Retention of first and second class petty officers in the U.S. Coast Guard

Abstract

This research project attempts to isolate the causes of the high rate of turnover amongst first and second class petty officers in the Coast Guard. Coast Guardsmen stationed in San Francisco and in the south Texas area, from a large variety of units and occupational specialties, provide input to this research effort. Questionnaires and interviews are used as the survey technique to obtain information from first and second class petty officers. Two-hundred and sixty-four petty officers responded to the questionnaire and thirty-three from San Francisco were interviewed by the authors. The average age of a respondent is twenty-six and most are in their second or subsequent enlistment in the Coast Guard. More than half indicated they are definitely leaving or considering leaving the Coast Guard at the end of their present enlistments. As expressed by these petty officers, the major causes of voluntary separation from the service are declining benefits and inadequate pay. Additional causes are poor leadership, the poor quality of subordinates, and an inability to specialize in one aspect of their rates.