European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 2, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday december 2. 19bb the stars and stripes Page 9 go s Beauty More Fafian skin deep new colors shapes part of productivity overhaul by Crystal Laureame Stalatt the r. West Germany no clocks or unsightly three month government calendars hang on the Walls. Not one drab Gray Metal file Cabinet can be found. Room decor is coordinated from he drapes to the wastebaskets in shades of soothing Blue or motivating Burgundy red they Call it Lite civilian personnel office of the future where aesthetics efficiency and automation Are designed to come together enhancing employee productivity and customer service. The army Cio sysum was targeted for an overhaul in a report three years ago by the department of de sense inspector general thai criticized the system s bureaucratic red ape and ineffective organization said Lynn Thompson Heidelberg civilian personnel officer. Since then experimental programs to lest proposals for improvement have been established. And if the innovations in Heidelberg prove successful civilian personnel offices worldwide could be following their Lead. Before the renovation customers As a Cluj As employ. Yes endured dirty crowded and unorganised offices. The conditions made effective and professional Cus Tomer service nearly impossible Thompson said. Internally employee morale was at an All time Low with an annual turnover rate at about 80 percent she estimated. But in order to gel where they arc today the Heidel Berg co staff endured even More hardship. For More than two years while their office underwent renova Tion the civilian personnel sections were spread out in three locations. Some shared a warehouse with rats and Birds others worked in temporary buildings plan Ted in the parking lot and some continued to work in the building amidst the intensive renovation. Personnel files remained in the current building in Mark Twain Village but often were needed by the staff working in the warehouse on Campbell Barracks or in the parking lot Thompson said. It personnel files were needed to process paperwork customer service was delayed while the file was retrieved. The overhaul of the Heidelberg office began More than two years ago with questions to each division chief and numerous employees about the details of their jobs and what they though the optimal working environment would be Daryl Jay of steel Casc inc. Said ". Although hired Only to provide furniture contractor Jay used his knowledge As a professional designer to create More than just a building with new insides. Based on what he called the proven psychological reaction of colors on human Beins Jay objected to several color suggestions yellow in particular. Yellow is a hostile unfriendly color he said. Blue carpet was selected not Only to break away from the Standard military Earth tone concept of de signing but also because Brawns and beige arc consid ered definitely depressing old and sad colors he mid. Blue was put in High traffic customer service areas to sooth and Cool Burgundy red in other work areas to stimulate the work Force the office of the co her Deputy and Secretary have Darker Blue drapes and furniture for a very executive very professional serious look it is also the Only place where heavy and dark Walnut laminated furniture was  training rooms Are in brighter Blue with extremely Light Gray Walls. Lynn Thompson Center walks through " i civilian personnel office of the future in Heidelberg. Aside from the color changes he Job information Center was redesigned to give the impression people can get in and out quickly Jay said. Chairs were removed. This is a place where people arc supposed to come in far forms and Job information he said. The forms should be filled out in a thoughtful quiet place like at Homes of there arc no sitting places except for a private consulting area. The employees said they needed a place to sit face to face that was  a disastrous filing system has been replaced by four electric rotating systems built into Walls. Access to the files is limited. A stairwell was blocked off to create a master filing room a two Story system that is primarily operated by one person. The new file system is a Stark contrast to he rows of cabinets that lined hallways and could be rummaged through by almost anyone who entered the building Jay said. This is part of the control Factor we found Nec Essary when we looked at the organization he said. Thompson expects employees to Benefit from the attractiveness and professional look of the renovated office but the Bottom line is whether the changes help customers. \. -. ". It is important for us to feel professional about ourselves and our jobs but that feeling must also reach our customers she said. The end result has to be professional customer  aside from the redecorating two programs have been developed to Speed routine paperwork processing by dedicating teams of pm Plo Yecs to specific tasks. The personnel actions expediting team facet now processes actions such As automatic pay in creases and non competitive Jab appointments at a fraction of the time previously needed to process through the regular system Thompson said. Best benefits and employees services team processes requests Tor living quarters allowance Stu Dent travel and Home leave provides assistance after deaths and handles some insurance needs. Other changes include first Steps toward making the co a paperless operation. Thompson said now in use is a automated program thai gives managers n list of task descriptions to choose from when writing Job descriptions reducing the classification process from couple of Days to about an hour. Thompson also has instituted an employee wellness program that is part of the Model program if we arc not feeling Well we will not provide Good service we will not be productive Thompson said. The wellness program includes health assessments cholesterol and blood pressure checks periodic health classes and an exercise program. ,. Highly percent of the 75 to 80 employees Are participating Thompson said. The Cost of renovating the building that houses he Usa eur resource Library on the first floor and co on the second and third is estimated at 11.5 million. Jay chipped in his design ideas at no Cost to the gov. Eminent. Data collected on employee productivity customer service building Low and other areas will be sent to the naval re search Center for analysis. Results eventually will reach Frank Ipolia director of personnel management for the assistant Secretary of defense for civilian personnel policy. " -. Thompson feels that the work they Are doing in. Heidelberg can have a further Impact. We know what we arc doing is right she said now we have to work to get the statistics to prove  of sergeant in jail wins $1 million lottery mount Holly no. Dpi an air Force sergeant won a $ i million slate lottery Jackpot while in1 jail on cocaine Possession charges and was bailed out hours later authorities said thursday. Staff sol. Lionel r. Maynard assigned to the .43 bin Aerial port so ill Mcguire fab in Southern new Jersey was re leased on �2,000 bail about six hours after winning  jew Jersey lottery pick-6 Bonus in Maynard 29, is now eligible for 20 annual payments of $50.000, minus a deduction for Fedora income taxes lot Tery spokesman Andy Baglivo said. Maynard was arrested Early saturday by North Hanover township police. Officers said the Driver of the car in which Maynard was a passenger a civilian had been stopped for a motor vehicle Viola Tion when a police officer noticed what appeared to be cocaine on the front Seal. Both men were arrested for Possession of a controlled dangerous substance. The amount of cocaine was not Avail Able because the substance was still being weighed and tested township police chief Larry Hopkins said. The Burlington county prosecutor s office is reviewing the charge because cocaine Possession is an indictable of sense that must be handled by a grand jury Hopkins said.  we Don t know the Cha status of the cose right  he said. Slate lottery officials were not immediately available for comment on when Maynard would be Able to claim the first instalment of his prize Maynard had not been officially in formed of his Good Fortune before his release wednesday night Burlington county jail Warden William Jemison said. I had not received official word from the lottery people Jemison said. The Warden said Maynard could not have used his lottery winnings to make bail because he had not been present at the drawing in Atlantic City to claim the initial Check. -. V / Maynard s name was chosen for the $1 million prize from among 250 finalists  in the pick-6 Bonus drawing. Players become eligible for the drawing by Matching in enact order the five digit Bonus number drawn in the stale lot Tery s biweekly pick-6 lotto. Wednesday s drawing was the 100th Bonus drawing the. New Jersey lottery has held since March 1981, when the game began lottery officials said