Jani’s Journal Issue 22: Memorial Day Special--Military, Summer, and Grief
5/14/2024
Memorial Day Special
Amidst Memorial Day celebrations, nonprofit organizations have a unique opportunity to reflect on the profound contributions of military personnel, both in service and within the nonprofit sector. This solemn holiday not only honors the fallen heroes who have sacrificed for our freedoms but also reminds us of the unique strengths and challenges that veterans bring to our mission-driven work. As we enter the summer season, a time often associated with relaxation and vacations, it's important to acknowledge the juxtaposition of this period of leisure with the deep, personal grief that many experience as they remember lost loved ones. Balancing the celebration of summer with the somber remembrance of Memorial Day can help nonprofits create a more empathetic and supportive environment for everyone, particularly those who have served and sacrificed. This approach underscores the commitment of nonprofits to honor and integrate the experiences of military personnel in their pursuit of positive social impact.
This special Memorial Day edition of Jani’s Journal highlights the contributions of military service members to the workforce, their unique grief experience, and important well-being reminders for both workers and leaders as we approach summer vacation season.
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🔗 Five Reasons Veterans Are Ideal Nonprofit Employees 🔗
Memorial Day honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. One way we can do that is to honor those they left behind. There are many reasons why veterans are ideal employees to help your nonprofit advance its mission. This National Council of Nonprofits article highlights five:
Veterans are problem-solvers
Veterans are skilled at adapting
Veterans are team players
Veterans are dedicated to helping others
Veterans are laser-focused on the mission
Military Perspectives
🔗 From the Military to the Workforce: How to Leverage Veterans' Skills 🔗
This article from McKinsey and Company highlights how traditional hiring practices often overlook the valuable skills veterans bring to the civilian workforce. Nonprofits, much like other sectors, face challenges like a shortage of skilled labor and an aging workforce. Expanding hiring criteria beyond traditional college résumés to include learning capacity and transferable skills is becoming crucial. Veterans, with their technical training, ability to perform under pressure, and strong interpersonal skills, are well-suited for many roles within nonprofit organizations, especially in areas experiencing labor shortages such as program management and operations.
Sectors to pay attention to for veterans?
To bridge the opportunity gap, nonprofits can enhance their recruiting, retention, and retraining efforts by:
Promoting the long-term career benefits of nonprofit work,
Providing more educational and training opportunities,
Adopting a skills-based hiring approach,
Setting targets for veteran recruitment and hiring, and
Collaborative efforts between nonprofits and veteran support organizations.
🔗 A Military Veteran Knows Why Your Employees Are Leaving 🔗
This article from McKinsey & Company underscores the insights military veterans can provide on employee retention during times of transition. Adria Horn, a lieutenant colonel in the US Army Reserve and executive vice president at Tilson, compares her experiences of returning from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan to employees' struggles to return to the office. Horn emphasizes that, like veterans returning home, employees in transition experience confusion, a sense of loss, and unmet expectations. Whether requiring employees to return to the office or helping a new employee adjust to office based work from a previous remote role or a brand-new role altogether, managers should keep these three key lessons in mind to support a successful transition, ultimately improving retention and workplace satisfaction:
Recognize the emotional impact: Just as veterans receive reintegration briefings to manage expectations and emotions, employers need to understand and address the emotional upheaval their employees are facing.
Understand the sense of loss: Employees, like returning veterans, feel disoriented and disconnected as their routines and social networks have been disrupted, leading to a sense of lost control.
Provide clear guidance and support: Military briefings help veterans by preparing them for what to expect; similarly, employers should provide clear communication and support to help employees navigate the return to work.
Grief Support
🔗 Using Multidimensional Grief Theory to Explore Effects of Deployment, Reintegration, and Death on Military Youth and Families 🔗
As a universally human experience, grief impacts for-profit and non-profit employees alike. However, employees with previous military experience and others experiencing complex trauma-based grief may present special needs in the workplace. This journal article from the Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review underscores the need for a more comprehensive approach to addressing grief alongside PTSD in military service members and their families. Traditional focus on trauma and PTSD has overshadowed the significant impact of grief experienced due to the loss of fellow unit members, spouses, and parents. The authors introduce the Multidimensional Grief Theory to better understand and address these challenges. Key points for savvy supportive managers to understand include:
Multidimensional Grief Theory: A new framework to explore the unique features of military-related grief during deployment, reintegration, and post-combat death phases, particularly its impact on children.
Implications for Preventive Interventions: The theory highlights the need for tailored interventions at each phase to mitigate maladaptive grief and promote resilience.
The Role of Nonprofits: Nonprofits can play a crucial role in supporting military families by adopting grief-informed approaches and collaborating with veteran support organizations to enhance educational and training opportunities.
Summer Vacation Season
🔗 Don’t Obsess Over Getting Everything Done Before a Vacation 🔗
In honor of the summer vacation season’s kick-off, this Harvard Business Review article discusses how the traditional approach of overworking before a vacation is counterproductive, turning relaxation time into recuperation time. Instead, maintaining a typical workweek before a vacation and setting boundaries for work during the break can lead to more effective rest and rejuvenation. This is particularly relevant for nonprofit organizations, which often operate under resource constraints and high-stress conditions. Key takeaways include:
Maintain Typical Work Patterns: Avoid the temptation to overwork before a vacation, as this can lead to exhaustion and reduce the quality of your break.
Set Clear Boundaries: Resist the urge to check in on work during your vacation. Only if absolutely necessary, establish specific times for checking in to avoid constant distractions and ensure true downtime.
Trust Your Team: Believe that your organization can manage without you for a short period. This not only helps in reducing stress but also empowers your team to handle responsibilities independently.
By adopting these strategies, nonprofit leaders and staff can ensure they return from vacations truly refreshed, ultimately benefiting their organizations with renewed energy and perspective.
🔗 Stop Overworking After Vacation 🔗
Second only to overworking before a vacation is trying to catch up after one, and the resulting return-to-work anxiety. For nonprofits, where the pressure to maintain operations is constant, this anxiety can be even more pronounced. Giving in to this pressure can lead to a cycle of overworking that undermines the benefits of their time off. Key strategies to mitigate post-vacation stress and ultimately enhance the overall productivity and resilience of the organization:
Acknowledge the Importance of Breaks: Time off is essential for sustained performance and growth. Nonprofit workers, like athletes, need regular rest to avoid burnout and maintain high productivity.
Shift to a Performance Mindset: Integrate work recovery as a core component of your strategy. Regular, consistent breaks can enhance job satisfaction and performance.
Ease Re-entry Shock: Use buffers to transition back into work. Schedule a free day between your return from vacation and your first day back at work. Keep your calendar light initially to avoid overworking.
Incorporate Vacation Habits: Identify what helped you relax during your vacation and integrate those activities into your regular routine, whether it’s exercise, hobbies, or leisure time.
Review and Communicate Boundaries: Establish clear work boundaries to protect your downtime and communicate these to your team. This helps manage expectations and ensures a healthy work-life balance.
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