There are practical benefits to hiring veterans, and research points to five specific reasons why. Universal Recruitment and Interim Solutions shares them below.
If you’ve ever considered hiring a veteran, now’s the time. If you haven’t, it’s worth looking into: by 2028, the government projects approximately 1.6 million UK citizens will be veterans, with about half of those still of working age (not retired).
That’s a massive pool of talent to pull from, and understanding a veteran’s value can help your workplace take full advantage of the skills on offer, now and in the future.
For anyone hesitant or sceptical about hiring ex Forces personnel, research is now proving that real rewards come from investing in new veteran hires. Recruiters at companies like Universal Recruitment and Interim Solutions (URS) see more and more employers choosing veterans to fill a wide range of job roles, and a new study is showing why.
The Office of Veterans Affairs (OVA) recently published their ‘Perceptions of UK Armed Forces Ex Service Personnel’ report showing new key findings about veteran employability. Read on for our top five.
1. Employers Appreciate Their Work Ethic
The OVA report used a ‘large-scale, representative sample’ of the UK public (12,531 people including 1,022 employers) to share details on their experience of working with, hiring, or interacting with veterans in the civilian workforce. The vast majority of them said that veterans bring a ‘strong work ethic’ to the tasks at hand.
71% of employers believe that veterans have a strong work ethic, and that this is an asset to their business or organisation. Why wouldn’t it be? When sourcing candidates for virtually any job, work ethic is king. Employers trust that veterans are bringing that to the table.
2. Employing Veterans Gives You Tax Perks
In a very practical sense, it pays to hire ex Forces personnel. The UK government offers incentives and programmes designed to benefit businesses with veteran employees.
“Businesses and other organisations employing veterans in their first civilian job receive a one year National Insurance holiday,” GOV.UK reports. “The tax holiday further incentivises employers to take advantage of the wide range of skills and experience that ex-military personnel offer.”
It’s this kind of perk that gives informed employers a leg up- strengthening their businesses with hardworking new hires that also cost less in tax terms.
3. Veterans Bring Prized Transferable Skills
It’s a given that military tradesmen have easily transferable skills in their trade. A dentist from the Royal Air Force has skills easily transferred to a civilian dentist job, for example, just like an army mechanic can find success in any civilian garage. But as URS can assert, it’s often ‘soft skills’ that shape the best employees. Guy Denison-Smith, MD at URS, says “ex military provided a range of ‘soft skills’ that sit well in business. These range from resilience, problem solving, team working to a drive to learn new skills and many more beyond. There is little doubt that civilian employers will benefit from employing veterans.”
OVA study respondents say veterans are likely to be ‘well/highly trained’ in problem-solving skills, discipline, and the ability to work well in a team. The longer their military careers, the more likely veterans are to have developed these essential skill sets.
“Generally, it was felt that military service imbues ex-service personnel with unique but also transferable skills that they can constructively put to use in the jobs market,” the OVA report reads. “The types of professions mentioned tended to be in the area of security, logistics, and engineering [...] but they can generally be a benefit to any organisation if properly harnessed.”
4. Employers Trust Veterans More Than Others
Did you know: to join the British military, recruits have to confirm their alignment with a specific moral code. This code is made up of a handful of core values consistent across services: courage, discipline, respect for others, integrity, loyalty, and selfless commitment.
While no longer bound by those strict core values, veterans are still values-oriented people. They’ve been trained to hold themselves accountable for their actions, put others before themselves, thrive under pressure, and give their all to the tasks at hand. The OVA report shows that employers find veterans more trustworthy than the general public because of attributes like these.
5. Veterans Improve Workplace Culture
A vast majority of employees surveyed by OVA ‘would welcome working alongside veterans,’ and employers are happy to hear it. When veterans promote qualities like punctuality, tidiness, and organisational skills, they’re known to have a positive effect on the employees around them.
All of the above features can be contagious. Spreading, as one respondent put it, “all of those skills that people learn in military life,” can have a profound impact on a veteran’s workplace at large. A by-product of their own high standards is improved workplace culture- ultimately good for morale and business longevity.
Summary
In summary, Guy finishes by saying, “veterans prove to be a real asset to civilian employers, but they won’t arrive as the finished article. They will learn quickly and will strive to improve their knowledge and understanding. A short period of mentorship will no doubt be required in the first instance. However, they will bring a range of ‘soft skills’ that will benefit the business. My message is: take a punt and hire a veteran; you won’t be disappointed and will see the benefits.”
#hireaveteran
If you’re an employer with vacancies you’d like filled by the most promising candidates (veteran and otherwise), you can reach out to URS here. For more on veteran employability, keep reading at the link below.
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