Assistance for families of military deployees

lmccoy

We have had a high incidence of employee's family members being deployed to the Persian Gulf area. This includes children, aunts, uncles, close friends, etc. These employees are fearing the worst and I am looking for some practical advise on how the company can assist these employees with their fears and grief. We allow the employee time off prior to the deployment so they can spend time with their family members, but we are having production and quality issues when they return. We do not have an EAP (nor will we be getting one due to "budget constraints"). If you know of websites with practical advice, please let me know.

Thanks.

Parabeagle

I know I blow this trumpet so often everyone's tired of the tune, but I highly recommend going to the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve website ([url]www.esgr.org[/url]). They may be able to assist you with suggestions. Additionally, if the members being deployed are members of the Army or Air National Guard, you should have a state coordinator at the Military Department who is responsible for various Guard units' "family programs." The family program is just that -- it's there to support the families of activated and deployed reservists. I'm sure the Reserves have similar programs. You can also try contacting the Public Affairs office of your local military reserve unit or airbase. Hope this helps.