We Support Your Veteran Hiring Goals

By creating a “veteran informed” culture, you will demonstrate the great value veterans bring to your organization.

“Tracking your veteran-employees should be identified as a top human resources concern. Naturally, employees are critical to your organization’s well-being. To get a true statistical picture of whether veteran retention is an issue, you first need an accurate number of how many of your employees are veterans.”

— “We Will to At Will,” by retired Lieutenant Colonel Justin Constantine,

The question is, how do we get veterans to identify themselves as veterans? Many are apprehensive to declare themselves for fear that hiring managers will consciously or subconsciously reject them as a liability. While this is contrary to the Americans with Disabilities Act, companies must take extra steps to overcome these perceptions.

Veteran Employee Resource Groups

We are experienced at establishing a Veteran Employee Resource Group that ties directly to your business strategy. These groups are crucial to a sense of belonging for employees.

To be successful, you must have an executive champion for this effort. When the veterans see that their organization is authentic in valuing their unique leadership journey to being a well-regarded asset, trust is established.

V. E. Solutions has a detailed and systematic approach to building these resources groups for your company.

Our Approach Includes

Implementation starts at the top. Organizations that excel at this take time to review organizational charts and their leadership communication philosophy.

Formally educating veterans on administrative tasks like benefits selection, time-keeping, payroll, scheduling, accessing the employee assistance program, will give them a sense of belonging.

Establishing a veteran employee resource group can have quantifiable benefits such as retention, operating across business lines to achieve team goals, and promoting professional development.

Leaders partner with the veteran on setting goals. They clearly communicate performance management process and tools for assessing and documenting performance toward goal accomplishment.

Examples of Excellence for Integration

VETERAN ORGANIZATION OR RESOURCE GROUP

Our Veteran Employee Resource Group is a fully staffed and running organization that assists veterans and spouses with onboarding/integration, mentorship, career development, outreach, community support and recruiting. When it comes to onboarding, we establish a detailed program that lays out goals for the first 30, 60 and 90 days. After 90 days, new hires are encouraged to join the group. The group provides a roadmap of success that is acknowledged by the new hire and the first line supervisor. We have touch points in place to check the progress of our new hires and ensure they are set up for success.

Our company’s Veteran Leadership Program enhances the leadership skills of veteran employees by pairing them with a company executive whose role and responsibilities correspond to the leadership experience of the veteran. Veterans are identified early in their employment and are integrated into leadership roles by an assigned company executive whom the veteran shadows while they perform their daily responsibilities. The veteran participates in feedback sessions and discussions with the executive during this phase of their mentorship. As the corporate leadership experience of our company’s veterans increases, they are paired with a company leader whose role and responsibilities correspond to the veteran’s next logical leadership position. This professional development plan continues throughout the veteran’s employment with our company and is monitored by the company’s human resources office.

Responsibility for veteran hiring is shared across the entire recruiting team at our organization. Two recruiters and two leaders (2 full-time equivalent) are responsible for veteran recruitment. Our human resources director for training and talent management oversees a team of eight people (2 full-time equivalent) who share responsibility for development (training) and mentoring (retention) of veteran employees. Additionally, one director-level employee, the president of the employee resource group and several contractors (4 full-time equivalent) work on veteran/military engagement, morale and retention activities throughout the year.

The HR department has supported veterans in many ways. First, we have outreach with the American Job Center and made a hire through them this calendar year. Through this partnership with the local workforce center, our recruiters work with veteran employment specialists to actively recruit veteran job seekers and participate in community veteran networking events. Second, we provide additional training through our company at no cost to the employees. It is based on their job and is available to them either at the work-site, or after hours, and is paid. Third, in order to retain our veteran employees, we ensure that every client is flexible with work schedules to accommodate appointments. We have accommodations in place for service animals and employees with PTSD, hearing impairments, vision impairments and ensure facilities are accessible to those with physical limitations.

This company is committed to complying with all aspects of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. For military leave less than one work week, employees will continue to receive full pay. For military leave exceeding one work week, the company will pay the difference between the employee’s military pay and the employee’s company salary for as long as the employee is on active duty.

Our organization has a tuition reimbursement program that will reimburse up to $5,500 per calendar year for all employees who seek to continue their education. We support continuing education with Bachelor’s or post graduate degrees. We have also widened the parameters of the program to allow for technical training to be reimbursed to assist with enhancing job skills and knowledge.

From Our Clients & Partners

Angel was my program manager for the design, construction and operation of a coffee kiosk, one of the first ever onboard an aircraft carrier. With Angel’s superb program management skills and strong leadership, we were able to get the coffee kiosk set up, volunteer crew members trained as baristas, and the logistics set up for a seven month deployment in only three weeks! Amazing feat! Further, the kiosk was such a hit with the crew that the operation generated over $30,000 the first month of deployment and realized a positive return on investment in just two and a half months! Angel created a place on the ship where crew members could go to relax and feel as though they had escaped from the ship for awhile.

Angel also took the lead in preparing over 350 staterooms and Officer living areas for a critical Navy inspection. Angel expertly collaborated with over 50 senior officers onboard to develop a schedule that ensured all work was completed on time within budget. As a result of his impressive work and program management skills, our ship received a score of outstanding – one of the few ships to receive such a high rating. Angel was personally commended by the senior inspector.

Angel completed these programs all while he was running out pay and personnel services department on the ship, ensuring over 5000 crew members were paid accurately their regular pay, allowances, and travel.

One of a kind, highly energetic visionary and exceptional professional.

Tiffany Schad, USN, Retired

As a member of the Board of Directors for the Veterans Leadership Council, I have personally observed the tremendous impact Angel has had on our organization through his positions as Co-President and Director of Community Outreach. During his tenure, paid, membership tripled and brand recognition spread to over 650 veteran leaders throughout Chicago.

He has demonstrated superb leadership and refined management skills, while also displaying an indefatigable work ethic. Additionally, his skilled understanding of human resource issues has been an added bonus.

I would highly recommend Angel as a business consultant, or for any HR or other corporate leadership position.

Timothy Malham, Malhan Family Allstate

“When you first meet Angel Torres, the first thoughts that come to mind are trustworthy and authentic. Angel’s work in the veteran space has been truly groundbreaking. His high energy level, passion for supporting and helping veterans in business is contagious.  As the Co-President of the Veteran Leadership Council (VLC), he drove the growth of membership and partner engagement exponentially not just in Chicago but throughout the United States.

He mentioned to me that he was starting his company and how they approach veteran engagement as a business partner.  I was absolutely blown away at what a great idea this was and how he was the perfect person to launch such an endeavor.  His extensive graduate education which includes an Executive MBA coupled with 27 years of human resources experience are a natural fit to lead this company.  Angel possesses a unique knowledge of how to tie diversity initiatives to the business strategy.  I have absolute confidence in his ability, passion and drive to support his client’s veteran employment goals.”

Glen Hampton, Equilibrium IT Solutions