Employer Notification (EN) is a procedure which took effect on 1 April 2004. EN means that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will write directly to the employer of any new Reservist and to existing Reservists who are engaging for a further period of service. The letter is designed to let employers know that they have a Reservist working for them, and to tell them who they can talk to about the related benefits, rights and obligations. Effectively, EN means that you will have to tell your civilian employer that you are a Reservist unless there is a very good reason not to, in which case a waiver can be applied for. EN does not apply to Northern Ireland or Reservists in the Special Forces.