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