Best Workplaces, DEIB, Diversity & Inclusion, Employee Experience
Supporting veterans in the workplace doesn’t have to stop at 401ks and PTO.
An estimated 200,000 veterans are expected to leave active-duty service this year and reenter civilian work life. But many veterans struggle to find employment, or are forced to accept underemployment.
Some employers don’t understand the military lingo on their resumes. Many veterans have been trained in humbleness rather than self-promotion. And translating military service into academic credit is tricky.
But there are companies that support veterans, both as employees and within the community at large. Their support for veterans is one of the reasons they made it on our PEOPLE Companies that Care® list.
Here are 12 companies that made the list, and what they’re doing to support veterans.
12 companies that support veterans
1. Beast Code
More than 25% of software company Beast Code’s employees are veterans, giving the company a deep tie to the community.
Every year, Beast Code sponsors the pairing of a veteran with a service dog, often from a shelter, through the local organization Healing Paws for Warriors. They provide a service dog, training and rehabilitation to veterans at no cost.
Beast Code also donates supplies to One Hopeful Place, a local veteran’s shelter.
2. Brookshire Grocer Company
Family grocer Brookshire has been designated as part of the Purple Heart Trail for its support of veterans and active military personnel.
Since 2010, the company has hosted a Heroes Flight program, which has taken 500 veterans to Washington, D.C., to see their memorial and other military and historic sites.
These trips are all-expenses-paid for two or three days and take place each spring and fall. Their October trip included veterans from World War II and the Korean conflict, and for the first time also veterans who served in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The company’s Heroes Run race serves as a fundraiser for groups such as Barksdale Air Force Base, the Wounded Warrior Project, and Team Red, White and Blue.
3. Cognosante
IT firm Cognosante launched its first veteran employee resource group, called ConVERG, which focuses on mentorship opportunities, recruitment, military recognition, community service, and awareness and outreach for veteran-specific causes.
4. EM Key Solutions, Inc.
As a service-disabled veteran-owned small business, EM Key Solutions makes hiring veterans a foundation of its recruitment. More than 40% of its employees are veterans.
Job postings appear on Veterans.gov as part of the National Labor Exchange daily feed, and EMKS attends and presents at veteran career fairs.
Once hired, an internal workgroup led by a marine veteran and supported by HR, called the EMKS Veteran Onboarding Liaison Vehicle (EVOLVe), provides mentorship from veterans already on staff.
Last Christmas, EMKS delivered gift baskets to veterans at a VA hospital. Employees were given time during work hours to make the baskets, which included notebooks, puzzles, snacks, non-slip socks, manicure kits and more. Two recreation rooms at the hospital were filled with games that included options for vets with conditions such as blindness or paralysis.
The company has also started a podcast where they interview veteran employees about their transition from military to civilian life.
5. HigherEchelon, Inc.
Consulting firm HigherEchelon is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business, founded by two United States Military Academy (West Point) classmates.
More than half of HigherEchelon’s employees are veterans or spouses of veterans, and the company participates in hiring programs such as the U.S. Chamber and Salesforce Hiring Our Heroes Fellowship.
The company holds biweekly virtual gatherings in a Veterans Resource Group, where veterans can share stories about their time in service and offer each other support and resources.
Employees are also encouraged to take yearly extra paid time off to volunteer in support of veteran activities.
In 2020, HigherEchelon was recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor as a recipient of the 2020 HIRE Vets Gold Medallion Award.
6. LaSalle Network
This past year, recruiting firm LaSalle launched its LaSalle Veteran Network, led by a former Army veteran, with the goal to help 1,000 veterans find employment. LaSalle’s own recruiters underwent extensive training to read military resumes and screen and interview veterans.
7. Neurocrine Biosciences
Biopharmaceutical company Neurocrine has an affirmative action program for employing individuals with status as a disabled veteran, recently separated veteran, active-duty wartime or campaign badge veteran, or an armed forces service medal veteran.
The company also conducts annual outreach programs to promote more inclusive hiring practices for veterans and the disabled.
8. Orrick
Legal services company Orrick created the nation’s first career fair for lawyers (and spouses) who served in the military. Orrick lawyers and staff work together for months to put on the fair.
For the first time in 2021, Orrick made Veterans Day a day off for reservists, veterans and their spouses, to honor their services.
Orrick also provides six months’ paid leave at 100% pay for reservists when they are called to active duty.
9. Premise Health
For four consecutive years, healthcare provider Premise Health has been recognized by VIQTORY as a Military-Friendly Employer.
The company has a dedicated military recruitment and retention program, as well as a Military Veteran Team Member Resource Group that provides mentoring, leadership development, onboarding and transition assistance.
They also have corporate partnerships with groups such as the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network, Military Spouse Employment Partnership, HireOur Heroes Corporate Fellowship, RallyPoint and Women Veterans Interactive.
10. Progressive Insurance
Since 2013, Progressive Insurance has honored veterans with its Keys to Progress veteran vehicle giveaway program.
The one-day event happens every November, with employees across the country volunteering to find vehicles to donate, as well as organizing fundraisers for recipient families.
11. PulteGroup, Inc.
Homebuilding company PulteGroup’s Built to Honor™ (B2H) program builds and donates mortgage-free homes to veterans wounded during service. Since its launch in 2013, B2H has delivered 58 homes throughout the country.
Each B2H home is built to meet the physical needs of the selected veteran, such as removing thresholds, widening halls, adding grab bars, and lowering countertops to accommodate wheelchairs.
12. Salesforce
At Salesforce, service members, veterans and their spouses can get free job training and career coaching through the company’s Vetforce program.
Veterans can access Salesforce’s online community for free classes, in-person training cohorts, and career opportunities within the Salesforce ecosystem.
Each year, Salesforce selects and sponsors Vetforce trainees to attend events like Dreamforce, where they’re able to learn, network, and meet potential employers.
When veterans start work at Salesforce, they are embraced by a community of fellow veterans in a Vetforce Ohana employee resource group.
While many companies take to social media on Veteran’s Day to thank soldiers for their service, these companies support veterans both on deployment and back at home. For this, we salute them.
See the full list of companies that demonstrate outstanding employee and community compassion here.
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