EMPLOYERS were recently urged to consider new guidelines for leave for members of the Australian Defence Force Reserves, following their unveiling by chief of the Defence Force, General Peter Cosgrove
EMPLOYERS were recently urged to consider new guidelines for leave for members of the Australian Defence Force Reserves, following their unveiling by chief of the Defence Force, General Peter Cosgrove.
“This increased commitment by our reservists is going to require an even greater commitment by you,” General Cosgrove said. “We need our reservists today and next year more than we’ve done for many years.”
He said while the new leave guidelines were only recommendations, they were designed to assist employers in developing policies to support reservists.
Guidelines included having clear HR policies for staff participating in reserve forces, granting a minimum two weeks’ annual defence leave, signing and displaying statements of support for the reserves and ensuring management was aware of supportive policies.
General Cosgrove acknowledged that many employers were concerned about the temporary loss of employees when they took up service in the Australian Defence Force Reserves.
“When you release your person to serve in the reserves, you lose the services of a valuable employee,” he said. “But when they return, the reservist will have gained valuable transferable skills such as teamwork, leadership and management.”
Mitsubishi Motors Australia, one company that actively supports the Australian Defence Force Reserves, said that it makes good business sense and also believes it to be a national corporate responsibility.
“Having defence reservists on staff has made us all aware of the hard work continually going on behind the scenes to keep all Australians safe,” said Mitsubishi Motors Australia CEO Tom Phillips. “It’s an incredibly important responsibility.”
He said that reservists make ideal employees because of the experience they bring back into the workforce from the military.
“They are responsive and focused in achieving their objectives, have a structured, focused mindset and are respectful and self-aware. They are team players with the ability to handle responsibility and delegate effectively,” he said.
Mitsubishi has around 20 reserv-ists on staff, in jobs ranging from parts manufacture to production engineering. Phillips said the company’s ability to manage reservist absences from work does have a financial impact, although the compensation payments (through the Employer Support Payment Scheme) has helped to “greatly to offset this”.
