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Website matches reservists with flexible employers |
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Written by Richard Amery
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Tuesday, November 11 2008, 9:21 PM |
“Dedication” and “sacrifice” are words which were likely bandied about Tuesday as talk turned to Remembrance Day and veterans.
When it comes to those in the Canadian Armed Forces of today — many of them reservists — “commitment” is key.
Not only does it take a big commitment on their part, but also their employers, too, and for that reason, two reservists out of Hamilton have set up the website www.civiside.com.
The idea is to match up reservists looking for a 9 to 5 job with companies looking for help and willing to be a little flexible.
“The majority of Canadian employers don’t have a policy in place for military leave — that’s 90 plus per cent — while most U.S. companies do because they have legislation in place,” says Ken Seville, who came up with the idea of the website along with fellow reservist Jamie Smith.
Interestingly enough, the pair initiated the project this past spring but had to put it on the back burner over the summer because of military training.
Every year 3,000 reservists graduate from post-secondary institutions and often have trouble finding employers willing to give them two weeks off for training. This lack of downtime can lead to burnout and forces many to retire early.
“We can give companies better candidates, because in the military you have to be a team player, you are hard working and you can’t be lazy. And those are the qualities companies are looking for,” said Seville, who graduated from university in 2003 and has been in the reserves for three and a half years.
Reservists sign up for an account and a password, listing their qualifications, as do employers who list what they are looking for. The site matches up both parties by emailing the reservists when a job comes open requiring their qualifications.
While it is open to any reservist, the site targets recent graduates who joined the reserves as a part-time job to help pay for their education and were able to train during the summer.
“We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible. Every reservist who wants to work for a reserve-friendly employer should be able to work for one. That’s my goal,” Seville said.
Fortunately, reservists in Alberta haven’t generally had a lot of problems linking up with employers, thanks to such organizations as Canadian Forces Liaison Council, a civilian group which lobbies companies on behalf of reservists.
“In Alberta in general, particularly Lethbridge, you find support for reservists is very good,” said Capt. David Swan, battery administration officer for the 18th Air Defence Regiment, which is responsible for 80 reservists who parade at the armouries at the Lethbridge County Airport.
“Employers recognize there are a lot of benefits to hiring reservists,” he said, pointing out first aid and dangerous goods training are among the skills they bring and ones companies would normally have to pay extra for.
“It’s win, win, win for everybody — it helps the individual, Canada and the business,” said Swan.
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Last Updated ( Monday, August 10 2009, 2:35 PM )
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