Tips For Military Member

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Tips for National Guard and Reserve Members: Avoiding Job Conflicts
Most employment conflicts can be avoided by being candid with your employer about your obligations as a member of one of the Reserve components. Don't take your employer's support for granted. Let your boss know the vital mission that is supported by your participation in the National Guard or Reserve. Let your boss know how your military experience and training will make you a more capable civilian employee.

Talk To Your Boss.
No matter what your military assignment or specialty, tell your employer about it. Many people hold down military jobs that relate directly to their civilian careers. If yours is one of them, your boss would be pleased to know that you are learning and practicing military skills that can pay off on the job. Even if what you do in the military is different from your civilian job, sharing the details can impress your boss.

Federal Law.
Experience has shown that members of the National Guard and Reserve, as well as their employers, do not always have a clear understanding about employment and reemployment rights for Reserve component members. Federal law guarantees the right to take time off from work to attend to your military responsibilities.

Drill Schedules.
Don't make your boss guess about your National Guard or Reserve duties. The more you share with the boss - and the earlier you share it the better - about drill schedules, annual training plans, reemployment rights and rules, and any extra time-off requirements, the easier things will go. Many units meet on the same weekend of each month, with exceptions for holidays or when scheduled annual training intervenes. If your unit follows this pattern, let your employer know. Remember, you must give your employer advance notice of any military service, including drills.

Annual Training Schedules.
The same rules apply for Annual Training (AT). Most units schedule their AT months in advance - that is the time to provide notification to the employer. A change in orders can be more easily handled than an unplanned absence. If you are going to be on an advance party, or if your AT will exceed the traditional two weeks, make sure your employer knows about it well in advance.
Extra Training.
When you or your unit needs additional training, or you are scheduled to attend a service school, let the boss know about it. Giving employers the maximum lead-time enables them to make plans to accommodate your absence. To the extent that you have control over the scheduling of additional training, try to minimize any adverse impact your absence will cause from the civilian job.
Emergency/Contingency Duty.
Many Reserve component members have served on active duty in support of such operations as the Persian Gulf conflict. In any case, when you have been activated involuntarily for a particular mission, your period of service will not count against the cumulative 5-year limit established under USERRA.
 
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