92nd CS Airman innovates process, aids DEOCS Published Nov. 3, 2017 By Senior Airman Nick J. Daniello and Airman 1st Class Jesenia Landaverde 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- An Airman from Team Fairchild has developed an innovative procedure to better disseminate an organizational climate survey, ultimately saving hundreds of man-hours through utilizing the base SharePoint tool kit.The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute based climate survey is an anonymous survey that focuses on issues of organizational effectiveness, equal opportunity and sexual assault response and prevention. It’s delivered as an email with information on how military members can take the survey to provide feedback to commanders.Airman 1st Class Daniel Coughlin, 92nd Communications Squadron knowledge management journeyman, initially got his feet wet using SharePoint, an Air Force based website for document sharing, to create an easier way for Airmen to schedule their Physical Training Tests. Eventually, he utilized these skills to create a way to mass produce thousands of emails in a matter of minutes for use in the Defense Equal Opportunity Climate Survey.“By entering data into the tool, it gives you a perfectly-formatted letter of exactly what the DEOCS email is going to be like this year,” Coughlin said. “The way DEOMI recommends [survey notifications] depends on the number of people at the base. [In the past] if you had to write 12,000 emails that are about a page of text each, even if you’re copying and pasting, it would take eons.”This easy, timely notification system Coughlin created will enable more Team Fairchild members to participate in the DEOCS.“The survey is an opportunity to give good, candid feedback to your commander that is completely anonymous,” said Staff Sgt. Sidney McSwain, 92nd Air Refueling Wing Equal Opportunity specialist. “People say, ‘You’re never going to have time to take the survey,’ but you owe it to your commanders to give honest feedback. It’s a way to have your voice heard.”This feedback tool is essential for commanders to make the base and community better. Based on last year’s input from Airmen, the 92nd ARW has secured funds to renovate the Red Morgan Center, to include adding a new casual eating area and a new FunSpot. The 92nd ARW has also adapted a local policy to allow concealed carry permit holders to store their firearms in their cars during the duty day in accordance with the local policy. Many more improvements are also in the works.The survey will be open until Nov. 20, with a wing goal of achieving 70 percent base participation by the 70th Anniversary of the 92nd ARW (Nov. 17). Now is the time to look for the email, take the survey and improve your unit.For more information about the DEOCS, contact the Equal Opportunity office at (509) 247-3893.
