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MAY/JUNE 2005: Features: Issues & Trends — May/June 2005

Cover Story:
Reno ReTRAC Project Over There

Features: Helping Employees Away on Military Duty

What We Build:
— Rebecca and John
Moores Cancer Center Human resources experts say that companies need to be flexible and maintain a strong support network for
— McAlpine Locks employees throughout their deployment
Issues & Trends:
— The Health Care Blues By Tom Nicholson
— Employees in the Military
As the number of civilians being deployed for full-time National Guard and Reserve service Grows, contractors
nationwide face the possibility that one or more of their employees will be called to long-term military duty. Many of
Departments:
the contractors who are already dealing with the issue, with employees deployed for tours of duty in Iraq,
— The Punchlist Profile
Afghanistan or other military assignments, say there are things CEOs and human resources managers can do to
— Public/Private ease the transition when employees trade in their hard hats for combat fatigues.
Partnerships Guest
Commentary
"The most important thing is to provide support for those that are called for military
— Legal Commentary duty," says Alan Burton, vice president of human resources for Pittsfield, Maine-
— Information Technology based Cianbro Inc. "They have a difficult challenge to go through and it's important
for them to know that everything here is taken care of while they are gone." Eight
Inside AGC: Cianbro employees have been deployed to Iraq with National Guard or Reserve
— President's Message units from Maine and New Hampshire since 2001.
— CEO's Message
— Advocacy Update Under federal law employers must maintain all employee benefits for a worker
deployed for military duty, but many contractors go above and beyond that
— Chapter Corner
requirement and continue to pay employees to offset any loss of salary they may
— Awards
face during military duty. "We actively support them," Burton says. "When they're on
active duty, we make up the difference in pay." It's a policy that a large firm like
Cianbro, which has more than 2,200 employees, can absorb financially but "that
may be difficult for a smaller firm to do," he adds.

Capt. Sam Wright, a lawyer and ombudsman of the Reserve Officers Association,
View all archives >>
Us Navy Photo By says contractors with staff who are members of the National Guard or Reserves
Photographer's Mate 1st Class
<< Home should be aware that those employees may be activated for a year or more of duty,
Arlo K. Abrahamson
and they should have a strategy in place before that happens.

"During the time of deployment, the company must continue to pay into the employee's pensions and allow leave
and seniority to accrue," Wright says. "The company also must allow veterans to resume their jobs when they
return home."

While there are exceptions, many of which are spelled out in the Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Rights Act, contractors should plan ahead when hiring personnel in a veteran's absence. USERRA
was enacted by Congress and signed by President Clinton in 1994.

Some companies fill the void by hiring temporary help while others task existing employees to take on duties left by
the deployed employee. Burton says Cianbro hired additional workers to fill positions left open when its employees
were called to duty. "It was fairly easy for us to fill that gap," he says. "We've retained the people we hired when
[the veterans] returned."

USERRA was predicated on a 1944 Supreme Court ruling that established veterans returning from World War II
must be allowed back into their previous employment with seniority and job benefits accrued as if the worker had
been continuously employed during military service. The act applies only to veterans who are full-time employees.
It also stipulates the employee must give reasonable notice of the deployment; not be deployed for more than five
years; be discharged under honorable conditions; report back to the employer and request to reassume
employment at the time of discharge

A Network of Support

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A survey done this year by the Society for Human Resource Management claims that more than 80% of companies
with deployed workers tasked existing employees with added responsibilities while about 50% hired temporary
workers. About 15% hired full-time employees to fill the void and 10% let work go undone.

At The Boldt Company , a general contractor based in Appleton, Wis., human resources Vice President Gary L.
Torness says three employees have deployed since 2001. Besides providing financial and job security for the
workers, and determining how to reassign responsibilities, Boldt maintains a support network throughout the
deployment process.

"We see it in three phases," Torness says. "The time before deployment, while on duty and when they return
home."

There usually is a 30 to 90-day preactivation phase before the worker ships off, so contractors are aware
beforehand when an employee is about to go on active duty. "During that time the CEO can identify someone
within the organization who has experience with military duty and have them talk to the worker about any concerns
or needs they have," Torness says. During deployment, the company maintains contact throughout the tour of duty.

"We email them nearly on a weekly basis and send them packages, so they still feel like they are an employee," he
says. When veterans return from duty, most will need ample time to readjust to civilian life before returning to the
work. "We give them all the time they need. And it's important not to force them back into the job they had before
they left," Torness says. "We sit down with them and ask: 'What do you want to do?' In a lot of cases, they are
different people when they come back."

Burton says Cianbro deals with each veteran on a case-by-case basis. Some veterans use the 90-day period
required by federal law before they return to work.

"Just because they are back doesn't mean they are ready to work," Burton says. "The key is to be committed to
them throughout the whole deployment."

Soldier's Story

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