“How can we best support our veteran colleagues in their transition into civvie life?” An important question asked by Chris Geraghty on one of my earlier posts - thank you Chris and team at ECG Healthcare Group 🙏 for thinking of our #armedforces #veterans who have a vast array of transferable skills to benefit many civilian employers. This is a poignant question as my husband Iain Bareham is currently on that - in his words “clunky, worrying, unsettling and anxiety inducing” journey. I would suggest the support needed would vary depending on the individual, time served, operational experience and their reason for leaving (by choice, medical discharge, retirement etc.). We must acknowledge that many veterans may be under time pressure to find a new job and are likely to under value themselves and the skills that they can bring to the ‘unknown’ civvie employer. So… what could employers actively do to support their veteran colleagues? Maybe 🤔… 1. #talk to them about their military experience and acknowledge the skills they have acquired and how they would fit into their working environment? 2. Do not assume that they have their personal admin squared away. Some veterans may be struggling with the adaption to Civvie St, housing, debt, marital problems and #mentalillness - but NOT ALL (see No 1. 👍🏻). 3. Find out about #veteransupport/Initiatives in your local area - #getinvolved ! I’m absolutely certain that recent service leavers could add to this list - please feel free to add your comments and share your thoughts on… how employers can best support veterans transitioning into civilian employment 🫡 #veteranshelpingveterans #veteransuccess #employeeengagement
There are some amazing people out there supporting Veterans, John Stephenson - Forces Transition of Forces Transition Group Ltd Totally transparent and meeting veterans where they are to ensure they are empowered to take ownership of the process 🫡 Thank you for this post Sharon Bareham🙌🏻 Never a civilian, always a veteran 🫡
Clearly some may say/feel, I am biased by commenting/supporting this post. But it’s just great to be talking about this topic. Not saying anything is wrong but how can we be there to support others. The left to right arcs are huge in what support people will need and sharing ideas and just talking openly will help others. Sharon Bareham comes at this from a great angle, a Militray Veteran, a Militray wife but most importantly, saved me from the noise/darkness of Mental ‘ill’ Health and continues to do so when it comes tapping.
Thanks for posting some guidance above, I'm currently in discussion with my leadership team about this and I have contacted Forces employment about the next steps. I'm not ex- military and I've not got any relatives who have served (post ww2) but I really want to ensure that we are doing what we should be doing to uphold the covenant. If anyone has any advice or contacts please feel free to message me :)
My biggest transition problem was loss of identity. Find ways with them to establish who they are or want to be during transition and support them in finding out their new identity. I was lucky that I still had service connections in my professional role. Some people don’t have that luxury and identity issues are likely to be compounded without the connection.
Maybe signpost them to SSAFA, who offer a great mentoring scheme?
Some individuals, or organisations, maybe interested in the following CPD programme with York St John University which provides an insight into the emotional experience of service, transition and adjustment after service. https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/courses/professional-and-short-courses/military-human/understanding-military-culture-and-transition/
Great post Sharon ❤️🙌
Stakeholder Engagement & Communications Manager (Army) at UK Ministry of Defence
6moThanks 🙏 Chris… I hope you are well 👊🏻