ARLINGTON, Va. – As many National Guard members rely on their full-time, civilian jobs for their primary source of income, the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program continues to build mutually beneficial relationships with the employers of Guard members.
Army Lt. Col. Edmund Sabo, the chief of national engagement for ESGR, said that while its focus is centered on people, the program ultimately affects readiness.
"Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation's Guard and Reserve units," he said. "This has never been more important than now, given the current operating environment of varied missions and diverse training requirements that Guard members face."
Established in 1972 as a Department of Defense program, ESGR's mission became more clearly defined with the passage of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act in 1994, according to Sabo.
Currently, he said, ESGR executes its mission through state committees, comprised largely of roughly 3,400 volunteers and trained ombudsmen who serve as a conduit between Guard members and their employers.
"While the proponent of USERRA is the Department of Labor, ESGR is charged with addressing and eliminating problems between employers and reserve component employees by keeping both informed of their rights and responsibilities," he said.
In addition to those mediation efforts, Sabo said ESGR promotes model employer practices that integrate reservists into their businesses.
"Some employers have reservist specific human resources policies that ensure service members do not suffer financial hardship due to difference in salary while on duty," he said. "Others have established reservist-focused groups to review company policies and procedures and discuss issues facing their community."
Sabo said ESGR also engages employers on behalf of Guard members through public outreach functions. In fiscal year 2017, the program reached 81,695 employers via trade shows, educational events, job fairs and award presentations at state and national levels.
The latest national function hosted by ESGR was held in late August at the Pentagon, where 15 employers – ranging from financial services companies and law enforcement agencies, to transportation and manufacturing companies – received the 2018 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
Of the 15 recipients, eight were nominated by Guard members.
"The National Guard has always been tightly connected with the community," Sabo said, adding that "employers across the country see and hear the great things that National Guardsmen do every day – from fighting fires and helping in flood and hurricane relief operations to providing cybersecurity capabilities."
Sabo added the commonly perceived Guard member commitment is gone from the ESGR lexicon.
"The old 'one weekend a month, two weeks in the summertime' just does not apply to the majority of reservists," he said.
Air Force Gen. Joseph Lengyel, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, said employer support is crucial in developing and maintaining an operational force.
"One of the most important partnerships we have is with our employers," he said. "Our business model doesn't work without them."