Once a year the country celebrates Reserves Day – a moment to honour our often unrecognised Reserve Forces who balance their civilian life with a military career – during Armed Forces Week.
This special occasion, typically held in June, allows communities, especially employers, to recognise and highlight how integral Reservists are to the UK’s Armed Forces.
Whether your organisation has already joined the Employer Recognition Scheme or not, here are some examples of how you can get involved:
One of the best ways a company can publicly recognise the valuable contributions of Royal Naval, Army and RAF Reservists is to publicise their support on social media. Using your platform to advocate, show gratitude and promote your Forces-friendly credentials encourages others to do the same. This handy toolkit can give you some ideas if you’re stuck on how to get started. Whatever you produce, make sure you add #ReservesDay to all of your posts.
If your business is not already done so, signing the Armed Forces Covenant is the most effective way to show support to Reservists, as well as Service Leavers, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers and Military Spouses.
Do you have a staff intranet or newsletter? Take a moment to raise awareness of Reserves Day in your workforce. Celebrating our Reserve Forces on this special occasion may encourage some of your staff to consider joining. If they do, they would receive training which could cost your organisation at least £8,000 a year to implement.
Where appropriate, wearing a military uniform to work can help raise awareness and prompt questions and conversations relating to the Reserve Forces, especially when combined with a planned workplace talk.
If you have Reservists within your workforce and they’re happy to share their story, take the time to capture it in a video or blog post – you will be amazed at the adventures they’ve embarked on. For example, take this case study of a critical care nurse from King’s Mill Hospital who recently mobilised to Cyprus. Our Communications Team can help amplify your stories to even wider audiences too.
Stay updated on the biggest stories impacting the Reserves and the Cadet Forces each month by subscribing to our newsletter.
For more guidance and support please email em-enquiries@rfca.mod.uk.
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