recruitingMilitaryTalent_white paper FINAL 2.29.16

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THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT TODAY’S VETERANS FACE TRANSITIONING INTO CIVILIAN JOBS

It is easy to discern a soldier from a civilian, crisp pressed uniforms, medals, name tags, polished shoes, you get the picture. Once the soldier is out of their uniform it makes it harder, as most veterans are outwardly identifiable of the overall community. The U.S. military is one of the most diverse organizations in terms of representation. When you hire a veteran, you are hiring a diverse candidate who possesses skills, training and experiences most civilians do not.

Today’s veterans face many challenges as they transition from the military to civilian culture, disproportionate to similarly situated peers in the civilian workplace. I will discuss those challenges and list specific recommendations that can be implemented into your organization to help veterans integrate into the workforce.

If your organization has contracts with the federal government exceeding $10,000 per contract, and totaling $50,000+ dollars annually, then this information might be of particular interest to your talent acquisition team, as they will be required to provide a diverse slate of candidates – which includes veterans.

In 2014, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) revised regulations that significantly impacted individuals with disabilities and veterans. The OFCCP set a hiring benchmark for veterans of 7% per affirmative action plan and a 7% utilization analysis that spans all EEO job groups for individuals with disabilities. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on veterans. In subsequent articles, we will take a deeper dive into the most pressing challenges for individuals with disabilities. However, make no mistake, the two intersect and organizations should be mindful of this fact.

T H E K A L E I D O S C O P E G R O U PReal People • Real Conversations • Real Issues • Real Change1

THE SOLDIER WITHOUT A UNIFORM

T H E K A L E I D O S C O P E G R O U PReal People • Real Conversations • Real Issues • Real Change


Personally, I served in the United States Navy from 1995 through 2000 as a Naval Hospital Corpsman, alongside the Marine Corps. During my time in the military, I was awarded two Navy Achievement Medals, a Joint Forces Commendation Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, an Armed Forces Service Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit and a U.S. Coast Guard Special Ops Ribbon. While serving, I was in a military vehicle collision and sustained serious injuries – both apparent and non-apparent. I experienced many of the challenges today’s veterans struggle with. I have learned to live with my disabilities and transition into the civilian workforce and entrepreneurship quite successfully.

RECRUITING AND RETAINING TOP-TIER MILITARY TALANT

The top challenges veterans are facing today

Unemployment – while the jobless rate for veterans has decreased from its peak of 12% in 2011, the most current data suggests 7.9% of veterans are still unemployed compared to the overall civilian unemployment rate of 4.3%.

Dan Goldenberg is the Executive Director for the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit, which helps veterans find careers by supporting groups that prepare them for the job market, welcomed the improvement. He said, “More work needs to be done”, citing a 17.3% unemployment rate among male veterans in the 18-24 age groups. “Post-9/11 veterans are still unemployed at a rate almost 50% greater than their peers,” said Goldenberg. Meaningful employment is the cornerstone of a veteran’s success yet their greatest challenge as they transition into civilian life.

Research by Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Economists in 2013 found that veterans deployed overseas for prolonged periods, struggled to find work because of the traumas of war, as well as training that did not readily translate into the civilian world. Among post, 9/11 military veterans, women continued to bear the brunt of high unemployment, with an 8.5% jobless rate last year - down from 9.6% in 2013. Unemployment was highest among the 25-44 age groups. The military is like many Fortune 500 companies, in that most Military Occupation Codes (MOS’s) performed in the military have transferable skill sets that mirror the job requisitions your company is looking to fill.

Side note: Marital status plays an important role the impact employment has on veterans. Veterans are more likely to be married creating additional financial stressors and burdens to their families. Female veterans in comparison to male veterans are less likely to be currently married (54.9 percent vs. 74.5 percent, respectively). According to the 2008-2010 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates, married females over the age of 15 represent 47.7% of the U.S. population, while males over the age of 15 represent 51.5% of the U.S. population. Marital status of veterans is important because it adds weight and pressure to each of the challenges described below and is disproportionately higher than that of their civilian counterparts.

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PLACING A VALUE ON HIRING VETERANSToday’s veterans are among the most skilled and trained our military have ever produced. To that end many “transitioning Service Members have leadership capabilities above and beyond the typical civilian employee. Value this characteristic and find ways to weave leadership responsibilities into the civilian position.” Veterans are highly loyal to an organization, quickly assess their environment and can make decisions without pause. Veterans also have a global perspective and embrace the inclusion of diverse people and thought. Their enduring dedication to the work makes them well suited for today’s fast paced corporate environment.

www.dol.gov

TRENDS IN VETERANS WITH A SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY: FY1986 TO FY2014

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VA BENEFITS & HEALTH CARE UTILIZATION Updated 12/23/14

Number of Veterans Receiving VA Disability Compensation (as of 09/30/14): 3.95 MNumber of Veterans Rated 100% Disabled (as of 09/30/14): 439,491Number of Veterans Receiving VA Pension (as of 09/30/14): 304,579Number of Veterans Compensated for PTSD (as of 09/30/14): 722,044Number of OEF/OIF Amputeees (as of 09/30/14): 1,652 2

Source: DVA Information Technology Center; Health Services Training Report; VBA Education Service; VBA OFfice of Performance Analysis & Integrity; 1 VHA (1045); 2 DoD. Produced by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics.

THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT TODAY’S VETERANS FACE TRANSITIONING INTO CIVILIAN JOBS

Service connected disabilities – among the 4 million veterans receiving Veterans Administration (VA) Disability compensation, approximately 25% have some type of service connected disability sustained during their service out of those returning from the most current theaters of war, and approximately 13% have a service connected disability. This number is anticipated to climb as the Department of Veteran Affairs is currently backlogged with service connected claims, averaging a decision time that exceeds 368 days.Non-apparent Injuries – not all disabilities are apparent; many veterans suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBI’s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), loss of identity, and depression. According to a 2014 Department of Veterans Affairs Utilization analysis, approximately 722,000 veterans have been diagnosed and are being treated for PTSD under the VA Medical System. In 2015, the Department of Veteran Affairs reported that 22 veterans were commit suicide each day.Homelessness – unemployment is a key factor in a veteran’s ability to financially provide for themselves and their families. Lacking financial wherewithal, despite all the support services available for veterans, homelessness is still a challenge. In the U.S. approximately 12% of all individuals who are homeless are veterans. Roughly 40% of veterans who are homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 10.4% and 3.4% of the U.S. veteran population, respectively. Surprisingly, female veterans remain the fastest growing homeless population in America totaling 7%.

Education – many of today’s veterans choose to utilize the GI Bill to further their education and compete within the civilian workforce. Many colleges and universities have seen challenges with onboarding new student veterans and retaining them through graduation. The Department of Veterans Affairs has begun measuring success rates of student veterans through a newly developed tool to help veterans evaluate how the institution serves the veteran population and compares the same metrics against other schools of consideration. Some metrics include: number of students utilizing the GI Bill, Principles of Excellence, 8 Keys to Veteran Success, Accreditation Type, Graduation Rates, and Yellow Ribbon Program participant.

This tool allows transparency for veterans to choose the best school that will meet their educational needs and support them through graduation.

http://department-of-veterans-affairs.github.io/gi-bill-comparison-tool/

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1. Build a solid business case around hiring veteran talent and tie it to the organizational strategy

2. Find out what percentage of veterans currently work inside the organization 2a.Partner with your HRIS and EEO teams to find this information

3. Discover how many of those veteran’s self-id as a “Special Disabled Veteran” (www.dol.gov)

4. Encourage the formation of a veterans Employee Resource Group (ERG)/Business Resource Group (BRG) or a veteran’s support group to help with the transition to your organizational culture

5. Have a conversation with HR, business line leaders, hiring managers to amend job descriptions to include language that accepts military work experience as a substitute for civilian experience

6. Gather and understand the organizations HR policies that surround veterans, National Guard leave, gap pay, work life resources tailored to veterans, and reasonable accommodation policies & procedures

7. Encourage managers to support veterans, with a service connected disability, to attend medical appointments

8. If your organization promotes corporate volunteerism, consider volunteering at a local veteran organization to give back to the community

9. Speak to the department that administers the Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC), organizations receive Federal and state tax credits for hiring a veteran and may be missing tax savings 9a. Important clarification – tax incentives should never be the only reason a veteran is hired. If they are equally qualified and meet all the job requirements and it is a choice between a veteran and non-veteran, the benefit to the organization is greater than tax incentives.

10. Develop a military/civilian dictionary and share with the Talent Acquisition team to better understand military jargon, ranks, roles, responsibilities and transferable skills that directly impact the organization

11. Work with recruiters and hiring managers to build awareness on how to interview and translate military experience into civilian experience

12. Develop a veteran partner listing and evaluation tools to measure the success those organizations bring by way of a diverse veteran pipeline of talent

Starting Points and Solutions – If you are struggling with finding and retaining veterans the solutions are never cookie-cutter and the strategy should never be its own silo. Every organization is different – job requirements, location, compensation, executive support are all important factors in demystifying the challenges outlined above and successfully acquiring and retaining the best veteran talent available. If your organization is struggling to meet the OFCCP’s hiring benchmark, the conversation changes from a feel good, “I am doing my patriotic duty” and shifts to a business imperative. To be clear, there is a distinct and measurable difference between a company’s professing they are veteran friendly and those that have built a solid veteran strategy. Mainly, a strategy lives and spans the entire enterprise, it is sustainable, measurable, and can be seen, felt and heard. An assembly of partners and attendance at military jobs fairs is a good start, but not a strategy. Some organizations have full-time employees whose only focus is veteran outreach, typically housed under HR with strong ties to Diversity & Inclusion and Talent Acquisition. Below are a few suggestions an organization can do to start:

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CONTACT INFORMATION

O: 312.274.9000 E: [email protected]


On the surface, these may seem simple and achievable; however, many organizations grapple with how to measure success in building a sustainable and defined military outreach strategy including: where to start, how to gain leadership buy-in, the process of developing a Veterans ERG/BRG, how to measure success, identify the right partner mix and training hiring managers/HRBPs. If any of these are challenges for your organization, you are not alone. Many of the challenges outlined above are interconnected; if you succeed in one area it is likely to impact some of the other challenges veterans are facing. If you need assistance and would like to discuss areas you would like to improve, please feel free to contact me anytime.

REFERENCES

Department of Veteran Affairs http://www.va.gov/vetdata/

Politico.com http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-education/2015/10/va-considers-flagging-schools-in-trouble-fines-pile-up-in-washington-state-will-scotus-take-up-student-loans-2108622

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans http://nchv.org/

Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/18/us-usa-economy-veterans-idUSKBN0ME28720150318

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recruitingMilitaryTalent_white paper FINAL 2.29.16

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