Supporting Military Families: Learning from Our Past to Create a New Future in Business

Abstract

This chapter explores the role of employers in supporting military families, and its evolution during the 16 years of armed conflict. Our aim is for business leaders to use this information to create career transition experiences and workplaces to better serve future generations of service members and their families. Over the course of the conflict, employer perspectives shifted from compliance and “doing the right thing” to proactive engagement—because it was also the right thing to do for the health of the business. In the larger context of playing an active role in reducing military unemployment, employers also realized they needed to continue to explore and extend supportive solutions beyond simply hiring, to retention, supports for service members’ and veterans’ families, caregivers, and other needs.