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Guest Editorial: Lt Col Macklin
Lt Col Rebecca Macklin, SO1 Diversity and Inclusion: Op TEAMWORK
Lt Col Rebecca Macklin
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What I love the most about being in the REME are the incredible individuals that we have and the amazing things that they do. The highs of my career have always been about the people and the team achieving together. I believe passionately in trying to make the Army the best possible place for all our people, and consequently, making the team better – ultimately, improving combat effectiveness, which is what we are all here for. Unfortunately, in my role as SO1 Diversity and Inclusion at Army Headquarters, I often see the darker side of our organisation; when things have gone wrong for our teammates. This might be through the deliberate acts of some – the enemy within (sadly, they are among all areas of society) – or through the accidental, unintentional actions and attitudes that damage our team spirit – the blue-on-blues – and undermine our Values and Standards.
Op TEAMWORK
Early February saw the start of Op TEAMWORK with an ‘all-stop’ moment for the Army. This historic day, the 8th February, was the first of its kind in Defence (likely with our international partners too) and demonstrated our commitment to making our teams better. It was the Army’s opportunity to have a long, hard look in the mirror, to give us time to consider that each individual experience of being in the Army is not the same for everyone, and to acknowledge that for some of our teammates things are less than OK. Crucially, the day was about planning what we will do to make things better; now we need to put those plans into action.
What does #TEAMWORK mean for the REME?
Op TEAMWORK is part of a wider campaign called #TEAMWORK - I like to think of it as that spirit that is the internal side of our recruiting campaign, #BELONGING. It will therefore mean something different to each and every one of us, but, whether in a Fitter Section, a project team, a REME Battalion or employed anywhere else in the Corps, #TEAMWORK is about your contribution: What are you doing to make the team better? Your team could be Regulars, Reservists, Civil Servants, contractors – whatever the make-up, it will be full of individuals with different backgrounds, different experiences, and
prime example. When on operations or exercise, we are really meticulous about the language we use; it matters - otherwise orders are not executed as planned or the correct spare doesn’t arrive – and yet, at other times, we can be lazy in our language. We don’t think about how the words we use can inadvertently offend or exclude people, or we use phrases that are “in” without understanding their meaning: language matters.
At the end of the day, this is about looking after all our teammates and treating everyone with respect. This is about making our teams better.
If you would like to do more to improve the Army experience for all, please consider becoming an ally. An ally is someone who actively demonstrates their support of people who are marginalised in some way. The Army offers a Diversity Allies programme with online sessions that enable you to explore different experiences of our people and provides a safe space for questions and discussion; but you don’t need to join the
different skills to bring the team. We should be proactively making everyone feel valued, respected and that they belong. When we see something that isn’t right, we should call it out. I always go back to the quote, “the standard you walk by, is the standard you accept”, and for me, that is a really powerful check.
I also think that it is worth asking the difficult questions about why something is as it is, and we certainly shouldn’t be accepting “it has always been that way” as the answer – we wouldn’t have seatbelts in cars if we had stuck with that! In the D&I Maj Ian Hart briefing on 8 Feb at start of Op TEAMWORK, at BFSAI on the Falkland Islands policy space, we call it “lifting rocks” – that includes digging into the things that don’t sound right (we would do it on operations: “the presence of the abnormal, the absence of the normal.”) So, if you overhear something that seems a bit strange, or someone makes a passing comment that seems odd or offensive, ask them about it. If we don’t know what people are going through, we can’t help. Consider: if you are swimming with the current, do you even know it exists? But if you are swimming against it, it is significant.
I often ask myself why we deem it acceptable to do certain things at certain times, but not others – our use of language is a
programme to show that you are there for your teammates. For more information, speak with your chain of command or go to https://jive.defence gateway.mod.uk/groups/army-di on Defence Connect.
Finally, and most importantly, if you need help, please reach out. If you cannot find support close by, please consider calling one of our helplines:
Available to answer calls from 08001700hrs on weekdays, but they also have an answerphone so will call you back if you leave a message. You can also arrange for them to call you back out of hours. They are confidential, they use first names and are a military team – so understand the military environment. They will talk you through all the options and support available to you, and there is rarely something that they haven’t dealt with before. You can also email them on ArmySpeakOut@mod.uk
Defence Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination helpline: 0800 783 0334 civ.
Available 24/7, 365 days a year. This is an independent, confidential helpline with trained advisors to provide emotional support, guidance and practical advice.
Service Police Confidential helpline: 0800 085 0658 civ or 93835 4278 mil.
Available 24/7, 365 days a year. If the Operator is engaged and talking to someone else when you call, please leave an answerphone message.
