Employer Support Officers

As an Employer Support Officer you’ll be the first point of contact for Reservists in your unit looking for guidance or advice on employment issues. Here you’ll find a variety of information and resources to help you, such as:

information about your role when communicating with Reservists and engaging with employers;
important advice about Employer Notification, Mobilisation and Demobilisation, including relevant Joint Service Publications.

Resource library

- Employer Notification letter template for use when writing to the employer of a Reservist:
  Letter template (MS Word - 175Kb)
  Letter template (PDF - 60Kb)
- Pocket guide for Reservists about Employer Notification:
  Pocket Guide (PDF - 214Kb) 
- Guide for new recruits about Employer Notification:
  Guide for new recruits (PDF - 59Kb) 
Contact us to order your copy of the Employer Notification DVD (Time to tell). This can be used as a stand alone briefing or in conjunction with the PowerPoint presentations available on the topic. The EN DVD explains: the reasons why members of the Volunteer Reserve Forces should discuss the implications of their membership with their employers; how Employer Notification works; and what sources of help are available.
- A practical guide for Employer Support Officers, providing all the background information to help you in your role:
  JSP 811 - Unit Employer Support Officer information and guidance (2006 edition) (PDF - 787Kb)
- The framework within which the support to employers of Reservists is provided:
  JSP 766 - The Defence Directive on employer support (PDF - 1.41Mb)
- A practical guide for Reservist's on employment issues:
  JSP 523 - A Reservist's guide to employment issues (PDF - 351Kb)
- Information to inform Reservists on employer matters and what to do:
  Working with your employer - A guide for Reservists (PDF - 649Kb)
  This leaflet should be provided ideally at the end of one of the presentations provided,see the presentations below.
- Presentation for Employer Support Officers, recruit trainers and members of the chain-of-command to brief Reservists (primarily aimed at those who are relatively junior) on employer support matters:
  Working with your employer - An introduction for Reservists (MS PowerPoint - 4.37Mb)  
  Working with your employer - An introduction for Reservists (PDF - 697Kb)
- Presentation for Employer Support Officers, recruit trainers and members of the chain-of-command to use as a refresher lesson or to update Reservists who may be out of touch with current arrangements:
  Working with your employer - A summary for Reservists (MS PowerPoint - 369Kb) 
  Working with your employer - A summary for Reservists (PDF - 398Kb) 
- Presentation for Employer Support Officers in units to use to brief others in command positions on employer support matters:
  Working with your employer - A briefing for commanders (MS PowerPoint - 545Kb) 
  Working with your employer - A briefing for commanders (PDF - 429Kb) 
- A leaflet for new employers of Reservists, providing an overview of their rights and obligations and where to find more information:
  An introduction to employing Reservists (PDF - 651Kb)
- A comprehensive guide for employers about employing Reservists:
  A guide to employing Reservists (PDF - 1.75Mb)  
To obtain copies of these publications, contact your Regional SaBRE Campaign Director or call the SaBRE helpline on 0800 389 5459.
- Information for Reservists about The Reserve Forces Act 1996:
  JSP 516 - The Reserve Forces Act 1996 (PDF - 380Kb)  
- Information about protection of employment for those liable to be mobilised and reinstatement for those returning from mobilised service: The Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985 (SOE 85) (PDF - 7.26Mb)
You can view both acts online by visiting www.opsi.gov.uk.

Changes to legislation: changes to Section 56 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 can be found on the legislation.gov.uk website.
- Leaflet for Reservists and their employers, explaining the new financial assistance regulations and what you need to do to claim:
  JSP 584 - Financial assistance regulations for Reservists and their employer (PDF - 174Kb) 
- Factsheet for employers about applying for financial assistance if their Reservist employee is mobilised:
  Financial assistance factsheet for employers (PDF - 58Kb)
- Detailed advice for Reservists on the procedures for applying for reinstatement:
  JSP 532 - Guidance for Reservists returning to civilian employment following a period of mobilised service (PDF - 1.83Mb)