How To Support Your Part Time Military Team Members
Did you know some of your team members might serve in the military part time?
As we remember and honor those who sacrificed their lives for the freedoms we have today, many employers might not be aware of how many team members also serve in the Armed Forces. These team members have both civilian leadership and military leadership that they report to and wear dual hats. If your onboarding is effective, this information would have been identified by your Human Resources department but if you are a small business, you might not be aware of the needs of these individuals.
This part time status they serve in is within what is called the Reserve component. These components include: The Army National Guard, The Army Reserve, The Navy Reserve, The Marine Corps Reserve, The Air National Guard, The Air Force Reserve and The Coast Guard Reserve. These individuals bring unique talents to your companies and organizations while also serving within their military component on specific times and dates that will need to be coordinated with their supervision and civilian employer.
This service might be once a month or a couple weeks a year however, there might be times where that team member is called to support longer terms within their state, out of state, out of the country or even to support a deployment. This means the unfortunate could happen that your team member could lose their life protecting their homebase or country. Just as all your team members have specific needs, they too need your support. To become more familiar with these needs, utilize the resources below while also:
Contacting your Human Resources Department to understand rights, your responsibility and company policies in managing these team members.
Become familiar with their leave protections and their specific military organization requirements for participation.
In your feedback sessions or new employee meetings, learn from the team member what their needs might be and gauge if they feel supported by your company & organization.
Ask for recommendations on how to support them. Consider the support their family might need during their absence.
Ensure the team member is aware of their benefits (including health), responsibility in communicating this information and their employee rights. This might be referring them to HR or connecting with ESGR or their military leadership for additional support.
Team members can also nominate their employers who support them in managing civilian life and military life. The Department of Defense (DOD) awards companies who support these personnel and you can be one of them.
For more resources for leaders, supervisors, HR or employers you can obtain that information:
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
