Why employing ex-Military personnel is good for business

Off By Ed Hanna

Scotland’s Officers Association has spent the last 100 years supporting ex-Officers into employment, while promoting the value and skills of Military personnel to employers.

We have built a strong relationship with hundreds of employers across the country and while there is a positive attitude from the majority of businesses, it appears there is still a lack of understanding of the key skills they possess and challenges to employment in the first place.

The majority of Veterans transition successfully into employment after leaving the Armed Forces, but many Veterans and Reservists are continually stereotyped. They themselves can fail to recognise or undersell their own abilities or employers fail to recognise the transferable skills they’ve obtained such as, communication, leadership, teamwork, flexibility, creative problem solving, judgement and decision making. And yet enhancements in the workplace such as new technologies make these transferable skills critically important to the economy.

Commercial benefits
Research emphasises that employers who go out of their way to employ Veterans recognise the commercial benefits. Veterans Work found organisations who employ Veterans are very positive about the value they bring. They see them as not just having a few specialist skills but performing well across all areas and more than half say Veterans tend to be promoted quicker than their workforce in general. They have a lower sick rate and many of the skills they possess are in areas where organisations are experiencing gaps.

As a member of the Scottish Government’s Employability Strategy Group, we are delighted to assist in leading the drive to ensure employers recognise and can access the talent that exists in the wider Military and Reservist community across Scotland. We shall work to break down those barriers and showcase the many valuable roles that Veterans undertake each day in our community. We shall also provide employers the tools to support Veterans in their workplace development, ensuring opportunities for role modelling and setting up good ex-Force’s programmes and networks.

Most importantly Scotland’s OA shall continue to work with ex-Military personnel to enable them to recognise their skills, their abilities and to aim big. We shall equip with up-to-date industry developments, access to training and numerous events to network and build those connections to the commercial world.

Rewards
Given the overwhelmingly positive reviews of businesses, those who employ Veterans, will reap the rewards. They are enjoying real talent benefits that many other organisations are yet to recognise. They bring a unique combination of skills that not only benefit the company but the economy as a whole and we at Scotland’s Officers Association are proud to be part of their journey.