Transitioning out of the military after years of service is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do.
It can be a challenge for many Veterans to find their “place” back in the civilian world.
But maintaining a positive attitude will definitely help, even when you discover there are certain things you really dislike like about your post-military life.
Here’s a few common things Veterans notice that they “hate” after they get out… and some tips for how to cope with them.
1.) Political (Over) Correctness
In the military you can’t always say exactly what’s on your mind, but you can usually let your feelings be clearly known. When there’s a problem in the workplace, it generally won’t fester for very long before it gets dealt with decisively. Why? Because personnel issues mess up morale and that’s not a situation that’s tolerated in the service. The mission comes before personal feelings or political correctness.
In the civilian world, workers may tiptoe around a problem and be less likely to confront it head-on. By the same token, supervisors might be less willing to sit everyone down to talk about whatever the beef is about.
But in the military, supervisors act not only as managers but as frontline leaders who need to fix problems at the lowest level possible… including “Human Resources” issues. So it can be hard for Veterans to adjust when this style no longer exists at their workplace.
How to cope: The fact is, you probably got used to a level of candor you won’t necessarily be able to expect on the outside. But when you see an issue that needs to be resolved, if no one else is taking the lead, find a way to do it tactfully and by the book.
Don’t become complacent. Use your experience to get the discussion moving so the conflict can be acknowledged and handled appropriately.
