Armed Forces Day is on 26 June 2021. This is a day to show support to all of those who make up the armed forces community. There are ways that your organisation can also show support to this community. 

Here’s a bit about why being a forces friendly employer is important to me:  As the daughter of parents who both served in the RAF, and now married to an Army Officer; I am well and truly involved in the military life. I have also worked on military contracts for several years. It can be quite a different lifestyle that is hard to describe to ‘civilians’, which is why I feel strongly about organisations signing up to as a forces friendly employer. 

Why should your organisation be a forces friendly employer? 

For veterans, life and careers beyond the military can be a daunting prospect, with everything from CV writing to interviews - something they may never have even had to do. And what about all those courses and skills they have picked up in their career, how can this translate into a civilian role, especially with many qualifications not being recognised outside of the military environment? It doesn’t mean that these qualifications have no value in your workplace – employers and their recruitment teams need to think about the transferrable skills that can be gained from employing a veteran.  

The wealth of knowledge and experience veteran have gained in a variety of settings can be a great addition to your team. One skill that really stands out to me was a veteran I worked with who was very cool under pressure – definitely a skill he’d honed having been on the frontline in war zones. When everyone in the meeting room was getting worked up and tempers were fraying, he’d put it all into context by asking: “Is anyone shooting at us?” – Our response was invariably “no” – but his question was certainly sobering and we could refocus on the task at hand and put things back into perspective. 

Supporting military reservists 

Being a reservist in the British Military is something many people do. It means they generally have military commitments for various weekends, one week night evening throughout the year.  They also have a two week training camp that they can be required to attend. 

A forces friendly employer needs to understand these commitments and allow their member of staff to attend these when required, without being penalised.  Employers allow members of staff with reserves commitment to take two weeks additional unpaid leave to be able to attend their annual training camp. There should also be flexible working to allow the reservist to attend their weeknight parade and weekend military reserve duties. 

You also need to understand that if a reservist is called up for active duty, then this could mean they are away from the business for an extended period of time. 

Supporting military families

There is also support that employers can make to the partners of serving military personnel. It can be really tough moving house every two or so years and having to find another job. It really helps if employers are able to be flexible and even assist in the partner being able to transfer to another location within the business, or being able to work remotely from their new location. 

If you would like to formalise your support, your organisation can sign the armed forces covenant – you can make your own promises for how you will show your support.  To find out more information visit: www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk

P.s: If you want some other free tips for your personal life, check out the Self Series blog – out fortnightly on Tuesdays, courtesy of Make Me A Plan’s Wellbeing Expert, Tamsin Cain. Browse the latest edition here:  https://www.makemeaplan.com/news/core-values/