Your Business Needs Veterans

2015-05-12T10:39:45-04:00

If you’re looking for a lesson in clichés and platitudes, the argument for hiring veterans is chock-full of them. Words like leadership and teamwork populate every report or article that is written on the subject, as well they should. However, the conversation requires a depth and substance that is often missing when these cases are made. To make a positive difference in the advancement of veteran employment opportunities, we must not rely on the same tired language. If pictures paint a thousand words, statistics and data driven examples will be the da Vinci of this movement.

At this year's Council of Colleges and Military Educators symposium in Anaheim, I spoke on the topic of marketing student veterans for employment. I set out to supply a guide to the language and research that supports success. Two things became clear as I prepared my presentation: the language is pretty standard across the board, and not many statistics were included in the research I found. The few I discovered were mostly character driven, culled from the anecdotal responses of CEOs and human resource professionals. While these responses were almost universally positive, subjective language and opinions do not stand up well to opposition. I saw this first hand during a conversation; I spouted off the positive character traits that veterans bring to the workplace, and the other party countered that I was biased. I am a veteran, after all, so my response sounded self-serving. Many civilians boast the same great qualities that veterans possess, so how could I paint all veteran employees with the same brush?

The stats actually do support the argument that veterans are good for business. A 2013 study by the Corporate Executive Board Company (CEB) “shows that veteran hires are more valuable employees. Veterans, on average, perform at higher levels (avg. +4%) and are less likely to turnover (avg. -3%) generating significant business outcomes. Doing the math: For a company of 1,000 employees and average revenue per employee of $150,000, decreasing turnover by 3% saves $1.3 million annually, and increasing performance by 4% improves revenue by $6 million."

The veteran employment movement needs more data like the CEB stats above. Unfortunately, for all the companies advertising their efforts to hire veterans and appear “military friendly,” few are making the effort to track this segment of their employee population. Collecting and sharing that data will strengthen the argument that hiring veterans is good for business. Until then, we’re shooting blanks in a live-fire battle. It doesn't take a military historian to figure out the odds in that scenario.

Andy McCarty is the Director of Veteran and Military Services at Northeastern University. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a board member of the National Association of Veteran's Program Administrators.

To learn more about Northeastern’s commitment to servicemembers and veterans, please visit: http://rly.pt/northeastern-uni

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Response by SPC James White made May 12 at 2015 10:48 AM

2015-05-12T10:48:45-04:00

...and if bridging new inventions. Inventory. Insights into startups, vets can win: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-biggest-vc-fund-ever-means-startups-can-stay-startups-for-much-longer/?tag=nl.e101&s_cid=e101&ttag=e101&ftag=TRE684d531. Jim sf. Vets in tech.co.

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Response by Capt Brandon Charters made May 12 at 2015 11:58 AM

2015-05-12T11:58:59-04:00

Excellent stats here SrA Andrew McCarty. Really enjoyed this read and I have very similar feelings about the smart business decision of hiring veterans. Some of us really need this confidence when walking into interviews. There is a clear precedent set that we are successful professionals. When I was in Boston a few weeks ago listening to MAJ George Hamilton, LT George Bernloehr, LTC Paul Turevon, SSgt Sean Horgan & SFC Chad Sowash speak, I heard very similar sentiments echoed. Understanding how we impact the corporate bottom line is a big step for many veterans. The CEB stats are a nice quantitive look at it. Like you, I'd rather see this, than another veteran buzz word.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 12 at 2015 4:17 PM

2015-05-12T16:17:08-04:00

Good information. Thanks for sharing.

Response by LTC Gavin Heater made May 12 at 2015 8:21 PM

2015-05-12T20:21:55-04:00

My employer, Eversource Energy, sources potential hires through local colleges and universities, especially veterans. My Comapny, as EMC, Covidien, and Agilent Technologies, and Staples, to name a few also work with Edge4Vets to find quality veteran students to join our ranks. Veterans are a very important part of our workforce.