Recruiting Ex-forces
& Reservists

Contents

Why should I hire ex forces?

Benefits to NR

We admire so many of the attributes that someone from the Forces can bring to any role –

• discipline
• team work
• leadership
• ability to stay calm under pressure and change
• comfortable in a fast paced environment
• decision making with a high level of ambiguity
• determination
• flexible in an evolving environment.
   

All these qualities, which are essential in the Military, are also highly sought-after within our safety critical environment at Network Rail.

Why should I hire ex forces?

Case studies

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I want to hire ex forces

Hire a Band 4 and above

The OA is an independent charity which supports officers from all three Services into second careers in management and executive roles (equivalent to Band 4 & above).

The OA also work closely with employers to share best practice and offer an advisory service to plan and implement military programmes.
 

Contact OA: www.officersassociation.org.uk
 

Main contact
Peter Liddle – Business Development Manager P.Liddle@officersassociation.org.uk
07496 595758

• Email your advert wording send to Ashka Raval –
  recruitment@officersassociation.org.uk – 02078084178
  ​

• Share your advert on LinkedIn & other social media channels
   
• We issue 2 weekly newsletters – a job focused newsletter
  on Mondays, and an event focussed one on Fridays
   
• Advertise Band 1-4  with the OA
   
• 2 annual employment symposiums each year in June (York) and December (London). – contact Peter Liddle &
  Leanne Wood if you wish to attend either of these
   
• Best practice for engaging with Service leavers available
  from the Military is Good for Business page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/13184808/

I want to hire ex forces?

Hire a Band 9-5 & Maintenance roles

Contact CTP
www.ctp.org.uk

Main Contact

James Moore – Employer Relationship Manager JMoore@ctp.org.uk – 07815 585221

Main Contacts

Axel – axel@hireahero.org.uk
Landline – 01495 366675
Mobile – 07934854453

Jinty – jinty@hireahero.org.uk
Landline – 01495 366671
Mobile – 07934854451

Navy Family Federation
Jenny Ward – jenny.ward@nff.org.uk

Army Family Federation
Laura Lewin – etam@aff.org.uk

RAF Family Federation
Caroline Woodward – Caroline.Woodward@raf-ff.org.uk

Recruit for Spouses

Awaiting details

Contact Hire a Hero

Family Federation

Awaiting details

I want to hire ex forces?

The White Ensign Association

The White Ensign Association is a registered charity founded jointly by the Royal Navy and the City of London in 1958.  

The Association provides assistance for all serving and retired personnel of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the Queen Alexandra’s Naval Nursing Service, the former Women’s Royal Naval Service, their respective Reserves and families, in the following key areas:

- Employment

- Personal Finance

- Resettlement and civilian transition

- Personal administration and general welfare matters.

The Association celebrated its Diamond Anniversary in 2018 and is firmly established as one of the prime links between the Royal Navy, the City, Commerce and Industry.

The White Ensign Association offers a complete range of Employment Services to help you with your job search or second career.

These Services include access to our considerable range of Job Vacancies, CV Guidance, Interview Advice, and the opportunity to receive help from Networking Advisers and skilled Employment Transition Advisers.  Once you are ready, you can publish your Employment Profile along with your CV which can then be
viewed by our wide range of employing Industry Partners.

For further information please visit our website at www.whiteensign.co.uk or call 020 7940 8135

I want to hire ex forces?

Hire 1-6 week work placement (Civilian Work Attachment)

This happens in the last 6 months of military service (or if they’ve been medically discharged) – Just follow the normal recruitment process.

If you have any queries please contact – leanne.wood@networkrail.co.uk

Tips for candidates

1st steps – Please advise your candidates of the following tips

If you are looking for a new role at Network Rail please sign up to the job alerts for the locations that are of interest to yourself, you will receive daily emails for any new roles that are advertised. You can apply here
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/careers/ex-forces/

What are your candidates looking to do next? Is it:

• Technical
• Training Manager
• People Manager
• Engineering Manager
• Policy setter/HR
• All of the above?

If you require CV support then
please contact your Advisor at the
Career Transition Partnership or alternatively the Officers Association.

Hire a Hero & Ex-Forces will also be more than happy to support you if you don’t have ​a contact at CTP or the OA.

https://www.ctp.org.uk/resettlement-guides

https://www.officersassociation.org.uk/

https://exforces.net
email – tim.jones@exforces.net

http://www.hireahero.org.uk/career-coaching/

To the candidate

We have a PDF you can download and send to candidates.

Tips for candidates

CV help for candidates
(Please feel free to email to candidate – PDF link to be added)

• When applying for jobs at Network Rail, please make sure that your CV is clear so that someone who hasn’t served in the Armed Forces will understand your transferable skills, this will help the Hiring Manager read & take an interest in your CV by focusing on the role you’re interested in & reflecting back in your CV how you match the essential & desirable criteria.

• You will probably need to develop four/five focussed CVs (looking at the content of your current CV) to help you get an invite to interview.  You can apply for as many jobs as you like at Network Rail.  Applications are all looked at by the Hiring Managers that they have to sift & have usually around 30+ CVs & each one may be in a different domain; make sure yours is easy to digest & stands out.

• A covering letter would be a great addition to your application to go in to more detail if you wish – but not essential

• Think STAR when drafting your CVs. If your CV contains various situations & tasks, but make sure it isn’t light on quantified actions & responses… What did you actually
  achieve in terms of effect; time savings, cost reductions,
  less manpower required for revised policies, reduced accidents/incidents in the workplace, efficiencies, benefits –

Example:- quantify your responses e.g I reduced the delivery of a training course/engineering process in time by 25%, saving the MoD
an estimated cost of £xxxx per course/year.

Tips for candidates

CV help for candidates

• Make sure your CV is clear in regards to the number of employee’s you have managed in each of your roles – if any

• Safety – Network Rail is very safety focussed & we know that your background will be also, expand on some of the safety elements you have entrenched during your service & the outcomes achieved as a result

• Only apply for roles within the last 4 months of Service so that you will be available to start if successful

• Network Rail may be able to offer you a short work placement in your last 6 months for 1-4 weeks, please advise when emailing – what role you are looking for/best locations/which month?

• You can search on LinkedIn using the job title you are thinking of applying for followed by Network Rail it will come up with various individual’s that are in that position. If you email them & ask if they would be happy to share more information about the role so that you can fully understand if that is the role for you. You could ask if they would also mind looking over your CV to see if they think your skills are clear enough for the Hiring Manager when they are reviewing your application.

If the Armed Forces individual requires a contact within
Network Rail for any job information:

• Once you have established the location/route they are interested in then forward their details on to the relevant
  HR team or Resourcing Advisor.
   
• Give the Armed Forces individual Network Rail's HR or Resourcing contact details so they have a point-of-contact for the future.

Tips for colleagues

• HR & Resourcing will arrange a full day or half day insight day

• Career Transition Partnership and Officers Association & Family Federations (including Navy, RAF, Army) and Recruit for Spouses, will invite Veterans on your behalf once you
  have provided information to them

• If you would like to collaborate with other companies, or for any queries, Leanne Wood, the Engagement Manager will be happy to advise
  and support you.

Tips for colleagues

Network Rail Hiring Manager workshops

• HR & Resourcing will arrange

• Officers Association to present 'Military into
  Rail' programme

• We advise 2-3 hours – allowing time for
  questions and interaction throughout from
  your audience

• Choose the right location

• Leanne Wood, the Engagement Manager, will
  be happy to run through how the workshop
  should be structured and the benefits.

Tips for colleagues

Placements

• We offer Military work placements
  for 1-6 weeks

• Work shadowing candidates could take on a small projects and meetings with various managers (this could be across different business areas)

Tips for colleagues

Network Rail Armed Forces reporting 

When setting up a new profile for job alerts all
applicants will be asked if they have a link
with the Armed Forces.

You can track the success of Armed Forces applicants on Business Analytics, this is an opportunity for your Business area to see
the success or learnings of this programme.

Tips for colleagues

Think about your job advert –
does it tell you what the job involves, the roles and responsibilities?

Consider keywords, so you get the right matches.

Could you change the job title so you get more matches?

Encourage the Hiring Manager
to arrange a 15 minute call, to understand the candidates transferable skills before
making a decision.

Tips for colleagues

Reserves

If you are recruiting a Reserve, this is the process
you need to follow. If there are further queries not answered below, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

• Network Rail aims to support our employees
  who are members of the Reserve Forces with a commitment to train regularly and a liability to be mobilised for a period of full-time military service. Line Managers should support these commitments and work with the Reservist employee to facilitate training requests and longer periods of absence
  for mobilisation.
   
• The Reservist employee also has a responsibility
  to manage these requests by providing adequate notice for training commitments to enable Line Managers to plan accordingly.  

Tips for colleagues

Reserves

Line Managers should do the following:​

• Inform HR of impending deployment and first day of permanent military service, contained in the call out notice, so HR/payroll can adjust pay and benefits accordingly.
   
• Complete consent form included in the call-out pack and any internal paperwork regarding deployment (consider template letter A within
  this guidance).

• Meet with Reservist employee to discuss deployment. This should include:
  
  – Inform HR of impending deployment and first day of permanent military service,

           contained in the call out notice, so HR/payroll can adjust pay and benefits accordingly.

        – Handover of work

        – Return of any equipment

        – Agree employee benefits entitlements and required actions (refer to checklists within this                         guidance that cover these e.g. Pay, benefits, pension arrangements etc)

        – Keeping in touch – exchange contact details (e.g. email addresses) to enable both parties to do               so. This will help with a smooth reintegration of the Reservist back into the workplace. Next of                 Kin details should also be updated.

Please keep in contact with Leanne Wood giving her an overview of how the business is supporting Veterans/Reserves, share all success stories so that these can be shared across all business areas at Network Rail and also the Ministry of Defence throughout the year to show how “Military into Rail”
is good for business.

For more information, please download this MOD brochure (link to be added).

Tips for colleagues

Reserves

Pay

The MoD will assume responsibility for the Reservist’s salary for the duration of their mobilisation. They will pay a basic salary according to the Reservist’s military rank.
If this basic element is less than the Reservist receives from the company,
it is the Reservist’s responsibility to apply
to the MoD for the difference to ensure that they suffer no loss of earnings. This
is known as Financial Assistance and the Awards to Reservists.
 

The company should suspend the Reservist’s salary during the period
of mobilisation.

Benefits

All contractual benefits that are suspended by the employer during mobilisation can be claimed by the Reservist as part of their Reservist Award. Example benefits include:

• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Company car.

The manager and Reservist should
discuss benefit arrangements during the
pre-mobilisation meeting. This should cover those benefits which will be suspended and for any continuing benefits, arrangements should be made as to how these are paid.  Provide the Reservist with evidence of suspended benefits to support their claim
for Financial Assistance.  

Payroll

Mobilisation does not break continuity of employment (s.217 (a) Employment Rights Act 1996) and therefore it is recommended:

• Not to issue a P45 (in line with HMRC guidance) for service of less than
  12 months
• For payroll purposes to put the individual on a period of ‘special leave’
• Note that any period of mobilisation does not count towards reckonable service periods.

See payroll guidelines on Reservists: https://www.gov.uk/employee-reservist

The Company is not required to pay the Reservist’s salary during the period of mobilisation.

Tips for colleagues

Reserves

Pension

If the Reservist is a member of the company’s pension scheme, and chooses
to remain in it, under the Financial Assistance regulations, if the employer suspends their employer contributions then the MoD will make the employer contributions for the period of mobilisation, as long as the Reservist continues to
make their personal contributions.  

Annual Leave

Reservists should be encouraged to take any accrued annual leave before mobilisation. The company does not need
to accrue annual leave for a Reservist employee during the period of mobilisation. Reservists accrue annual leave with the
MoD whilst they are in full time service
and this is factored in to the mobilisation period and taken before the last day in permanent service.

Financial support

You can claim financial support if a
reservist you employ is called up.
 

Don’t pay their salary or pension contributions while they’re away –
the Ministry of Defence (MOD) pays
these costs. You’ll need to make
changes in your payroll system.

You can apply to delay or cancel mobilisation if it will seriously harm your business.

Tips for colleagues

Reserves

What you can get

You can claim financial assistance to cover:

• the cost of a temporary replacement if it’s more than the reservist’s salary (up to £110 a day)
• advertising costs and agency fees for finding a replacement
• a period of handover and takeover (5 days before and after mobilisation)
• 75% of the cost of specialist clothing for the replacement
  (up to £300)
• training costs for the replacement (up to £2,000)
• overtime, if other employees cover the work
• training the reservist needs to carry on their job when they return.

You can’t claim for:

• loss of profits, turnover or goodwill
• your reservist’s salary or pension contributions if you keep
  paying them.

How to claim

Download and fill in the claim form. Print it out, sign it and either scan and email it or post it. The addresses are on the form.

When to claim

You can claim before the reservist leaves, but you won’t get a payment until they’ve started service. You can’t claim later than
4 weeks after the last day of their service.
 

You can claim for costs as they arise – you don’t have to claim
for them all at once.
 

Costs for training should be claimed within 8 weeks of the end
of the training.

Tips for colleagues

Reserves

Demobilisation

Once a Reservist’s deployment or task
finishes they are demobilised at a nominated mobilisation centre. The Reservist undergoes checks and briefings including medical, welfare and period of post operational leave will follow. The employer will be notified of the demobilisation date and once leave has been calculated, they will be notified of the Reservist’s last day of permanent service. After this date, the Reservist can return
to work.

Return to work

Both the Reservist and their employer have obligations under The Reserve Forces (Safeguarding of Employment Act) 1985 (SOE 85) regarding the return to work process.  

Reservist

A Reservist has the right to be re-employed in the type of job in which they were last employed and on terms and conditions no less favourable to that previously.

Reservists are encouraged to maintain contact with their employer while mobilised and to notify their employer of their last day of permanent service and when they intend returning to work.  The Reservist must write to their employer by the third Monday after their last day of military service making their request to return to work and suggesting
a date which should fall within 6 weeks of their last day of full-time service. This letter
formally starts the return to work process. They are also encouraged to informally contact the employer to discuss their return to work, whether via a letter or email,
a meeting or a telephone call. The formal application must be made in writing for
it to be valid under SOE 85.

If a Reservist is not happy with the offer of alternative employment they must write
to the employer stating why there is reasonable cause for them not to accept it. If a Reservist believes that an employer’s response to their application denies their rights under the SOE 85, an application can be made to a Reinstatement Committee for assessment. This committee will consider the Reservist's application and, if they accept it, can make an order for reinstatement and/or compensation.  An appeal to an Umpire against a decision of the Reinstatement Committee can be made if the Reservist does not agree with the decision or order.

Tips for colleagues

Reserves

Employer

The Employer has an obligation under SOE 85 to reinstate the Reservist, where possible to their former role, if not a mutually acceptable role on the same terms and conditions prior to mobilisation.

Line Managers should acknowledge and respond to informal and formal contact from the Reservist with regards to return to work arrangements.(Consider Template Letter B – to be sent to the Reservist on receipt of their formal notification letter requesting return to work).

As long as the Reservist’s application for reinstatement is in force, the former employer should reinstate the Reservist as soon as reasonably able to do so from the date the Reservist said they would be available to return to work or within 6 weeks of the last day of their military service. They must be reinstated for a minimum period of 13, 26 or 52 weeks, depending on their length of service with the company prior to mobilisation. A Reservist
is not immune from a company restructure and can be included in a redundancy pool but must be treated equally to other employees throughout the process.

Tips for colleagues

Reserves

After care and support

Helping to ensure a smooth re-integration into the workplace/team will require consideration. Line managers should:

• Provide returning Reservist with an update on changes and developments in the organisation
   
• Offer specific refresher/re training where sought/considered necessary particularly if role has evolved/changed
   
• Encourage informal get together with colleagues before or soon after
  the return to work to prevent feeling of dislocation


• Discuss any health concerns. If there is concern that a Reservist may
  be experiencing issues (i.e. physical / mental health) as a result of their deployment then Reservist should be encouraged to seek advice/help
  and consult their unit/GP.

Further information can be obtained from the following or by contacting Engagement Manager, Leanne Wood:

• SaBRE (Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers):​ www.sabre.mod.uk
   
• Helpline: – 0800 389 5459. This is a free telephone helpline open during office hours where advice and guidance can be obtained on training, mobilisation and employment issues
   
• Royal Navy website: www.royalnavy.mod.uk/the-fleet/maritime-reserves
   
• Army website: www.army.mod.uk/territorial
   
• Royal Air Force website: www.raf.mod.uk/rafreserves

Contact details

Please contact the
Engagement Manager leanne.wood@networkrail.co.uk