Authenticity Rises to the Top

This is what authentic commitment looks like, and this commitment is further evidenced in the execution and corporate-wide embrace of an underlying ethos that skills and experience gained in military service matters.

“We own the entire experience and have influence over the entire life cycle of every military and veteran employee,” says Dunn.

As we seek to uncover authentic commitment at Military Friendly^®, we look for evidence not just at the top, but throughout an organization. One place where this shows up most clearly is the scope of influence and responsibility entrusted to the leaders of the company’s military and veterans initiative.

The balance we seek lies between what Tongate regularly repeated in our conversation: “High touch and high value.” Dunn also described one of the most comprehensive spheres of influence we have encountered in our years of publishing Military Friendly^® Employers ratings.

That is, Marsh & McLennan Companies’ program is well-tracked, deeply integrated, has meaningful goals, consistent measurements and is clearly setting the pace with innovations that truly benefit veterans, whether they are candidates or employees, and whether they are selected for a position with the company or not.

MEASURING OUTCOMES

If there is one question a military job candidate can and should ask of any organization to determine the value of its commitment to veteran employment, it is this: “Are you better for veterans?”

One of the primary adjustments made in our algorithm for 2017 is a calculation of the difference between an organization’s performance in key outcomes for veterans and non-veterans. If an organization is unable to answer this question, that in itself is a telling measure of the maturity of their program and efficacy of their commitment.

The highest-performing Military Friendly^® Employers begin with strong measures. They are committed to tracking outcomes and determined to be better for veterans, which shows up in the data. One of the chief objections we encounter from organizations that do not earn our designation is that tracking veterans is too challenging.

When asked this same question, Marsh & McLennan not only had an answer, but a far deeper set of outcome measures and a best practice process for assuring data capture shared below.[/fusion_text][fusion_text]

[/fusion_text][separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”10px” bottom_margin=”10px” sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]The Marsh & McLennan Companies Veteran Experience

Every military candidate in the system flows through a five-part “chain of custody” that ensures not only the best possible experience, but also the proper and early identification of military status, with the goal of “accelerating their movement through the pipeline,” according to Dunn.

The purpose of tracking is not merely to track; it is to engage as many veteran candidates and employees as possible in a growing range of resources, services and supports. 

1. They are assigned a recruiter during the application and interview process, who is trained to actively identify military service members and rapidly engage them in the applicant support structure.

2. Self-identification opportunities are provided throughout the application and interview process.

3. If self-identification hasn’t taken place by the time a veteran is selected for the position, all new hire paperwork and onboarding processes include additional opportunities and incentives to identify their veteran status, such as access to special events, meet-ups or career-enhancing opportunities.

4. New employee and ongoing employee engagement surveys include self-identification and incentives.

5. Employee relations follow-through with each new hire is a standard process, and here again, military service identification is incentivized with opportunities for sponsorship, mentorship and peer group engagement.

Military Friendly^® Employers continue to raise the bar because they track, measure and improve the processes, resources, services and visibility of military candidates and employees across their organizations.

UNDERSTANDING HOW MILITARY EXPERIENCE FITS THE BUSINESS

Military Friendly^® Employers have a deep understanding of how and where skills gained in military service fit their business. One of the most impressive aspects of the Marsh & McLennan Companies program is the integration of their military initiative with defined “workstreams,” or entry points for veteran candidates that strengthen the chain of custody in this pipeline approach that often leads to career opportunities in the organization.

Put simply, every military hire is set on a course to advance in the company. While it is important for organizations to develop comprehensive recruiting programs to attract the right candidates, those recruiting programs must lead ultimately not to a job, but to a career that makes sense for the veteran and the company.

The Military Friendly^® Employer program introduced a new series of questions around promotion and advancement as a key feature in the 2017 awards program as a result of input from our advisory council and our alumni council, which comprises young, post-9/11 veterans.