11/ 23/ 2004
by Jeffrey Moses
Employers nationwide face the ongoing possibility that one or more of their employees will be notified of deployment in the National Guard or military reserve. Because often little advance notice is provided, employers with employees actively involved in these programs will need to plan for how to handle the employee's responsibilities if he or she is called upon to leave for extended military service.
It is increasingly uncertain how long any employee's deployment will last. Therefore, employers need to find solutions that last not just for a number of months, but perhaps for several years or longer. Because federal laws state that employees returning from service must be offered their former jobs or comparable jobs, at comparable salaries, simply hiring new workers to fill in the void is not always an option – especially for a small company with only a few employees.
If your company is affected by the deployment of an employee, consider the following:
When notified that an employee will be deployed, an employer should immediately begin planning to take up the slack caused by the inevitable departure. Even before the employee leaves, set up brainstorming sessions with the departing employee and close associates to discuss ways in which tasks can be delegated or reassigned. The rule is: don't wait until the employee is gone to begin planning. Usually, the departure time is uncertain, but to put off planning makes it harder on all other employees.
- First, ask the deployed individual for suggestions. He or she may be in the best position to suggest other employees who can take over some or all responsibilities.
- Look to certain key employees to make suggestions about ways to take up the slack: those who have worked closely with the deployed individual; supervisors of the individual; those who have been trained by the individual and those with responsibilities that overlap or interface with the individual's.
- Allow remaining employees to volunteer to take on more responsibility. An employee who volunteers to do a job is likely to be more motivated than one who is assigned additional work.
- Consider dividing tasks so a number of employees can handle the responsibilities. This approach can avoid undue hardship resulting from overworking any single employee.
If your company is understaffed to begin with, you may have even greater problems when an employee is called up. When employees are already working to capacity or beyond, you may have to bring in outside help. Part-time or temporary employees are an option, although they may not have skills and experience required.
If an employee is likely to be deployed for a year or several years, you may have to bring on a new full-time employee. When the deployed employee returns, you will have to face the difficulties of fitting the individual back in, letting the new employee go or integrating their tasks. Hopefully in such a case, the company will have grown enough to warrant keeping both employees and paying their salaries.
If your company is seasonal, you might find yourself in a real pinch if deployment of a key individual coincides with your peak period. Plan ahead: if you have a key employee who is in the Reserves or Guard, you should have a backup plan in place. This may involve training a number of employees to handle this person's responsibilities if he or she is called up.
How have other companies coped with loss of an employee to the military? A recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (http://www.shrm.org) found that over 80 percent of companies with deployed workers assigned added responsibilities to other employees. Nearly 50 percent hired temporary help. And a relatively small percentage (about 15 percent) hired full-time employees to take up the slack. Surprisingly, about 10 percent of the companies surveyed allowed some work to remain unfinished.
Resistance by employees
Most employers are not experiencing undue resistance or reluctance from employees asked to fill in for associates departing to military duty. Awareness of the ongoing dangers presented by terrorism usually far outweighs resentment or animosity resulting from being asked to work a little harder. Nonetheless, employers should be aware that employees have limited emotional and physical resources. When employees are pushed too hard and asked to do too much, the entire company may suffer.
As a final note, employers with employees subject in the National Guard or the military reserve should be well-versed in regulations included in the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, as well as with all state provisions regarding military leave for employees. These regulations should be the basis for all your planning, because they dictate compensation, vacation policies, reemployment and salary regulations for employees who are deployed.
