Veterans Day: PSAs Make the Business Case for Hiring Veterans
Alexandria, Va., November 11, 2020—Today, the SHRM Foundation released new PSAs to raise public awareness of how veterans—to this day—remain an underemployed pool of talent in the American workforce. The PSAs feature veterans and the solutions that the SHRM Foundation offers to veteran employment challenges through their Veterans at Work initiative.
The PSAs are one part of the SHRM Foundation's commitment to empowering HR professionals to attract, hire and retain veterans and members of the military community. Research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the number of unemployed veterans has more than doubled since 2019.
"It is incredibly important to recognize veterans as valuable, productive and purpose-driven members of our workforce. They've served us—now it's our time to support them," said Carol Eggert, BG (R), US Army, Senior Vice President, Military & Veteran Affairs, Comcast NBCUniversal. Comcast NBCUniversal donated the time and space for the PSAs and they are the founding partner of the SHRM Foundation's Veterans at Work certificate program.
"The SHRM Foundation knows veterans are valuable members of our workforce," said Wendi Safstrom, Executive Director of the SHRM Foundation. "Our Veterans at Work initiative encourages HR professionals to embrace veterans as dedicated, well-trained employees looking to have a continued impact in their post-military careers. It makes good business sense to hire veterans – but research shows that nearly one-third of veteran job seekers are underemployed."
"I am passionate about the Veterans at Work initiative because there are values that the military instills in its service members that we want as an employer," said Crystal Palacios, a Director of Human Resources who is featured in this PSA.
The PSAs were produced by marketing agency Pace Communications and will appear on TV, beginning on Veterans Day.
The PSAs also encourage viewers to find more information and support veteran employment at VeteransatWork.org.
Media: Contact Mallory Flynn at Mallory.Flynn@shrm.org and 703-535-6082 to schedule an interview.
About The SHRM Foundation
Founded in 1966 as the philanthropic arm of SHRM, the SHRM Foundation inspires and empowers HR professionals to unlock human potential and lead social change in the workplace and beyond. Its purpose is to elevate and empower HR and the generosity of donors to lead positive social change impacting work, workers and the workplace because our vision is to be a world of work that works for all. The SHRM Foundation's robust and relevant programming, resources and meaningful partnerships, along with evidence-based research, educate and train HR professionals to hire diverse talent, build inclusive workplaces and help employees find purpose at work and beyond.
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