Navigating the transition from military to civilian life can be challenging, especially in the workplace. Here are five tips to help you bridge the communication gap and ensure your interactions with civilian colleagues are clear, effective, and professional.
1. Spell It Out, Literally
Keep terms simple and acronyms to a minimum. People without military experience have not used the types of acronyms or shorthand you may be used to in your service experience.
Make sure to say “United States Navy” instead of USN or spell out “Captain” instead of “CAPT.” When using too many service-based phrases or acronyms, you will lose the focus of those listening to you or cause unnecessary back and forth in written communication. Keep this in mind for service vernacular like “Roger” or “high speed,” or even when using military time.
2. As Michael Scott Once Said, “Why Don’t You Explain This to Me Like I’m Five?”
Certain elements within your experience may be completely foreign to that of the civilian experience. You will be better suited to connect with your peers if you can draw parallels from their experiences to yours using simple examples. Instead of saying “I design space deployable for multi-array antennas,” you could say “I design hardware that goes on satellites that opens purely on mechanical hardware to support different platforms.”
3. Assume Positive Intent
We civilians are going to mess up and not know what to ask or how to ask. Sometimes we may stop ourselves mid-question, or you can see the gears turning as we try to figure out how to ask a question appropriately.
Unless the situation clearly suggests otherwise, assume that the person is trying their best to ask questions the best way. Better yet, help coach them when they may not get it right (or say nothing at all!)
4. Don’t Feel Obligated To Share
In the case that an employee is asking personal questions regarding your military service, and you’re unsure how to handle the situation professionally while still respecting your own needs, try one of these phrases:
- “That is a personal experience for me that I do not wish to share in detail and will do so if/when I feel comfortable.”
- “Perhaps others have shared those sorts of stories with you in the past, but I don’t feel comfortable sharing that part of my story.”
- “That is not an appropriate question to ask a service member if they don’t volunteer it to you, as it may be a difficult or highly personal conversation for them.”
You are never required to divulge personal information you don’t wish to share, in the workplace and your everyday life, and you are never required to answer a question you don’t feel comfortable answering.
5. Advocate for Yourself by Vocalizing Your Needs
The life of a service member is so unique by person, branch, country, tours, and overall service. Companies will typically have military and veteran services that seek to serve the broader employee base and provide general resources.
Leverage your HR, employee experience, and employee resource groups on additional resources, needs, accommodations, or workplace issues. Every employee is entitled to a safe, inclusive workspace, but your leadership will not know exactly what you need if you don’t ask.
Are there areas where you are looking to personally develop? Do you have specific topics in mind that you would like further tips or training on? Tell us by emailing the SWE MAVAG team at militaryveteran-ag@swe.org.
