This week we celebrate Veteran’s Day so let’s remember our Vets. About 200,000 US veterans leave the military and enter the civilian workforce each year, and they have excellent skills. Hiring veterans is a smart recruiting strategy. In addition, companies can earn a tax credit of $5,600 for hiring returning hero veterans who are long-term unemployed and up to $9,600 for hiring long-term unemployed veterans with service-connected disabilities (known as wounded warriors). More on the tax credits below.
Veterans leave the military with various valuable skills including technical work, policing, network system analysis, engineering, food service operations, supply chain management, and healthcare.
Besides, veterans, according to a survey of organizations by Orion Talent, often have higher job acceptance and retention rates than other employees.
Many employers may resist veteran recruiting due to concerns about veterans successfully transitioning civilian work life and disabilities such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There are, however, many successful strategies to overcome issues of transition and PTSD.
Veterans represent a ready workforce eager to begin careers outside of the military.
Here are six strategies to improve your ability to attract and hire veterans:
- Promote on your career site that your organization values the service that veterans and their family members have given to our country and state that you support the hiring of returning Service Members and military spouses. You can use terms such as: If you are a Veteran or wounded warrior and would like assistance with the employment process at XYZ Company, please contact us at xyz@yourcompany.com. It is essential to provide all new hires, regardless of disability or perceived need, information outlining the process for requesting accommodations at every point in the employment process.
- Know where to find veterans. Websites such as Military.com and HelmetstoHardhats.org, are great resources for recruiting top veteran applicants. What’s more, most of these resources will let you post open positions at no cost. Ask your current veterans to help you with recruiting by referring their unit friends for open positions in your company.
- Target your search. Just as with typical recruiting practices that mention required degrees, certifications, job competencies, and experiences, consider using military language in your outreach and job descriptions. You can target specific Military Occupational Classification codes that relate to civilian positions by using O*NET OnLine.
- Create a culturally sensitive new hire orientation plan that provides insights to veterans on the more ambiguous reporting and authority structures in corporations. Companies need to understand that the military has a very clear hierarchical structure. Rank is worn, literally, on your uniform (and understood by ALL). There is no misunderstanding as to who’s in charge, who gives the orders, and who follows them. Furthermore, career growth and promotion opportunities are clear and distinct. The civilian workforce tends to be more ambiguous. Thorough onboarding programs that also provide new hires with a mentor or coach can help veterans transition to the new work environment. This approach can also clarify how work gets done, how new employees will be trained, how decisions are made and ultimately, how the mission is achieved.
- Promote a veteran-friendly workplace. Just as many companies recognize and celebrate Black history during the month of February, or breast cancer awareness during the month of October, so too should Service Members and their families be recognized for their service and the ultimate sacrifice on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. If you are a large employer, start an affinity group for veterans similar to the ones you may have for women, Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, Native Americans, the disabled and LGBT members of your workforce.
- Make available resources to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a trauma and stress-related disability that may develop after exposure to an event or ordeal in which death, severe physical harm or violence occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or unnatural disasters, accidents, or military combat. PTSD affects about eight million American adults and can occur at any age, including childhood. Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men. Depending on where they served, the percentage of veterans with PTSD is expected to be roughly 10% for the Gulf War, 12% for the Afghanistan War, and 30% for the Vietnam war. PTSD is frequently accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or anxiety disorders.[i] There are many successful treatments with PTSD.
What can employers do to help workers overcome PTSD? The workplace is not a treatment setting, and organizations should not try to replicate the role of mental health providers. However, by providing an environment of awareness, support and tolerance, and health plans that cover mental health, companies can help ensure the Americans living with PTSD succeed in attaining healthy and productive lives. Workplace mental health has easy to implement strategies to help people with PTSD better manage any physical, cognitive, or emotional limitations they may be experiencing.
In order to learn more more about the tax credits available for hiring returning heroes or wounded warriors go to Orion Talent or to the Department of Labor website or the IRS website.
Is your organization actively recruiting and integrating veterans in your work environment? With roughly 200,000 veterans entering the workforce every year, they are too large a source of trained labor to ignore. Join the discussion.
Happy Veteran’s Day on Thursday!
Victor Assad is the CEO of Victor Assad Strategic Human Resources Consulting, managing partner of InnovationOne, and Sales Advisor to MeBeBot. He works with companies to transform HR, implement remote work, recruit executives, and develop extraordinary leaders, teams, and innovation cultures. He is the author of the highly acclaimed book, Hack Recruiting: the Best of Empirical Research, Method and Process, and Digitization. Subscribe to his weekly blogs at www.VictorHRConsultant.com.
[i] “Post -Traumatic Stress Disorder,” Psychology Today. Found at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder.