The Key Role of Supervisors for Supporting Veterans in the Workplace

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the role of leadership in hiring and retaining military veterans in civilian organizations—both the leadership experience and abilities a veteran brings to an employer and the importance of civilian workplace supervisors. Supervisors are key in supporting and recognizing the unique knowledge, skills, and abilities that veterans bring to the workplace, enhancing not only the quality of business outcomes but also the social relationships within organizations. This chapter begins with a focus on the importance of managers and supervisors providing a culture of support for veterans by addressing how such support leads to improvements in self-efficacy, health, well-being, and job outcomes, such as increased retention of veterans in the civilian workplace. It then addresses the importance of both the leadership skills and qualities brought to the workplace by our veterans—and how organizations can recognize, utilize, and maximize the leadership skills of veterans.

Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors and Psychological Distress: A Secondary Analysis across Four Occupational Populations

“…Thus, this may in part explain why the relationship between FSSB and psychological distress was strongest among Veterans in this study, with the addition of the military's influence on Veterans' strong predisposition towards leadership structures [44]. However, Veterans also reported the highest rates of psychological distress compared to the other three groups-and while prior evidence has shown Veterans experience immense benefits across work, and the physical and psychosocial outcomes from having more supportive leaders in the workplace [45,46], the nature and severity of the psychological distress experienced by Veteran employees may require additional intervention [47]. For example, combat-exposed Veterans report relatively high rates of PTSD [48], a high comorbid disorder with depression [49] that is known to diminish the beneficial effects of social support on psychological distress [50].…”

Veteran Contempt for Civilian Communication Scale: Development and Validation

“…An understanding of military socialization and its resultant communication-related contempt can assist managers in better recognizing and responding to the unique struggles experienced by some military veterans during reintegration into the modern workplace. Given that many veterans will spend a large portion of their waking hours in the workplace, managers may serve as essential forms of social support for this population (Hammer et al, 2021). Realizing that veterans prefer direct communication could help managers foster positive communication interactions between the manager and the veteran as well as between the veteran and other employees.…”

“…(3) To provide new insight to supervising managers about a unique struggle experienced by some military veterans during reintegration into the modern workplace. Hammer and colleagues (2021) stated: “Supervisors are key in supporting and recognizing the unique knowledge, skills, and abilities that … service members bring to the workplace, enhancing … business outcomes, [and] social relationships within organizations” (p. 218). Thus, a deeper understanding of veterans’ attitudes regarding civilian communication could help managers better support them.…”