Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is the lead Defense Department agency promoting cooperation and understanding between civilian employers and their National Guard and Reserve employees.

Established in 1972, ESGR operates within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. The agency’s responsibilities fall into three categories: Increasing awareness of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, recognizing outstanding support of employers for their Guard and Reserve employees, and resolving workplace conflict through mediation.

Statement of Support
The Statement of Support program is the cornerstone of ESGR’s efforts to gain and maintain employer support. The program aims to develop employers into advocates for employee participation in the military. Employers who sign the statement make three commitments:

1. To recognize, honor and enforce the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act;

2. To provide their leadership with the resources necessary to effectively manage Guard and Reserve employees;

3. To continually recognize and support service members and their families in peace, crisis and war.

The Chairman of the Board of General Motors signed the first Statement of Support on December 13, 1972. Since then, thousands of employers—ranging from Chrysler to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma—have followed suit, as did every cabinet secretary and federal agency in 2005.

Awards
To recognize employers for policies and practices that facilitate employee participation in the Guard and Reserve, ESGR initiated the following awards:


 * The Patriot Award honors supervisors for their superior support of Guard and Reserve employees. Nominations must come from a Guard or Reserve member or a family member. Nominated employers receive a certificate of recognition and a lapel pin.


 * The Above and Beyond Award, ESGR’s second-level award, is selected and presented by ESGR field committees to recognize employers at the state level who have gone above and beyond the requirements of the Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.


 * The Pro Patria award recognizes leadership practices and personnel policies that provide the greatest support to Guard and Reserve employees. Each ESGR field committee presents the award to one small, one large, and one public-sector employer in each committee’s state or territory.


 * The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S. government to employers for their outstanding support of Guard and Reserve employees. Fifteen awards are presented annually to small, large, and public sector employers, who are further recognized in meetings with a senior governmental official, including the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, or member of Congress.

Ombudsman Services Program
ESGR’s primary means for mediating workplace conflict is its Ombudsman Services Program. This national network consists of more than 900 volunteers within 56 field committees throughout the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

While each ombudsman receives extensive training on USERRA and dispute-resolution techniques, ombudsmen do not offer legal counsel or advice. Instead, they serve as an informal, neutral and free resource. In 2008, ESGR ombudsmen successfully mediated over 70 percent of their 2,664 cases.

If an ESGR ombudsman is unable to facilitate a resolution, parties have the option to seek private counsel and/or a formal investigation through the Department of Labor’s Veterans' Employment and Training Service, the Office of Special Counsel, or the  Department of Justice.