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Benefits March 11, 2011
DoD to Kick off Employer Poll over Reservist Use
March 11, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – A new Department of Defense (DoD) survey of 80,000 U.S. employers will try to find out how the past decade of war and the heavy use of reserve-component forces has affected civilian workplaces.
Reported by Fred Schneyer
A news report from the American Forces Press Service said the poll by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is scheduled to be distributed throughout March and April to statistically representative employers of all sizes and industries in every state and territory. According to the news report, it is the largest survey of its kind since September 11, 2001.
“We want to know a little more about them and what their experiences have been,” Dennis M. McCarthy, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, told American Forces Press Service. “We want to know what they’ve gained, how they see the value of having members of the National Guard and reserve working for them. We want to know what pressures there have been, and the things they’ve done to deal with it.”
McCarthy said calls were placed to about 40,000 of the targeted employers to notify them of the survey, and only about 1,500 asked that it not be sent to them. He added that he hopes the survey results will translate into laws and policies to sustain the relationship between the reserve components and employers.
More information about the ESGR is at http://www.esgr.org/site/ . The survey can be accessed at http://www.esgr.org/site/employersurvey.aspx