Our Veterans are viewed as heroes and when they return from serving their country, they deserve a hero’s welcome. But beneath the celebrations and salutes, there are underlying challenges that military Veterans and their families face, particularly when transitioning to a new professional life. Often, there is a unique set of challenges when it comes to transitioning to civilian work and adapting lifestyles that can have an incredible impact on their mental health. Fortunately, the priority on mental health of Veterans is growing and there are steps that employers can take to support this vibrant talent community.
Making the Adjustment to Personal and Professional Life Outside of the Military
The change in daily life itself for both military personnel and their significant others can sometimes be described as no less than culture shock. From daily routines and interactions with superiors to the bias that some military Veterans may face when entering or re-entering the workforce, Veterans need an adjustment period to adapt their new lifestyle and often their mindset to keep a healthy perspective. And for those individuals whose first work experience was in the military, it is an entirely brand-new working environment and experience.
For their spouses, a life on the move, trying to set up networks and more, are often facilitated by the military community. They become accustomed to a tight-knit group of people living in the same circumstances so much so that when it’s time to move on, a feeling of loss can overtake.
Schedules, structures and having things in common are some of the changes faced by Veterans when they leave the military and settle into civilian life. Military men and women are disciplined and structured. Missions are not left incomplete, and the day unfolds essentially like clock-work. In today’s modern workforce, many organizations have assumed more flexible lifestyles, especially in the corporate world and tech environment where hours may be adjusted and there is no central location to clock in and out.
Helping Veterans adjust by providing detailed expectations, outcomes, and being respectful of schedules for meetings and such will help support them as they thrive in the new work environment. This holds true for both onsite and remote or hybrid roles. As sentiment tides change to a return-to-office environment with more in person interaction, the tech industry still reflects the largest share of remote and hybrid work opportunities. It is important to conduct a thorough onboarding and integration of Veteran hires into a remote or hybrid working environment to help them build a successful daily structure and to keep them engaged. Remember, they just exited a lifestyle where team was paramount and they lived and worked with the same community day in and day out.
Further, hiring teams must consider that mental health concerns for military personnel tends to skew a bit higher than the civilian population already. According to CharlieHealth.com, “Research shows that 9% of all appointments at outpatient military clinics are for depression.” PsychCentral notes that “23% of active-duty military are living with depression.”
Some military personnel suffer from family separation concerns and combat anxiety. These feelings don’t magically dispel when a military member is no longer on active duty. In fact, Veterans suffer from a higher rate of depression than their general population counterparts. Bridging the mental health services they receive in a military setting to continue when they are in the civilian community is critical to supporting them. Employers who are proactive in prioritizing mental health as part of their benefits to their employees are a best hiring option for Veterans who may need support.
Dispelling the Experience Myth for Veterans for Better Hiring Outcomes
There is much that Veterans have to navigate following their service for their own personal health; adding layers of having to provide financial security and stability for themselves and their families, learning a new job, and getting settled in a new community can seem insurmountable. Employability perception adds to the uneasiness as well.
Research shows that “Veterans earn more than 12 percent less and are 4 percentage points (18 percent) more likely to be out of the labor force than comparable nonveterans. Interestingly, accounting for Veterans’ differences from comparable nonveterans in terms of education and disability status largely explains these labor market differences.”
One of the reasons for this disparity is the perception of their skills by industry leadership.
While there are many valuable and often intangible skills that Veterans bring to the table including problem-solving, strategic thinking, collaboration and team engagement, some Veterans face hurdles in landing new roles because employers raise concerns that they might not have the training or hard skills that are needed for a specific job, particularly in the tech or engineering field.
For instance, there are many specialties when it comes to tech including programming languages, the operating systems, and the technical procedures that are taught through certification and educational courses, or through hands-on experiences. While military personnel may not possess particular hard-skills at the onset, many often have a foundational understanding of tech and engineering disciplines from their work in the field. With the help of upskilling and reskilling programs, these Veterans could be up and running in a role very quickly.
Hiring managers can also leverage opportunities for Veterans to attain peripheral tech and engineering positions that are more planning-based and business-based, as opposed to initial tech expertise, so that they can become part of the operation and grow from there. By opening up avenues to quicker employment, some of the above concerns and fears that contribute to the mental health of Veterans can be assuaged.
Be the Village That Our Veterans Need
In addition to those uncertainties that can increase stress and impact mental health of Veterans, there are very serious circumstances to consider such as returning from combat and varying levels of PTSD, in addition to any physical constraints or injuries they may have suffered.
One of the more sobering statistics is the higher risk for suicide in the Veteran community. According to American Addiction Centers, currently “the suicide rate for Veterans is 1.5 times higher than that of the general population” and we lose nearly 17 Veterans each day in the US to suicide. It is a serious concern and a number one reason that our mental health support systems available through work need to operate in conjunction with the government and military-issued programs for Veterans. With an estimated 41% of Veterans needing mental health services each year, we must ensure we support from all sides.
US Army vet Doug Vinson, who works with North Carolina-based Stop Soldier Suicide, notes the value of companies being part of the solution.
“As a veteran myself, I have a strong sense of duty to the health and well-being of my brother and sister veterans. At Stop Soldier Suicide, our mission is very specifically to support the mental health and wellness of at-risk men and women who served our nation. And one of the leading causes of Veteran suicide is the struggle to transition to the civilian sector and finding meaningful employment. So when companies join in the cause by supporting Veterans with job opportunities and a restored sense of belonging to a team, many positive things happen: the feeling of support increases, the decrease in isolationism widens and veterans can flourish as the incredible resource companies are seeking. And that not only benefits the company, but the greater community at large.”
Using the Work Resources Available To Support the Mental Health of Our Veterans on the Job
The Veteran community is a rich talent pool of dedicated and bright individuals who want to make a difference in the world. Supporting their community and serving those around them is in the DNA fabric of a Veteran. When the work community has the chance to return the favor for their sacrifice, let it pool all their resources for their healthy transition from military life to the civilian workforce.
While SSi People has long been a supporter of Veteran hiring and building partnerships with Veteran groups, their program ServiceStrong neatly packages their long list of resources and actions towards furthering the growth of the Veteran workforce in the tech industry. To work with a tech and engineering staffing provider with deep roots in this community that help you diversify your tech team with Veteran talent, contact us today.
For additional resources to support Veterans and service members, visit: https://goroger.org/get-help
