Reporting for Duty

As a veteran, I’m keenly aware of how those of us who served in the armed forces are uniquely qualified to deliver outstanding work when they enter the civilian workforce—and as University of Phoenix’s  Career Institute® Career Optimism Index® 2024 report reveals, my fellow veterans are well-aware of it themselves: 87% of veterans agree they have a strong skillset to be successful in their career. Perhaps as a result, 75% of veterans feel positively about the available job opportunities, and even more (83%) are hopeful about the future of their careers. Indeed, more than 4 in 5 veterans (83%) are satisfied with their current job—a strong indicator that these employees are leading the way in the workplace just as they did in the military.

But veterans’ particular skills and experience also come with particular needs: a majority of veterans (51%) need some level of support with managing their mental health or wellness—in fact, 49% of the workforce overall feels this way, pointing to veterans as a bellwether for issues affecting the broader workforce. Indeed, veterans’ attention to broader workforce trends comes into sharper focus when considering their concerns with emerging challenges facing every worker. This includes advancements in technology such as AI or automation, which have 43% of veterans concerned that their job skills will become outdated. Employers need to be aware of these concerns for veterans and every other employee to keep their staff satisfied and ready for these innovations and every innovation to come.

Fortunately, just as we veterans offer unique insight into the issues employees face, so too can we provide employers with a roadmap for success. Consider that 86% of all employees agree they are always looking for ways to expand their skillset: this includes 87% of veterans, showing they lead the charge for continuing education as a means for every worker—veterans especially—to reimagine the future of work. As employers consider how best to serve veterans on staff, this work can guide on how to serve every employee.

Sit Rep

Veterans’ concern about their mental wellness is part of a burgeoning issue: 41% of all employees admit they are having a harder time managing work-related stress or anxiety now than a year ago, including 43% of veterans. This is an issue employers can’t afford to ignore, given that 60% of all employees agree their mental health impacts their performance at work, including 59% of veterans.

Fortunately, just as veterans offer insight into challenges, we are also well-versed in the skills necessary to overcome them. An overwhelming 88% of veterans say they can maintain healthy boundaries at work; just as many veterans (88%) agree they are resilient when facing challenges in their career. Moreover, employers are rising up to meet mental health hurdles head-on, with 57% of employees citing their workplace as offering or soon to offer mental health or wellness resources; 62% of veterans point to these resources as being available or becoming available soon. As a result, 86% of employees, including 87% of veterans, are satisfied with the resources their employers currently provide for mental health or wellness.

But veterans, and employees generally, are sounding the alarm on how much employers are doing for their wellness when it comes to work specifically. Half of all employees (50%) find the benefits their employer provides to be not enough to help them with work-related stress/anxiety, including 50% of veterans—just as 50% of employees overall expect their employer to do more to help them manage it (including 50% of veterans). This can include creative solutions—for example, 66% of veterans agree more flexible working opportunities would help improve their mental health, suggesting a way employers can help; indeed, this appeals to 69% of the workforce overall. But most importantly, businesses need to recognize that if veterans’ workplace needs are the bellwether of potential solutions, then this offers a clear call to action for employers.

Chain of Command

Perhaps the most powerful lesson veterans can offer their employers are insights into just how eagerly we—and every employee—can pursue individual growth and maximize our potential. Nearly 3 in 5 employees (57%) would go back to school for another degree to learn the skills they need to advance in their career—including 61% of my fellow veterans. This should be a welcome relief for managers looking to upskill their staff and stay ahead of growing gaps in workers’ knowledge, an issue that employees themselves are keenly aware: 74% feel they need to continue learning new skills to stay ahead in their career (including 75% of veterans).

And again, just as veterans’ concerns mirror those of the broader workforce, the solutions most appealing to them are solutions that can help every employee. More than 2 in 3 veterans (69%) would learn more relevant skills from a micro-credential program than a traditional degree program, a sentiment shared by 62% of the workforce overall. 

There are resources ready to help with this work. Give an Hour, a national organization dedicated to transforming mental health, developed a workplace roadmap with employers including the University of Phoenix to develop a tool, the Veteran Workplace Optimization Roadmap. This Roadmap offers an individualized approach to understanding veteran skills, needs, guidance on HR practices, and fostering workplace wellness. Employers can use the roadmap as a guiding compass to support service members, while simultaneously improving workplace mental wellness for the entire workforce.

On the Horizon

These challenges won’t be the last that veterans or any other employees face. Emerging tech, new stressors, market fluctuations: all of these have the potential to disrupt what businesses and their staff are doing and force them to reinvent themselves.

But veterans’ wealth of experience and knowledge will continue to be invaluable on the road ahead, and employers—as well as veteran's peers—will continue to benefit from having these uniquely qualified individuals in their ranks. Serving veterans does more than just help their careers: it provides opportunities for them and everyone around them to rise to meet whatever lies ahead. Just as veterans take charge in the line of duty, so too can we be empowered to take charge in the workplace and chart a course ahead for everyone involved.