CF 100 : Leave Pass [Merged]

[PuckChaser]

Monitor Mass does my leave passes for me, I just blame the computer when its messed up.

Great guide for those doing it the manual way though!

 

[Franko]

Sounds to me that someone's supervisor didn't take 5 seconds to check a leave pass over prior to submitting it....

Regards

 

[Lil_T]

Sounds to me that someone's supervisor didn't take 5 seconds to check a leave pass over prior to submitting it....

Regards

There's a LOT of that going around.  Apparently 5 seconds is just too much to ask for.

 

[Michael OLeary]

I would add one additional piece of guidance for those who live in, either at their home base or when on course. When you're taking off for a weekend or a few days, but staying within the distance limit that a leave pass isn't required, make sure someone in your chain of command can find you if needed.

You can be pretty certain that your section commander, etc., really don't care where you're going but, and this is the big "but", your mother will expect the Army to know where you are when she calls about your grandmother's unfortunate demise in a sport parachuting accident.  Your mother will not understand that you "didn't have to tell anyone" or that the Army (Navy or Air Force ....) wasn't required to know where you were camping, shacking up, or touring the local sites on an overnight escape from the shacks.  Sign out books (sometimes used in lieu of leave passes when passes aren't required) exist for a reason, even when they're not strictly policed.

 

[Lil_T]

Excellent point!

 

[armyvern]

I would add one additional piece of guidance for those who live in, either at their home base or when on course. When you're taking off for a weekend or a few days, but staying within the distance limit that a leave pass isn't required, make sure someone in your chain of command can find you if needed.

You can be pretty certain that your section commander, etc., really don't care where you're going but, and this is the big "but", your mother will expect the Army to know where you are when she calls about your grandmother's unfortunate demise in a sport parachuting accident.  Your mother will not understand that you "didn't have to tell anyone" or that the Army (Navy or Air Force ....) wasn't required to know where you were camping, shacking up, or touring the local sites on an overnight escape from the shacks.  Sign out books (sometimes used in lieu of leave passes when passes aren't required) exist for a reason, even when they're not strictly policed.

Oh Gawd. I once had to sit outside one of my troops room in the shacks waiting for him to `return` from Saturday afternoon when we recd notification of his mothers unexpected passing until approx 2330 hrs Sunday night when he returned to the shacks. We tried everything to locate him and eventually set up a `shift watch`on the room. None of his buddies knew his whereabouts and he wasn`t answering his cell phone nor did he have any leave pass submitted. Nor was a sign-out book in place because he wasn`t on course. Turns out that he had simply been `picked up`by some sweet young`UNB thang at Sweetwaters Friday night and had spent his weekend usuefully doing whatever it is troops finding themselves in that situation do. He had forgotten his cell phone in the shacks that Friday night.

Dad, of course, was in a tizzy; it was a sucky situation. The troop had done nothing wrong nor would anything have changed the situation ... except maybe if he hadn`t forgotten his cell phone.

Another morale: If you have a cell phone - ALWAYS ensure that your supervisors know your number in case they need to contact you in an emergency situation. On my little fanout card, I have my troops locals, home numbers & cell numbers. I keep it in my wallet. You just never know when you`re going to have to use it.

 

[medicineman]

Something else that's useful if you're going to be camping or travelling by car - have your licence plate  listed in the address if there isn't a fixed place you'll be so the RCMP can keep an eye out if there's a dire emergency.  I'd just put "travelling Banff/northern NB/ where ever car" and the tag number.  Not everywhere has great cell coverage.

MM

 

[Lil_T]

I've seen that a lot medicineman, anything so long as the member can be tracked down. 

 

[CountDC]

Good day all.  I know I'm still the way FNG, but since I do Leave (and LOTS of it) I'd like to remind you of a few simple things you can do to make sure your leave doesn't get screwed up.  It's all about attention to detail.  Fill it out, look it over BEFORE you print it, make sure everything is correct, and then print it off.


Your Service Number, make sure it is correct (ie/ in the correct sequence)- DO NOT USE YOUR SOCIAL INSURANCE NUMBER.  I know this seems ridiculous, but it makes life difficult if a clerk has to go searching for you in HRMS.  Plus it increases the potential for error on your leave statement or that of another member.

doesn't seem ridiculous to me but I do wonder why you would be searching HRMS for the member.  Bounce the pass back through the chain of command with a note that you are unable to process due to incorrect information provided. If you keep searching and correcting for them odds are they will keep making the mistake.  I learned it the hard way and maybe this will keep you from having to.  Getting 200+ leave passes 2 weeks before xmas holidays teaches you what not to do.

 

[armyvern]

doesn't seem ridiculous to me but I do wonder why you would be searching HRMS for the member.  Bounce the pass back through the chain of command with a note that you are unable to process due to incorrect information provided. If you keep searching and correcting for them odds are they will keep making the mistake.  I learned it the hard way and maybe this will keep you from having to.  Getting 200+ leave passes 2 weeks before xmas holidays teaches you what not to do.

And, don't forget the part about having the Unit CC send a nasty to the supervisor who actually reviewed and sent forth a leave pass containing a social insurance number on it instead of the SN.

~ smack upside the head ~

 

[BinRat55]

Hear hear!!

I use Monitor Mass as well. My troopies give me their leave passes and I input them into MM and print - viola - perfect leave pass every time. It even tells me how much leave they have remaining (as long as the CC is up to date inputting in PeopleSoft...)

 

[CountDC]

sigh - MM - wish the Navy would hurry up and get on that one.

 

[Lil_T]

Unfortunately, not everyone uses MM. 

Normally I would send them back, but it's year end and I want to get the old year stuff in before Friday.  If I can't track the person down via HRMS then it does get sent back.  Then I get to deal with overages once the roll over happens. *joy*

I actually have a couple right now that are going to be sent back/ where they belong tomorrow.  For the most part though I try to take care of any issues that crop up right away.   


One more thing.  Please don't hand write your leave pass unless your penmanship is immaculate.  Seeing that makes me want to send it back with a note telling the member to please type it/ fill in the form electronically.    Hey, if I can't read it, I can't process it.

 

[Biohazardxj]

Way back in the 20th century, when I was just a young Pte Admin Clerk, there where no such thing as computers.  We would type everything.  Memos, letters,  Sitreps, OpOrds, messages. etc etc..  This would be done on a manual typewriter from a hand written draft.  Back then we took pride in being able to decipher someones hand writing and  figuring out what they were trying to say.  Leave passes were no different.  You got use to seeing chicken scratches that were suppose to be a SIN.  Yes Jr, back then we used SIN, no such thing as a SN.  Today's Clerk is spoiled by technology.  Just my opinion.

 

[Zoomie]

Ok - what the heck is Monitor Mass??

As a course director, I see countless streams of leave passes coming across my desk, in my mail box, randomly handed to me in the hall and slipped inconspicuously under my door.

 

[ammocat]

I too am curious, what is monitor mass? What are the advantages of this system? Isn't inputting troops leave information into monitor mass and printing them a waste of time? I am a course director and we are ruthless with leave passes, which the students have to fill out every weekend. Doing a leave pass, in my opinion is the start of military writing and completing it correctly is the start of paying attention to detail, vetting your work, etc. If you can't master the leave pass, how can you move on to trade related technical documents? Not filled out correctly it gets the giant red REDO stamp on it.

 

[dangerboy]

Monitor Mass is an electronic data base which the chain of command uses to administer their people.  With it you can pull up your soldiers MPRRs and UERs to see what qualifications they have.  It allows supervisors to input info about their troops.  As alluded to previously in this thread you input leave passes on it and the info in put on that soldiers calendar which also displays information from MITE such as taskings and courses.  If properly used by the C of C it is a good info system, it breaks down if someone in the chain does not use it properly.  For example if 1 of the 3 Pl in a rifle coy does not use it to input light duties and sick leave from sick chits then when the CSM looks at the Coy records it will not have an accurate readout.  This is not the best explanation of Monitor Mass I knew hopefully someone with more experience using the system will expand on this answer as I am not very experienced using it as I am in a school and we don't use it much as we don't have the same organizational system as a battalion would.   

 

[CountDC]

Now Now Sgt-RMS you have to remember that back then you didn't have to do the pay and maybe claims as the Fin Clks took care of those.  We also had more clerks to share the work load.  Oh yeah - and us Fin clks at the time cursed the Admin clks as it seemed every time the Admin made a typo someone showed up complaining that we screwed up their pay.  Trying to get people to understand that they have an Admin problem vice a Pay problem when all they see is that their pay is short is like  :brickwall:  I solved the problem though by changing to Admin.

Still can spew off my SIN faster than my SN, can read doctors notes due to those early military deciphering days but I have some problems with the typewriter we have - damn thing has too many buttons, programable keys, and doesn't work unless plugged in.

You must love the way they talk now about "splitting" us into Fin or Admin streams at the Sgt level. Once they start that I wonder if it will creep slowly downwards through the ranks until we end up with 2 trades at least in practice if not on paper. RMS Clk (Fin) or RMS Clk(Admin).

As for Monitor Mass, I only had a briefing on MM as it is not used in the Navy yet but what they showed us was that if used properly right down to the Sect Comd the CO can get a report on who farted at 0900 today.  OK slight exaggeration but it looked really impressive even if it only did half of what they showed us. navy didn't join up as the old CMS didn't see it working well with the ships and considered it a waste of navy dollars.

 

[Aerobicrunner]

The intranet link to Monitor Mass is here:  http://armyonline.kingston.mil.ca/CLS/143000440015377/MM_USER_GUIDE_2_1_8_.PDF and, as alluded to in earlier posts, it is a very good system if all chain of command are using and inputting information.  The leave and personal activity module is excellent (and it is downloadable into your Outlook calendar).  The best part about MM is that the OPI's are very receptive to changes and have the opportunity to make these changes themselves as they own the program.


The Navy tried something similar to Monitor Mass back in early 90's - called SHIPMATES (Shipborne Integrated Personnel Management and Tracking Establishment System).  Now that was a complete waste of Navy Dollars but even a more wastage of clerical staff as most of the information had to be manually inputted and despite my protestations on the program, the Coxswain insisted it be done.  The more information you put in, the slower it got. Even some of the defaults were completely out to lunch.  Thankfully it got scrapped after about 9 months of useage. 

 

[armyvern]

Hear hear!!

I use Monitor Mass as well. My troopies give me their leave passes and I input them into MM and print - viola - perfect leave pass every time. It even tells me how much leave they have remaining (as long as the CC is up to date inputting in PeopleSoft...)

Yep. I was sooooo happy when Tech Svcs jumped on that MM bandwagon; my admin workload was reduced to near-zero ... as long as you Sgts input the info properly regarding dates etc!! It's a good program --- should be implemented CF wide.