Defence Force struggling with high attrition, low morale after MIQ duties

Friday, 8 April 2022

Major Ash Walker talks about what it takes for the defence force to look after the isolation hotels in Hamilton.

As the last personnel leave MIQ, the Defence Force is looking at a long road to rebuilding capacity, capability and morale off the back of high attrition rates and burnt-out soldiers.

After almost two years of rotational deployments to the border facilities that helped shield the community from Covid-19, almost all NZDF personnel have now been withdrawn from Operation Protect.

But rising attrition rates, and personnel satisfaction surveys, reveal issues with culture, morale, opportunities for career development, and pay – issues that have been driven, and compounded, by Operation Protect.

Now, the NZDF expects it will take at least two years to restore capacity and capability amid a challenging labour market.

The Defence Force expects it’ll take two years to get back to full strength, after suffering significant personnel losses thanks to Operation Protect, and a competitive labour market.

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Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short said the Government’s announcement on the plan to reopen the country’s borders – and do away with MIQ – was met with relief by those who’ve spent almost two years guarding and managing the facilities.

Chief of Defence Air Marshal Kevin Short says the drawdown from MIQ duties has been met with relief by those who’ve spent the past two years manning the facilities.

The continuous deployments to MIQ facilities had been a contributing factor to dropping morale and job satisfaction, and rising attrition rates, Short said.

Operation Protect led to the “slow degradation of capability”, as personnel had been unable to perform regular training. And the NZDF’s ability to respond to disasters, conflict, or security issues had also suffered, he said.

The army, which shouldered 85 per cent of the MIQ burden, had seen a sharp rise in the number of people leaving during the past year.

In February 2022, the army attrition rate was 13.7 per cent, up from 9 per cent a year earlier – marking a 52 per cent rise.

The navy and air force also saw an increase in the number of people leaving.

Operation Protect’s impact on mental wellbeing had been felt keenly, with 7600 of those deployed undergoing mental health screening, and more than 1800 being referred to an NZDF psychologist.

The army, which shouldered 85 per cent of the MIQ burden for Operation Protect, had seen a sharp rise in the number of people leaving the force during the past year.

Regular forces personnel contacted by Stuff did not want to be interviewed, for fear of being reprimanded, but anecdotally, people shared stories of friends in counselling, or facing relationship break ups, due to the pressures of the MIQ deployments.

“The effect of it was very, very real,” one former NZDF employee said.

Those joining the NZDF expected adventure, but many came out of basic training, and straight into MIQ.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announces the original plan to reopen New Zealand to the world in 2022, in November. (First published November 24)

“Our job is to seek out and get close to the enemy; to kill or capture. All of a sudden, you’re seeking out and closing in on a dude that’s used a few blankets to jump out of a room.

“For the past two years we’ve had people who were trained to fight, manning MIQ. That’s a very strange existence for an infantry.”

Some people were stationed at facilities in the same city as their family, but weren’t allowed to go home during their six-week stint – something families found more challenging than an overseas deployment. Then there was the potential exposure to Covid-19.

Others noted frustration that personnel had to be deployed to MIQ facilities, even when the rooms were empty.

Between August 2020 and March 2022, MIQ facilities were empty on 78 occasions, for a total of 526 days. Most of those were for a short period of time – one or two days – to allow for deep cleaning between returnee cohorts.

But on 16 occasions, facilities were empty for a week or longer.

The quarantine portion of the Grand Mercure in Wellington sat empty for a total of 391 days, between August 2020 and March 2022, which included one stretch of 265 days without a single person using the quarantine facility.

Despite that, security staff had to remain onsite.

“It was strange and disappointing, and very, very hurtful for a lot of the boys and girls.”

These sentiments are captured in the latest NZDF Pulse satisfaction surveys.

Of those surveyed – both civilian and regular forces – 21.7 per cent said they were actively looking to leave the NZDF.

Meanwhile, only 35.7 per cent said morale was positive; just over half (58.3 per cent) there was a positive culture in their service; and less than half (49.3 per cent) had confidence in senior leadership.

Personnel gave poor feedback across the board when it came to career support, aspirations, opportunities for development and pay.

Short acknowledged how the length of the task, the number of rotations, and the constant disruption to family life, had impacted the thousands tasked to Operation Protect.

But he said this type of deployment – however unusual – wasn’t outside the realms of what the military was there to do.

National Party defence spokesperson Tim van de Molen says the Government should have done more to remove NZDF from MIQ duties, as the pandemic went on.

“We are a contingent force – we are there to respond.”

Operation Protect has also had a significant effect on NZDF’s capability and training.

For the past 18 months, it took away about 1000 people, of NZDF’s 9500 uniformed personnel, at any given time.

The army had to delay or cancel 130 different courses; people weren’t finishing their trade training; they weren’t doing military training; and this reduced their promotion options.

In real terms, the reduced training and capability meant the NZDF would have been unable to deploy a major taskforce in the region, with hundreds of people, armed, and ready to do a military role.

Short said the Defence Force would usually have the pick of all trades and capabilities when responding to humanitarian and disaster relief missions. But Operation Protect meant they were faced with fewer options, and the inability to take on concurrent missions.

Afghan evacuees used chalk to draw on the concrete at the Naumi Hotel, during their MIQ stay in August 2021.

The NZDF still had the essentials needed to respond to disasters, humanitarian or security threats – this was shown by the deployments to Tonga and the Solomon Islands, the Afghanistan evacuation operation, and support for the flood-stricken West Coast.

But if something else had happened, there would have only been tens of people left to respond, Short said.

NZDF was in constant discussion with the defence minister, in an effort to make the Government aware of the military’s state of readiness, and the effects of Operation Protect.

However, the Government was unable to come up with another option due to labour market pressures.

The prime minister gave NZDF an assurance that when MIQ was scaled back, personnel would be the first to rotate out. That transition is due to finish before the end of May.

National Party defence spokesperson Tim van de Molen said impacts of Operation Protect would be felt for some time.

Initially, the downsides of the mission were worth it, van de Molen said. But as the pandemic continued, the NZDF should have phased out of MIQ.

“The Government became complacent, and the short term remedy became the long term solution which was unsustainable.”

Defence Minister Peeni Henare's office did not respond to requests for an interview or comments.

Not everyone had a negative experience of Operation Protect – some saved their ration allowances to take Tinder dates out for a luxury meal; others saw it as an opportunity to practise softer skills.

Army reservist Captain Blair Segal did more than 35 MIQ rotations, working as a facility manager.

“This was not a conventional deployment,” he said. “But I went into it with the view it was the opportunity to practise skills that I may not have been strong at in the past.”

Army reservist Private Rose Yeoman completed three MIQ rotations. She says it was helpful to have reserves alleviating some burden on the regular forces.

Segal joined the reserves in 2006, and after being made redundant from his day job in 2020, he was able to throw himself into Operation Protect duties.

The reserves who spoke to Stuff acknowledged their experience was different to that of the regular forces – their rotations were one week on, one week off, with the option to say no. Regular forces completed six weeks at a time, then had a stand-down period before resuming their usual work.

“I might be an outlier in that I considered it a positive experience,” Segal said.

“I was in potentially in a dark space [after being made redundant]. But looking at this as an opportunity to grow myself and do a good job for defence; do a good job for the country. It really put me in a good headspace.”

The army captain said his job as a facility manager was to “create order out of chaos”, coordinating people from a range of government departments and private businesses, while also caring for guests, and trying to keep Covid-19 out of the community.

Returnees had often returned amid difficult situations, such as family illnesses or bereavements. Those stationed at MIQ ended up dealing with their stress, frustration, anger and sadness. Segal said it was a unique opportunity to practise skills like de-escalation.

Segal was also responsible for 400 Afghan evacuees, who arrived in August.

He was given 36-hours notice, and in that time had to organise the departure of 221 returnees from the facility, bring in translators, print signs in other languages, change the menu, and make sure the necessary support services were onsite.

Some arrived traumatised; some with just the clothes on their backs. Segal said the average weight of luggage was just 4 kilograms per person.

Segal said he finished his Operation Protect duties “tired, but satisfied”.

Private Rose Yeoman – also an army reservist – completed three rotations in MIQ.

The 24-year-old accountant said it was not the deployment she was expecting when she joined the army reserves, but she learned about customer service, general people skills, and resilience.

While most guests were polite, some took their frustrations out on Defence Force personnel – particularly those in uniform, she said.

Short said he was proud of contribution to the fight against Covid-19.

“Our role, and response, has been the single biggest priority and effort we’ve had over the past two years.

“It’s been incredibly important for the country, as the government has endeavoured to keep New Zealanders safe.”

While the NZDF employs about 1000 people a year, it will take time for them to be trained in the necessary trades and military skills.

The push for people has already begun, with television ads and bus stop billboards springing up around the country.

But the recruitment campaign is happening against the backdrop of a hot labour market.

The civilian portion of the Defence Force – non-military support roles – has suffered a notable spike in attrition, thanks to labour shortages and wage rises across the country.

The civilian attrition rate rose from 10.9 per cent in February 2021 to 16 per cent in February this year – a 47 per cent increase.

Those working in mechanical and construction trades were being lost at a high rate, Short said. And those in civilian roles like computer and IT specialists, medical staff, and accountants were streaming out the door. In some roles, the attrition rate was over 20 per cent.

But Short said he was confident the defence force would be able to attract the talent it needed. Rather than trying to compete with the private market on salary, the NZDF would continue to emphasise the lifestyle it offered, and the promise of adventure.

A promise that’s a bit easier to sell with the wrap-up of Operation Protect.

How were you affected by Operation Protect? Email laura.walters@stuff.co.nz or Signal +64 27 838 9363