5 ways to foster support for veterans in the workplace

When veterans return to civilian life after serving in the military, transitioning to the workforce can be a challenge. That’s because the uniforms, hierarchy, protocols, and language of military life are very different from the civilian world. This can make finding the right fit with a civilian employer difficult.

Employers looking to recruit or retain veterans in the workforce can help by understanding veterans’ unique challenges and seeking ways to support them in the hiring process and throughout their careers.

This support can look like creating initiatives and resources that set veterans up for success, as well as employing specific practices and behaviors that help ensure a smooth transition. Here are five tips and best practices to keep in mind:

1. Create a veteran resource group or veteran mentorship program

Resource groups and mentorship programs for veterans can help provide them with smoother transitions, expand their network and exposure to the organization, and build camaraderie with fellow veterans.

Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP)’s Annual Warrior Survey found that warriors employed by companies offering a resource group or veteran mentorship program are more likely to be professionally fulfilled. This helps veterans thrive in the workforce while providing the support needed for them to succeed long term.

2. Implement an onboarding program specifically for veterans

Veterans are accustomed to a specific language and set of processes unique to the military. For instance, veterans may not initially understand their new company’s health care plan or benefits package because these were provided in the military without options or costs. This makes concepts like open enrollment a brand-new experience for them.

Lean on and utilize veterans’ service organizations that specialize in career counseling. Oftentimes, these organizations provide free resources for employers who are hiring veterans. For example, WWP’s career counseling program, Warriors to Work®, developed a series of fact sheets to support human resources professionals, hiring managers, and recruiters with how to recruit, retain, and support veteran employees.

3. Convey value and purpose

In many cases, what led veterans to the military was a sense of duty or a calling to serve their country. This derives from a desire to do something meaningful. Sharing the value of the veteran’s job and how it plays into the overall success of the company can go a long way.

4. Share consistent feedback

Veterans were trained to receive feedback and implement it, as often their lives and the lives of others depended on it. Regular check-ins and direct communication can help veterans understand civilian workplace norms such as organizational structures and performance reviews.

5. Support them where they are in their journey

As previously mentioned, veterans face unique experiences in their transition to civilian life. Therefore, it’s important for employers to meet them where they are in their journey and practice flexibility and patience. For example, wounded veterans may have external obligations, such as regular medical appointments. Rather than marking that as sick time, employers should consider appropriate accommodations for the veteran teammate, such as offering remote work if the job allows.

Related: 3 ways to invest in veteran employees

When organizations invest in these efforts to support veterans on the front end, they can pay dividends on the back end. Veterans’ specialized skills often distinguish them in the civilian workplace as models of leadership, agility, collaboration, risk assessment, and integrity and ethics, to name a few. With the proper support system in place, employers can leverage the rare, valuable, and distinctive attributes that professionally fulfilled veterans bring to the civilian workforce.

Tom Kastner is the financial wellness vice president of Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP).