EMPLOYER SUPPORT

Dundee & Angus employers receive their certificates from the Lord Provost of Dundee.

Through our Regional Employer Support Group and the SaBRE Campaign, our aim is to heighten the awareness of the Volunteer Reserve Forces amongst Employers through national, regional and local activities, meeting the requirements of the Ministry of Defence (Director Reserve Forces and Cadets) through a Service Level Agreement.  We encourage Employers to support their Reservists, providing advice and support to both Reservists, their Units and Employers about their commitments and liabilities.  We explain how transferable skills acquired by Reservists benefit the civilian workplace.  Importantly our activities provide a 2-way flow of views between Employers and the Ministry of Defence. 

THE SaBRE CAMPAIGN

SaBRE is an acronym for ‘Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers’.  The activity is coordinated at a national, regional and local level through the SaBRE campaign.   The National Campaign is operated from the Offices of the Council of RFCAs in London;  the Regional and Local Campaign in the Highlands, as with the other RFCAs, is run by the Regional SaBRE Coordination Director (RSCD), based in Dundee.

RSCD’s WORK

This is focused on two areas:

- To engage with employers throughout the Highlands to raise awareness of the benefits of employing Reservists in their workforce.   Briefings on the Reserve Services, the obligations of a Serviceman and the rights of the Employers are provided directly to the larger employers in both the private and public sector.  However with the many small and medium sized business concerns in the Highlands the most effective outreach has been achieved by briefing members of chambers of commerce, trade organisations and using the Local Authority network. It is particularly important that Employers understand their obligations towards Reservists and the Ministry of Defence.

- Where necessary to support both the Reservist and the Employer to resolve issues arising following mobilisation.  There is a requirement to mobilise a relatively small number of Reservists on operations in support the Regular Armed Services;  invariably the Reservists will be filling posts that are either not routinely required, or where there is a requirement for key specialists (e.g. medical staff) to support operations.    In situations where there is no national emergency, the Ministry of Defence encourages Reservists to fill posts on a voluntary basis rather than by compulsory mobilisation, although the latter may be necessary on occasions.  This is achieved by identifying volunteer Reservists that can be released from their civilian workplace for the required period of pre-deployment training, operations and recovery.  Employers are entitled to compensation from the MOD.  Occasionally issues do arise: the Serviceman’s unit together with the RSCD will engage with the employer to resolve any problem.

REGIONAL EMPLOYER SUPPORT GROUPS

Highland RFCA, through the RSCD, operates four Area Employer Support Groups based in Inverness (Northern), Aberdeen (North East), Dundee/Fife (East), and Stirling/Dumbarton (South).  These groups are drawn from members of both the private and public sector.  Their task is to engage with other employers in their areas and help spread the SaBRE message.  They also monitor the local employment scene and provide valuable advice to Highland RFCA by reflecting current issues that are of relevance towards encouraging Reservist service.

Each year Employers get the opportunity to see the skills that their Reservists have learned in the course of their army/navy/air force duties. Exercise EXECUTIVE STRETCH takes place over a number of weekends, and employers can nominate a member of their management team to attend.  They are given a typical scenario that a military officer would experience and are guided through the leadership skills that are required and tested, in a series of challenging tasks.  At the end of the weekend, the winning team receive their prizes and return home with a fuller understanding of the skills their reservists possess and hopefully having practised or even developed their own leadership skills.