Returning to Work After Deployment

Military personnel who are deployed near and far often leave behind families and jobs. And while this is to be expected, many people perceive military personnel as the only ones who undergo changes as a result of their deployment. The families and coworkers of military personnel experience change as well. In fact, many coworkers and families take on new responsibilities and face new challenges as they try to adjust to this type of situation.

Life at Home

At the end of a deployment, many military personnel look forward to returning home and picking up where they left off. As their families plan homecoming celebrations in anticipation of long awaited reunions, they may start to experience feelings of worry, fear, disorientation, and anxiety. These feelings are completely normal. Some military personnel and their families may be slightly disillusioned from their time apart from each other. The biggest readjustment comes from the fact that all parties that are affected by deployment have changed in small and major ways.

Life at Work

It is not uncommon for military personnel that plan on returning to work after coming back from deployment to experience some fear and anxiety. They may also face uncertainty about their position within the workplace. They may have questions about who performed their job during their absence and their employer’s expectations.

Ways veterans can overcome the challenges of returning to work include:

• Be flexible enough to adjust to the new work environment
• Expect changes in the pace of work
• Ask for assistance with work duties
• Inform others of boundaries and personal space
• Seek out counseling
• Ask for information on workplace changes

Military personnel that are returning to work in a supervisory capacity should expect to be comfortable adhering to decisions that are made by others who are in a higher position. They should also learn about the new chain of command in the workplace and check for any changes that may have taken place while they were away.

Returning military personnel should also be prepared for questions from other employees. Coworkers may not know or understand that deployment was the reason for their absence. Establishing and building relationships with coworkers is a very important step for vets to perform upon their return to work. Although deployment is an unavoidable constant of military life, many regular civilians do not necessarily see deployment as an obligation and may instead be resentful because they view deployment as vacation or time off.

Some vets may be so excited to return to work that they don’t take enough time for themselves once they are back home. There may be emotional trauma or other personal issues that need to be dealt with first. As anxious as a vet may be to return to work, they should wait until they are completely adjusted to their life at home first.

Any military vets who plan to return to work should take things slowly. In order for any workplace to operate efficiently, all civilian and vet employees who may or may not have been deployed need to understand, respect and communicate with each other in a manner that doesn’t infringe or violate anyone’s beliefs, views or personal boundaries.

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