| Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve | |
|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1972 |
| Jurisdiction | Federal government of the United States |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Website | |
| ESGR Web site | |
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.[1]
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.
Contents |
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.
To recognize employers for policies and practices that facilitate employee participation in the Guard and Reserve, ESGR initiated the following awards:
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.[2]