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 For
many reservists, work life does not end when they take off
the uniform. Maj. Francis J. Tobias is one of these Airmen.
Aside from a change of setting and suit and tie, his
profession remains the same.
"I do the exact same
job; I just change clothes," he said.
In uniform,
Tobias serves as the director of Equal Opportunity for the
940th Air Refueling Wing. In his civilian position, he is
the vice president of Human Resources for the California
Dental Association.
This wasn’t always the case
though. It took years of patience before Tobias was able to
put his two careers together.
It started when he
joined ROTC, as a freshman with an undeclared major. Shortly
into his first year, his detachment commander told him he
needed to pick a major to stay in the program.
Tobias
was handed a list of majors and began reading through it. It
was full of technical studies and a few foreign languages,
but none of them were sparking his interest. He continued
reading it until he reached the last subject on the page:
personnel.
"What's personnel?" he asked.
The
commander told him it was the study of human resources
management. Tobias thought it may be interesting, but in the
end, he said he chose it because it had the least amount of
units needed to graduate. But after his first course, he
knew he made the right decision.
"I took HR 101 and
fell in love with it," he said.
His passion for
helping people fit perfectly with the supportive nature of
the career field.“Whatever I do is to help someone else and
that’s what I love about it.”
When it came time to
commission, the demand for personnel officers had decreased
and Tobias followed the needs of the Air Force to a
logistics position.
On the civilian side, he
continued with what he studied, holding various HR jobs and
growing into more advanced positions.
Now CDA’s vice
president of HR, he and his team provide services to 28,000
dentists across the state.
HR services, like EO in
the military, help develop leadership skills and keep the
work environment running efficiently. Both provide training,
raise awareness and remove any and all unprofessional,
discriminatory and harassing behavior. HR also offers
assistance with hiring, recruiting, reviews and benefits.
About ten years after entering the HR career field, Tobias was
presented a chance to become a Air Force Reserve personnel officer.
He was thrilled.
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December 3, 2017 - Maj. Francis J. Tobias, director of Equal
Opportunity for the 940th Air Refueling Wing, explains a team
building activity to wing members at Beale Air Force Base,
California. The EO office provides assistance to reservists to help
keep the mission and workplace running smoothly. (U.S. Air Force
photo by Senior Airman Tara R. Abrahams)
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“The opportunity to connect both my civilian and military
careers in this way was both a blessing and a privilege,”
the major said. “I felt doing the same job would allow me to
grow, both personally and professionally, and this growth
would allow for me to be a better support for all those I
would help.”
Helping is what EO focuses on. Tobias
and his team strive to enhance mission readiness and ensure
all Beale reservists have positive work environments. Airmen
are encouraged to reach out to his office and speak up about
any difficulties they may be facing.
“We welcome all problems,” he said. “We want
(Airmen) to feel if they have an issue, they have somewhere to go.”
In addition to mediating problems, EO also gives briefings
during wing commander's calls and organizes activities to foster
healthy workplace communications.
"Without positive human
relations, it is very detrimental and makes the mission difficult to
complete," Tobias said. "If a member is facing discriminatory
behavior, there's no way we can expect that Airman to do their job,
much less even want to be in the Air Force... If that (behavior)
persists, the mission stops."
Workplace problems can arise in
any environment and are often stressful, but rest assured there is
always someone to lean on. In or out of uniform, Tobias and his
passion for supporting others will help keep the mission running
smoothly.
By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Tara R. Abrahams
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2018
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