Military

Your Career

Most employment conflicts can be avoided by being straight forward with your employer about your obligations as a member of the Reserve or National Guard. Keep your boss informed about what you do in the military and when you do it. Make your boss aware of how your military experience and training will make you a more capable civilian employee. Take time to recognize the sacrifice your boss and co-workers make when they support you.

No matter what your military assignment or specialty, tell your employer about it. Many people hold down military jobs that relate directly to their civilian careers. If yours is one of them, your boss would be pleased to know that you are learning and practicing military skills that can pay off on the job.

Even if what you do in the military is different from your civilian job, sharing the details can impress your boss. You are using your spare time to participate in a second career that is of great importance to your community and the nation. That is a strong indication to people at work that you are the type of person who seeks out - and can handle - serious responsibility.

USERRA,enacted in October 1994, provides re-employment protection and other benefits for veterans and employees who perform military service. It clarifies the rights and responsibilities of National Guard and Reserve members, as well as their civilian employers.

USERRA was significantly updated in 1996 and 1998. It applies almost universally to all employers - including the federal government-regardless of the size of their business. Under this law, significant changes in military leave of absence management occurred:

• An employee no longer requests permission to be absent for military leave but rather provides of pending military service;
  
  
• There is no longer any differentiation between voluntary and involuntary service; an employee cannot be required to use earned vacation or similar leave days for military leave of absence; and,
  
  
• Military service will not be counted as time away from the employer for retirement purposes.(Federal employees should review the code of Federal Regulations, series 5 CFR 353.201 through 210 for further details).