Colonial Life’s Eric Tracy, vice president of the Customer Contact Center and benefits support, received the Patriotic Employer Award recently in recognition of his exceptional support of military veterans.
Presented by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) at a surprise ceremony, Tracy said he has been grateful for the opportunity to hire and work alongside veterans.
“About five years ago, I was leading some recruiting efforts in Global Services and we hired a veteran, who turned out to have amazing leadership and other skills,” Tracy said. “That was one of my first realizations that there was this incredibly rich group of talent out there that we could tap into, and in the process do our small part as a company of giving back to those who have served our country.”
The Patriot Award reflects the efforts to support citizen warriors through a wide range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence if needed.
At Colonial Life, military personnel on active or reserve duty are covered under the company’s military leave policy for a leave of up to five years. For active military personnel, Colonial Life makes up the difference between military pay and employee pay for up to 12 months per leave, and offers continued medical and dental insurance and life insurance during that period. For those on reserve duty, Colonial Life makes up the difference between employee pay and military pay for up to two weeks each year. Those who serve generally remain employed in their current jobs and have training made available to refresh skills.
“We want to make sure our veterans know we see the value they bring to the private sector,” said Marcia Leander, vice president of talent acquisition at Colonial Life. “Veterans are equipped with the skills you can’t teach – performance under pressure, values-driven and leadership – to name a few. It’s our job to make sure we are taking advantage of the unique skills our servicemen and women have to offer.”
Beyond recruiting veterans, the Accelerated Leadership Development Program (ALDP) was designed to challenge and prepare veterans for a leadership role.
And the company has also recently created a Veteran Networking Group to be led by veterans, for veterans, with a focus on providing support for new, on-boarding veteran employees; helping with recruiting events; and creating opportunities for networking, community outreach and development.
If you are a veteran, or know someone who has served our country, learn how veterans can put their leadership skills to work with a career at Colonial Life.
