How Your Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives Can Include Veterans

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, as of June 2019, 200,000 service members transition from military to civilian life annually. In the last several years, the federal government has taken many steps to support them — including the Joining Forces Initiative in 2011, which called for companies to hire and train 1.5 million military veterans and their spouses, and the the Forever GI Bill passed in 2017, which ensures that student veterans can take advantage of the educational benefits they’ve earned at any point throughout their lives.

However, the transition to civilian employment may not always be an easy or successful process.

Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate among veterans has more than doubled year over year to almost 7 percent this year. And according to Gallup’s 2019 annual survey on employee engagement, a majority of all employees including veterans have jobs in which they are not engaged.

The lack of job security and satisfaction is a profound concern. In an October 2020 piece for Military Times, Leo James reported that more than 6,000 veterans take their lives every year.

In light of the escalating stress and financial pressure associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, this Veteran’s Day we need to do more than simply thank our former service members. Leaders can make their veteran employees feel included and valued by leveraging these specific strategies.

1. Address their military experience.

DeVry University’s Green Zone Elite training program offered several tips to increase leaders’ veteran sensitivity, and this one is at the top of the list.

Leaders should encourage veteran employees to discuss their military service in the context of the job.

“Take the time to understand and respect the transferable skills veterans bring to the table by virtue of their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) and leadership skills informed by their rank,” DeVry recommends in a press release.

“In the workforce, I quickly advanced with the project management and leadership skills I learned during my time in the Navy,” said DeVry University alum Dan Fettig, a former enlisted sailor and current Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer and the T-TAURI Engagement & Capabilities Implementation Manager at Lockheed Martin Space.

“As I navigated my career, I have found there’s an opportunity for employers and fellow team members to learn more about how the military trains veterans with transferable skills and better understand how and why veterans operate the way we do," Fettig says.

2. Provide veterans with structure.

Although this is more difficult to do in pandemic times, we must remember that veteran employees are accustomed to a set workday, timely meetings and predetermined performance objectives. It may be necessary, especially when a veteran employee is new to the organization, for a manager to outline exactly what their days will look like and the precise expectations upon which they will be evaluated.

3. Emphasize teamwork.

Most veterans have a finely-honed sense of camaraderie and are motivated by a shared purpose and strong relationships. Veterans should connect with their teams early and often, even if engagement is entirely remote.

If a leader has a choice between an individualized or team approach to a project, it’s more psychologically beneficial for many veterans to work alongside others.

Leaders can also boost veteran morale by helping them help others.

“Through our Veterans Employee Resource Group, we run campaigns to have our veterans refer other veterans,” Mike Thiel, a U.S. Navy veteran and talent acquisition manager at Micron Technology, said in an October 2020 Tech Republic conversation about helping military veterans transition into civilian jobs with the help of artificial intelligence.

“To give these opportunities to veterans who are very scared of transitioning, to be able to provide something for them, is huge,” Thiel said.

4. Use a retrospective lens.

According to DeVry, military veterans are accustomed to “After Action Reviews” that assess successes and opportunities for improvement.

Once a project or assignment is completed, civilian leaders can follow suit by hosting a reflection meeting to discuss the progress and outcomes. Postmortem meetings are good practice for everyone, but they may be doubly useful to veterans who may feel insecure about the differences between military and civilian employment.

5. Educate your workforce about stereotypes.

Civilian employees may view veterans in a certain light and may expect them to only be qualified for specific jobs and/or have specific personality traits and attributes.

If a leader has a choice between an individualized or team approach to a project, it’s more psychologically beneficial for many veterans to work alongside others.

Leaders are well-served to create training programs—or at least self-serve online information—that educate their workforces about veteran myths versus realities. Anti-bias initiatives targeted to other forms of discrimination should also include former service members.

6. Be mindful of mental health challenges.

In his Military Times piece, Leo James reported that since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, funding for veterans' mental health care has increased fourfold from $2.5 billion to $10 billion a year. This is good news, but we must keep in mind that in the wake of the pandemic, everyone’s mental health needs will increase and veterans may be a particularly vulnerable population.

Leaders should check in frequently with veteran employees, ask about their general well-being, be on the lookout for warning signs of depression and anxiety (isolation, moodiness, changes in work performance, etc.) and provide helpful resources.

This Veterans Day, so many organizations have illustrated their commitment to former service members by hiring veterans in record numbers. Now, in conjunction with overall diversity and inclusion objectives, they must ensure their leaders are equipped to support this group in meaningful ways.

Read more articles on hiring & HR.

Photo: Getty Images