, 2009 By Lt. Col. Marc Del Rosario 2nd Range Operations Squadron commander VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In a June 2009 Gallup poll, the percentage of American's expressing high confidence in the U.S. military was at 82 percent. This is an 11 percent jump from the previous year and 11th consecutive year as the No. 1 institution with the highest public confidence. This status is a result of every military member and government civilian's commitment to serve while expertly balancing duty responsibilities and needs of family members. Each of us have put this commitment on our broad shoulders and demonstrated the ability to deploy for long periods, put in long days at the workcenter, push through the night to the brink of exhaustion and relocate every three years, while at the same time dealing with family and financial concerns, child care issues, health problems with family members or having to work hours that take away from attending key family events. Achieving balance with work and family is a continual juggling act. As leaders, front-line supervisors and leaders in training, are you providing a family-supportive environment to keep organizational commitment high by helping your Airman balance work and family? Balancing work and family are two issues of importance to any organization. We've all heard a commander or supervisor say, "It's important for you to balance work and family in order for you to be effective." You walk away saying to yourself, "I heard that before, but I need to perform 365/24/7." Actually, the commander and supervisor are there to ensure and emphasize that the responsibilities of one area shouldn't interfere with carrying out the other. As I look back at supervisors in my career, there is one who stands out for striking the right tone in the balance of work and family. More than ten years ago, then-Lt. Col. Bob Beardslee was my supervisor during a period when my wife was battling a serious medical situation. I requested to take myself off of the Personal Reliability Program, which prevented me from pulling missile alerts for three weeks, and I ended up missing work for several days while my wife was in and out of the hospital for several months. He didn't pressure me to get back quickly to pull missile alert; he re-prioritized work responsibilities around the office and granted me the time to focus on what was important. I am thankful for the support my extended Air Force family provided to us during a very stressful time. Commanders and supervisors have a key role in taking care of the people who accomplish the mission and also the extended military and civilian family. Managing complex work and family roles is a source of stress for many of us. Perceptions of a family-friendly environment benefit both the individual and organization. It is a silent retention tool and can be the swing factor to increase an individual's intent to continue to serve. Just like physical strength, family strength for the servicemember, unit and extended military family needs assistance to get better. One resource leaders utilize to help subordinates manage family time and work responsibilities is knowing available family support programs offered by the military. On Vandenberg you don't need to grab the Yellow Pages and arbitrarily choose support for your family from someone who doesn't understand the demands of our profession. Save the time and stress by visiting the Airman and Family Readiness Center to inquire about the many programs to assist with all types of family situations. They have competent and trustworthy support personnel running programs that directly benefit the military community. The A&FRC does more than build care packages for deployed members. The center offers a tremendous amount of free assistance programs to include relocation counseling, personal finance services, employment assistance, transition assistance for separating or retiring personnel, family and work life skills, emergency financial and crisis assistance, and military and family life consultant. Additionally, there are two online resources available for anyone to review: Militaryonesource.com and afcrossroads.com. The tools to receive family assistance are there, and commanders and supervisors want you to use them. The central purpose of all the family programs is to strengthen mental and economic health and increase communication. The Air Force is the most powerful air, space and cyberspace force on this earth. We don't need poll results to understand that. We live it daily when we go downrange to the fight and when we deliver combat effects from several thousands of miles away. Either way, our Air Force also delivers desired effects of taking care of you, your family and your extended military family so you are able to balance your practice of the profession of arms and family obligations.