Direct Employers Association Webinar

Wounded Warriors at Work: Employer Success Stories

January 15, 2013

Kia Silver Hodge, Corporate Manager Diversity Recruitment

Operation IMPACT

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Our History • Grass roots program with mission to provide career transition

assistance for severely injured service members transitioning to

civilian employment

Our Team • A dedicated core team to support program management, personalized

placement assistance, community outreach and workplace

accommodations

Our Approach • Once recruited, candidates are actively marketed internally and

throughout our Network of Champions via a bi-weekly candidate listing

that includes their resumes

Our Network • Started in 2009, the Network of Champions provides additional

resources for the placement of candidates as well as an opportunity to

network and share best practices with more than 100 companies

committed to employing severely injured service members

Program Activities

Finding Candidates

• Outreach to the Federal Government and other Veterans Services

organizations to provide information on our program and eligibility

criteria to encourage candidate referrals to Operation IMPACT

• Attend targeted career fairs for wounded warriors

• Host employment workshops at Warrior Transition Units around the

country

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Program Activities

Matching Skills with Business Needs

• Utilize Military Occupational

Specialty/ Code translators to

educate our recruiters on military

occupational codes and how those

positions fit into business

• Work closely with Vocational

Rehabilitation and/or Employment

Counselors

• Partner with other companies and

organizations who share same

commitment to assist in placement

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Program Activities: Success Story

Ensure Workplace Productivity Tools are Provided

• Northrop Grumman has implemented a centralized program to ensure

that OI hires receive workplace accommodations in a timely manner.

The process utilizes internal occupational health nurses to:

– Conduct an initial review of workplace productivity tools based on the

employee’s specific disabilities to ensure that the appropriate

accommodations are in place for the new employee

– Conduct periodic reviews with employee to address any additional needs

and proactively identify potential issues

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Program Activities

Educating Hiring Managers

• Northrop Grumman has developed a disability awareness training

program that is accessible to all employees, including managers

• A recruiting and placement checklist has been developed for hiring

managers that includes information on interviewing candidates with

disabilities, preparing the work teams, and making reasonable

accommodations

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Program Activities

Transitioning the Wounded Warrior into our culture

• Focus groups conducted in 2011 with program hires indicated that

assimilation into corporate culture was the #1 issue

• As a result, Northrop Grumman has developed a Sponsor program to

provide a resource to assist the new hire with transitioning into the

company

• A formal assimilation training addressing cultural differences is being

developed that will be part of the on boarding process for all new OI

hires

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Program Outcomes

• Over 125 severely injured service members or

family members employed within Northrop

Grumman and our Network of Champion

Companies.

• Since joining the company, 15 OI hires have

been promoted. Several have been promoted

more than once.

• Several OI hires have gone on to further their

education while at NGC. Recently, one OI hire

was accepted to the prestigious Masters of

Engineering program at Purdue University.

• Skills translation

– Recruiters and hiring managers need help translating and matching military

experience to private sector jobs

– Wounded Warriors need help articulating their skills and experience to

private sector employers

• “Corporate culture shock”

– Transitioning military personnel receive resume and job search advice but

often are not adequately prepared for the drastic differences between military

life and the “corporate culture”

• Fear of accommodations

– Wounded Warriors either don’t know or are afraid to ask for what they need

– Many hiring managers are uneducated about the accommodations process

Challenges

• There is no “cookie cutter” approach

– You may have to try several different approaches before identifying what

works best for your organization

• A successful program needs internal “Champions”

– The most effective programs are sponsored by executive level “Champions”

– Engage Employee Resource Groups in recruitment and outreach efforts

• Employers committed to hiring Wounded Warriors need to brand

themselves as such

– Invest in targeted advertising to the Wounded Warrior community to convey

your commitment externally

• Recruiters and Hiring Managers need to be encouraged to “think out

of the box”

– Train recruiters to move away from the traditional “recruiting for the

requisition” mindset

Lessons Learned

• Employers MUST educate their recruiters and Hiring Managers about the accommodations process

• Wounded Warriors MUST be educated about the key differences between the military and the private sector to make a successful transition

– What is my career path?

– When can I expect a pay increase? A promotion?

• Hiring Managers MUST be educated about “Military Culture”

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help

– Learn from peers that have implemented successful Wounded Warrior recruitment programs

• Wins? Failures? Strategies?

• Share, Share, Share!

– Remember that our sole mission is to help Wounded Warriors

Lessons Learned