Welcoming your Reservist return to work
Once a Reservist employee has been demobilised and has made an application for reinstatement to employment, you have a duty to reinstate them in their former job for a minimum period, or offer them suitable alternative employment.
Financial help with retraining
Sometimes Reservists may need refresher training on their return to work, or be given time to refamiliarise themselves with processes and procedures back at work. Financial assistance is available for retraining if it’s required as a direct result of their mobilisation, although you can't claim for any training courses they would have undertaken anyway. There's no cap on the amount you can claim for, but you'll have to provide evidence of the costs, and show that the Reservist couldn't reach the required standard by any other means, such as workplace experience.
Take time out to talk
You may well discover that your Reservist employee has grown in terms of leadership, planning and training others and that these are skills that can be put to good use within your organisation. They’ll also have acquired stress management, resilience and technical skills which could prove advantageous.
Aftercare
Reservists return to civilian life with a huge variety of new skills and accomplishments which can be of great benefit to employers. But they can occasionally face challenges too. If you have any concerns about your Reservist employee's ability to reintegrate into the workplace, or changes to their usual behaviour, find out more about the help and support available here.