This past week, I received a DVD in the mail from an organization called Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).

While I have several friends and relatives serving in the military, I must confess that I hadn’t heard much about them before.

So what is ESGR?? Well, its a Department of Defense agency that seeks to promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law and resolving conflict through mediation. 

The website is chock full of information relevant to employers, including detailed sample policies and procedures to comply with USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment Reemployment Rights Act). 

The DVD, which is available from the website, is actually a 20 minute training video featuring short vignettes and easy-to-understand guides on the relevant law.  It highlights tricky issues such as how to deal with employees who may be out for short periods of time for reserve duty and how to deal with employees who have been deployed for months at a time. 

For a shorter video, I’ve embedded this clip from ESGR.  As we approach Veterans Day, the ESGR video and website are great ways for employers to stay on top of the law and support the military.