If you don't actively participate in Ten Forward's departments you will not make it past the rank of Lieutenant. You may come every day and chat for three hours, however if you don't take the initiative to assist a department you will not progress in ranking. This is our policy and we intend to stick with it. I hope this is now crystal clear. Your departmental activity level is determined by your respective department head. He/she decides whether or not you are worthy of a promotion to senior rank (Lieutenant Commander and above). If the head feels you're ready for an extra pip, he/she will submit a promotion recommendation to the Admiralty come the end of the month. The Admiralty takes promotion recommendations very seriously, especially in light of the new promotion recommendation guidelines put forward last month. The Admiralty then makes the final decision - if the admiralty feels the officer in question is ready, they will pass the recommendation. I'd like everyone to remember that we have over 150 people who come into TF regularly on a monthly basis - some more than others, but all in all there are approximately 150 names which drop by TF each month. That's a lot of people to keep track of as you could imagine. Therefore, there will be times when an officer is overlooked, especially those officers seeking junior promotions (Lieutenant JG, Lieutenant). If you feel you've been overlooked, feel free to inform an admiral. We prefer you come and talk to us about it before whining and complaining to everyone else. I can assure you all however, that in the long run everything works out fairly. Those deserving of senior rank will receive it.
I've been speaking about senior promotions up to this point. Senior promotions include promotions to ranks of Lt. Cmdr. and above. If you come on a regular basis, are respectful of others, and follow our Prime Directives you should be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant within a maximum of 4 months time. Of course this depends on how often you visit TF. At the end of the month our senior and executive staff submit to the admiralty a list of officers they feel are ready to be promoted. Should a junior officer receive a large number of recommendations, he/she is promoted. Should a junior officer receive a very limited amount of recommendations, he/she usually must wait at least another month. In my opinion this is a very fair system. The more you visit TF the greater the chance of earning promotion recommendations from seniors and executives which of course leads to a greater chance of being promoted. Keep that in mind. No longer do the Admirals make all the decisions regarding promotions. We simply separate those with lots of requests from those with very few.
Finally I'd just like to let everyone know that promotions to ranks of Commander and above are relatively hard to get. Those deserving will move up the ladder with time. I'm sure you've all watched Star Trek before *S* When was the last time you saw a Commander move up to Captain in a few months time? I can't recall that ever happening under normal circumstances. The same applies here. So please, if you are of a high rank and wondering why you haven't been promoted for a few months despite the hours and hours of efforts you put forth each week I'd like to remind you that such promotions are not just based on the work efforts you put forth but the time factor as well. Please don't assume you haven't moved up the rank ladder because we are displeased with your work efforts and expect even more out of you. That isn't the case. I'd also like to remind you executives out there to take some time off now and then. So many of you work so hard and go far beyond expectations. Although this is awesome and greatly appreciated, we do understand should you want to take more time for yourself. Don't pressure yourself - TF is supposed to be fun, not stressful. Should any high ranking senior wish to discuss their promotion status (as it may be an issue with some) by all means, contact us. We're more than willing to talk to you.
Thank you,
TF Admiralty