National Guard Employment Support

As a member of the National Guard, you have a foot in both the military and the civilian worlds. The information and resources in this guide can help you navigate your roles with the Guard and in the civilian workplace.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act provides that an employer must give you time off to perform military service and reemploy you following the service with status, seniority and rate of pay as though you never left.

Members of the Guard and reserve are required to submit information about their civilian employer and job skills each year. This allows the Defense Department to:

• Give consideration to civilian employment necessary to maintain national health, safety and interest when considering members for recall.
• Ensure that members with critical civilian skills are not retained in numbers beyond those needed for those skills.
• Inform employers of reservists of their rights and responsibilities under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

You can submit your CEI annually during readiness processing or records reviews. Failing to provide the required information could subject you to administrative or punitive action and adversely impact your local community.

Your employer should always treat you fairly, but there are certain limitations you should be aware of, especially with regard to your absence from the workplace.

In addition to knowing your and your employer’s rights, balancing your civilian and military careers requires open communication and insight into how your military experiences affect you, your employer and your coworkers. Keep the following tips in mind:

1. Be open with your boss about your National Guard service.
2. Give advance notice of any drills, trainings and extra time-off requirements that may interfere with your civilian job.
3. When schedule changes occur, notify your employer as soon as you know about them so your boss can make plans to accommodate your absence.
4. Anticipate changes in yourself after deployment or serving in a disaster relief mission. You may notice the following after returning to your civilian job:
   • The pace of work may seem slower in comparison to your military duties. It is easy to misinterpret this as your coworkers being lazy or not caring. Remember, it is probably you who has changed, not them. Try not to judge, criticize or make assumptions.
   • You may feel fatigued, even with what seems like sufficient sleep. This may be a result of chronic stress or needing more rest than you realize. See a doctor if chronic fatigue persists.
   • You may feel cynical by what you witnessed during duty, or dissatisfied with the routine of work. Most work does not provide the dramatic and immediate reinforcement, of say, responding to a disaster. Work may seem to lack meaning and satisfaction. Counter these feelings by incorporating the positive things you learned during your deployment into your personal and professional life.
   • You may be emotional. Sometimes the combination of intense experiences, fatigue and stress leaves you especially vulnerable to unexpected emotions. You may cry easily, be quick to anger, or experience dramatic mood swings. These are normal reactions that typically subside over time. In the meantime, be aware of your reactions, discuss your experiences, and avoid making comments that might be hurtful or upsetting to others.
   • Coworkers and supervisors may resent that they had to take on more work because of your absence. Let them know you appreciate their support during your deployment.

If you are experiencing distress or other employment difficulties, there are programs and services to help you cope.