Poling focuses on feedback, EPRs during enlisted call

  • Published
  • By Mark Herlihy
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Command Chief Master Sgt. Craig A. Poling held an enlisted all-call at the base theater March 20 to discuss the Airman Comprehensive Assessment and other topics relevant to enlisted members here.

Poling discussed the responsibilities an Airman has in the feedback process, as well as the supervisors' role when it comes to providing constructive feedback to their subordinates.

Currently the Air Force instruction for enlisted feedback does not mention the ACA form, but the responsibilities for providing and asking for feedback remains the same as the form.

"If you use the excuse that you didn't get feedback and that is the reason you do not agree with your EPR rating, it won't fly because that is not how it works," Poling said to the more than 300 enlisted members in the audience.

The chief highlighted that unless you have received feedback within the past 60 days, Airman can request supervisors provide feedback within 30 days on their performance.

He added that not only is it the responsibility of the supervisor to provide feedback, it's also the ratee's responsibility to make sure they are getting feedback for themselves.

"When Airmen tell me they are not getting feedback, I put the blame back on them because they need to know to ask for it," Poling said, emphasizing how important feedback is to an Airman's career.

Additional topics covered included enlisted professional military education, Developmental Special Duty assignments, force distribution and the enlisted evaluation system, some of which were updates from the chief's previous enlisted call last June.

Poling outlined to Airmen the new EPR form being used.

The new EPR form will have a front and back as it does now, the senior enlisted member said, and the front will be the performance assessment while the back will be for performance recommendations.

"One of the differences between the current EPR form and the new form is that if you are not eligible to test that cycle, only the front page will get filled out as the back is only for those that are eligible for promotion," Poling said.

Currently, as with any stratification process on enlisted personnel within an organization, senior enlisted members will assist commanders and senior leaders in making those decisions.

The chief points out that the new form places the emphasis on performance.

"Why all of these changes?" Poling asked. "We have to do something different; we have to put the focus back on performance."