Guardsman & Reservists - Best and worst practices by civilian employers when you returned to your job

Brandon & Lucas - Thanks so much for your responses. I think the key is the support for reintegrating the returning servicemember back into the company and advance their career. I returned from Afghanistan six months ago and recently took a straw poll of my National Guard unit. I was fortunate enough to be in a unit with many high-performing individuals, and almost all were disappointed in how their company reintegrated them. I see that not only as a loss for the individual but also a loss for the company. Why wouldn't these companies want to benefit from the tremendous personal growth many of us experience during deployments?

Do you know whether Farmers has a formal policy for reintegrating returning servicemembers, or is it simply based on the kindness and character of the company's leadership?

MAJ Rod Harden can you help us out here? They'd love to hear your story.

Happy to. I departed the Active Army following the Gulf War having served as a Tank Platoon Leader in the 1st ID. Was not sure what I wanted to do as a civilian and then I found Farmers Insurance. I knew right away that I wanted to be a part of this organization as my values and ethics from the service aligned with the corporate culture at Farmers (integrity, courage, honesty, selfless service, etc.). Fourteen years later while a Manager at Farmers, I was called to service as a Reservist to OIF/OEF and was deployed to Iraq. Farmers was there for me and my family all the way. My colleagues sent care packages, kept me posted via email on things at work and generally let me know that I was thought of while so far away from home. I came back from deployment and Farmers welcomed me with open arms and got me right back in the fray. It is now year 23 working for Farmers and I am still as passionate about this company and its mission to help others in their time of need as I was when I first started.
"While I am a Farmers employee, my posts are my own and are not statements by or for Farmers"

MAJ Rod Harden -- thanks for sharing your story...I enjoyed reading it. Sometimes just knowing you are thought of and appreciated can mean the world. "Big Red 1!"

My experience transitioning to and from military service in a high tech area as a software exec was as seamless and supportive as you could hope for. None of my peers or CEOs had any military experience, and most of them didn't even really have any relatives with military experience. And in all of the three companies I was with prior to deployments, there was only that even had another war service veteran on staff. But the lengths they went through to ensure not only I was taken care of, but my family as well, were humbling.

The key was communication, early and often. For one of my deployments, I had less than a week's notice, and that was after a few months of "maybe, maybe not" from the DoD. For the others, I had a few months. In each case we worked through the HR issues, figured out insurance issues, and one even paid a small stipend to make up at least part of the difference between my military and civilian pay. And during each deployment, I would blog when I could and included the full staff of my companies, which helped create a strong bond that would prove invaluable upon my return.

Returning from deployment is always a challenge and in each case, I had a different experience. The return from my first combat deployment, for example, was extremely difficult. The company had changed strategic direction, the majority of the company had turned over (about 80%), and the new team was doing really well. My executive team and I had to face the reality after about six months that my skill set was redundant, but I was able to make a nice, easy transition out of my position. It was positive for us all as I was able to jump on another start-up opportunity.

The other times I returned it took a good four to six weeks to really get back into the swing of things, but eventually I was able to return to being a geek after being a Soldier. All of my employers were incredibly patient and supportive upon my return, and none expected me to immediately jump back into the mix. On average, I spent two weeks readjusting to civilian life at home, and then about four weeks adjusting back into work life (simply because I felt I'd go stir crazy sitting at home for too long, I wanted to be back with my civilian friends and put the deployments behind me).

Professional growth isn't really the challenge for those of us deploying who are in the technology sector - but skill degradation is. A lot happens in the technology world in 12 to 15 months. All of my employers allowed me to take my work laptop with me on deployment, which allowed me to keep my chops warm on the technology, and all would e-mail occasionally to ask my advice about a particular technology challenge. The idea wasn't that I truly had much to contribute - the boots on the ground back in Boston needed to make the ultimate decision - but to keep me connected with technology and my peers. I often couldn't reply for weeks, but again, timing and a real answer weren't the point.

In the end, the bond between myself, my peers, and my former subordinates in all of those groups I led or was a part of was deeper than I ever expected. The support of everyone around me - community, job, and family - was the real reason for my successful integration, not anything I did by myself. Many, if not all, of my professional relationships are still strong connections today.

I asked one of my CFOs once why he was so willing to do more than the law required and he replied, "None of my sons have or will deploy. This is my way of serving my country, by serving those that do." That put a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart. I was very fortunate and will be forever indebted to my employers, my peers, and my teams.