Military spouses face unique barriers to employment, such as frequent moves and deployments, contributing to a 22 percent unemployment rate. The National Military Spouse Network (NMSN) has been spearheading a grassroots effort to bring forward legislation to help. The Military Spouse Hiring Act is the closest it has ever been to being passed, and you can help!

The Military Spouse Hiring Act is a set of two identical bills in the US House and Senate, known as HR2974/S3909, that would expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include military spouses. The WOTC is a federal tax credit available to employers who invest in American job seekers who have consistently faced barriers to employment.

Both bills have been introduced to Congress with bipartisan support. Representative Don Beyer [D-VA-8] and Senator Tim Kaine [D-VA] sponsored the bills, and there are more than 280 cosponsors in the House and 53 cosponsors in the Senate. As Congress enters what is known as the “lame duck” season, where new leaders have been elected but are not yet in office, work is still being done to try to push this legislation through Congress and onto the President’s desk by the end of the year.

Rep. Beyer and Sen. Kaine are exploring ways to pass the bills this year, either by putting them on the consent calendar or adding the WOTC change as an amendment to another bill that must pass this year, such as appropriations. Rep. Beyer said HR2974 is his number one priority, and he will do his best to get it over the finish line. If the bills do not pass, the process will start over with a new Congress, where there is no guarantee of the same support.

Military members make up a small percentage of the population and many members of Congress don’t understand the impact of military service on military families. We have an opportunity to use our military life stories to help Congress understand how their support of legislation like the Military Spouse Hiring Act will have an immediate positive impact.

Four easy things you can do today:

1. Call members of Congress to thank them for their co-sponsorship of the Military Spouse Hiring Act. Check to see co-sponsors here: HR2974/S3909.
2. Call the staff and offices of Rep. Beyer and Sen. Kaine to thank them for their leadership on this important issue.
3. Call the offices of the US senators and US representatives from your state to tell them how important these bills are and ask for their support to pass the bills before the end of the current legislative session. Tell them your personal story to help them understand the challenges military spouses face. In this time of great political division, it is especially important to remind political leaders that this issue is bipartisan.
4. Invite your representatives to come to your base so they can hear from military spouses directly about their experiences.

Your voice is so important to keep the grassroots momentum going! Four years ago, 24 military spouses visited congressional offices on Capitol Hill to share the challenges and offer suggestions about what legislators could do to help. Today, the Military Spouse Hiring Act, HR2974/S3909, is so close to being passed!

As NMSN’s president, Sue Hoppin, says: “If we ever hope to make significant and lasting change for military spouses on the issue of employment, we need to reinvigorate the same community effort that successfully turned the tide for veteran employment a decade ago.”

Additional Advocacy

Legislation is only part of NMSN’s advocacy. In The 2022 NMSN White Paper, they highlight the work they have done and continue to do. Their main focus has been gathering data. While there have been many military spouse programs implemented, the data to see if these metrics are working is not there.

For instance, this year the Department of Defense (DoD) announced that for the first time, all military spouses would be able to participate in its biennial Active Duty Spouse Survey. However, the questions were shortened, with only four multiple choice questions and one open ended question. While it is great that all military spouses were included, the lack of information and data collected will continue to limit progress without a baseline assessment.

Another area of advocacy that NMSN is focused on is military spouse under-employment. If spouses are unable to secure employment or forced to take a pay decrease at a new location due to a move, it exacerbates already-tough financial challenges faced by military families both during and after military service. Spouses face being stationed in locations where work options are unavailable, or the timing of a move negatively impacts their eligibility for 401(k)s or Individual Retirement Accounts.

According to Sue, “Unfortunately, too often announcements touting successful military spouse employment initiatives can also be unintentionally misleading. In many instances, those employment successes combine veteran and military spouse hiring initiatives and reflect a single point in time. Even if a spouse successfully gains employment at one assignment, they may find themselves in an entirely different labor market just 18 months later. A military spouse’s inability to retain employment through a PCS transition also means greater challenges qualifying for employment-related benefits like career development, advancement and vesting of employer contributions to retirement funds.”

NMSN’s recommendations:

1. The DoD should create a standard set of metrics to evaluate programs for their impact.
2. Congress should study the inability of military spouses to benefit from financial vesting programs due to military service.
3. The Domestic Employee Teleworking Overseas (DETO) program should be expanded to ensure that military spouses who secure employment with a federal department or agency are able to maintain their employment during assignments overseas.
4. An SBA Small Business Concern classification should be created specifically for military spouses.
5. Congress should consider authorizing the development of a military spouse experience map through the lens of employment.

NMSN will continue to advocate for all military spouses no matter what stage of their employment journey they are in. “While the NMSN may focus primarily on military spouse professionals, we know that NMSN’s work also supports the military spouse who needs a job just to make ends meet during a transition. NMSN promotes inclusive collaboration on military spouse employment by advocating for all military spouses no matter where they are in their employment journey,” Sue says.

To explore the challenges military spouses face and the lack of data for military spouse unemployment in more depth, read Sue’s letter. To learn more about NMSN, head to their website or connect with Sue. Watch for the new 2023 White Paper on January 25, 2023.

Photo: At a December 2022 roundtable, National Military Spouse Network President Sue Hoppin talked with Congressman Don Beyer and Professor Janet Breslin Smith about the Military Spouse Hiring Act. The discussion was presented by USAA, with Mike Kelly attending.

Amanda Huffman is a veteran, military spouse, podcaster (Women of the Military), and the author of A Girl’s Guide to Military Service.

The post Military Spouse Hiring Act: 4 Ways to Take Action Now! appeared first on Military Family Life.

The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the world to a remote-first approach to work, making a home office more of a requirement than option for many. For those not used to working from home, navigating the distractions of a blended home-work life can be exhausting.

Even the most disciplined workers may find themselves inserted into a shifting puzzle of caring for younger children, virtual school days, multiple adults working from home, and simultaneous video calls. Remote work can also feel isolating, especially for military spouses who are home alone during the day, stationed far away from extended family, or going through a spouse’s deployment.

There are many ways to succeed at remote work. Whether you are making the best of your current temporary situation, or wanting to make remote work more permanent, knowing what helps you perform your best everyday will help you stay calm and productive.

Military spouse and author Laura Briggs has worked remotely for eight years. Laura offers four tips to make working remotely work for you: manage your time, create boundaries, overcommunicate, and practice self care.

Manage Your Time

When Laura first began her remote work journey, one of her biggest challenges was learning how to manage her schedule so she could be productive.

“You need to be intentional with your time working from home,” Laura says. “Part of it is knowing what you can reasonably accomplish in a day’s amount of work. For example, I have meetings all day Tuesdays, so I’ll never assign myself a task on Tuesdays.”

Keep track of which hours are your best thinking hours. If you’re a morning person, tackle more complex projects early in the day and save routine tasks for the afternoon.

Keep your work area organized so you can easily locate and avoid misplacing work papers. Although your coworkers may not be able to see your clutter-free workspace, your time will be more focused and efficient.

Create Boundaries

A dedicated home office space is imperative for remote work. If you are interviewing for positions, potential employers want to ensure candidates have a professional setting with good lighting and reliable internet. If you are transitioning your role from in-office to remote, you want to ensure the separation of work and home life can remain intact.

Ideally, you want to work in a room away from the dishes, laundry, or TV. If space constraints put your home office in your family room or at your kitchen table, create a separation of work-home through your actions.

“It personally helps me to get dressed every single day before work,” Laura says. “My coworkers … know I will always show up to the video call with hair and makeup done and an official outfit.”

While working in sweats may be just fine for your productivity, there are other ways to get your remote workday off to a good start. Daily coffee or tea, a morning stretch or mediation session, or listening to a podcast that you would’ve listened to on your drive into the office are a few ways you can put your mindset into work mode.

It’s also important to develop ground rules to avoid work disruptions. For example, a closed door could be a signal to your spouse or children that you are busy and shouldn’t be disturbed unless there is an emergency (give them examples of what you consider an emergency). A door cracked open could mean they can knock to see if it’s okay to come in.

Overcommunicate

Consistent, clear communication is important at work and home.

Talk with your colleagues about your weekly goals, and check in with each other to offer support throughout the week. When your plate is full, tell your supervisor, team, and other departments you can’t take on more work.

Let coworkers know how and when is best to communicate with you. Be aware of your tone and how what you say may be interpreted, especially in an email.

Talk with your family about your work responsibilities. Get everyone on board with your goals and schedule. This will help reinforce boundaries (like when they are allowed to interrupt your work day) and help them understand why this job is important to you.

Practice Self Care

Working remotely, while more flexible, requires a similar self-care routine as commuting to a job outside the home. It may be even more important if you work from home alone.

Take breaks in between project tasks or virtual meetings. Set an alarm to remind you to get up from your computer and drink a glass of water. Schedule time for a walk outside.

Pay attention to ergonomics. A sore neck, tired eyes, tight shoulder, or stiff hips are signs you may need to adjust your seat, keyboard, or monitor. Move and stretch often.

Keep work hours to the amount of time you’ve agreed to with your supervisor. If you own your own business, set guidelines for yourself (and any employees) that will clearly signal when it’s time to turn your attention to personal items.

It’s easy to let work stress slip into the rest of your family life, especially when your commute home from the office means turning a doorknob. An end-of-day ritual that creates separation physically and mentally can help you manage stress and effectively transition from work mindset to being fully present for your family or your own personal time.

At the end of the day, “I turn my computer off. I close the lid. I shut the door to the home office,” says Laura.

Laura Briggs is writing a book about remote work for military spouses, to be published in 2022 by Elva Resa Publishing.

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“I don’t advise spouses to join a group to network if they’re just checking a box,” says Sue, an Air Force spouse. “That may sound counterintuitive from someone who runs a networking organization, but we need to change our mindset about what networking is. It should be organic, something that’s part of our everyday life, because every day is an opportunity to engage with people.” 

Some connections may be helpful in more ways than one, but relationships are likely to be stronger if they’re built on shared experience and genuine interest in others rather than self-interest. 

“I don’t want to see spouses falling into a serial-networking trap rather than developing real relationships.” Says Sue. “Those relationships are so important in military life.” 

Meaningful engagement can happen in the neighborhood, in a faith community, book club, or even at the commissary—anywhere people come together. This kind of networking is less about work and more about getting to know people. Joining a group for the purpose of career networking can’t replace having real relationships, where mutual helpfulness flourishes naturally. 

” … we need to change our mindset about what networking is. It should be organic, something that’s part of our everyday life, because every day is an opportunity to engage with people.”

–Sue Hoppin

“When you’re in the business of maintaining relationships, you don’t know how those relationships can benefit someone or what good things they will eventually accomplish,” she says. “Networking is a two-way street. It’s not all about what you can get from someone else. You also should think about what you can do for them.” 

Any relationship grows stronger when the participants look for ways to help one another, and networking can provide opportunities to pay it forward to other military spouses and friends. 

“Just because you and I have a relationship, and I may be in a position to help you, doesn’t necessarily mean you will be in a position to help me in return,” she says. “Our connection may or may not be helpful somewhere down the line, but that shouldn’t matter. I believe in putting good energy and good information out in the world. Something you can do might help someone else in ways you never expected.”

The best way to create networks and relationships, says Sue, is to focus on the person rather than what that person can do or who else they know.

“Put yourself out there and build authentic relationships,” she says, “that’s where the magic happens, not when we’re thinking of these relationships as purely transactional. Those least effective at networking are the ones keeping score. We can all help each other, and it’s those mutually beneficial relationships that help everything run.” 

Sue Hoppin wrote the essay “With a Little Help From My Friends” in Stories Around the Table: Laughter, Wisdom, and Strength in Military Life.

Connect with more expertise from Sue and other military spouses at the National Military Spouse Network website. Listen to Straight Talk with Sue every Monday at noon Eastern on the NMSN Facebook page, and check out the NMSN Instagram Live each Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

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None of that prepared her for what happened when her husband, Brad, got an overseas assignment, arguably when she was at the top of her professional game.

“It was a major career hit for me,” Jacey says. “My phone fell silent. I went from 250 emails a day to a Talbots ad and an invitation to a coffee morning. None of the local companies were hiring people who did not speak fluent Norwegian. I felt like I lost myself.”

When Brad’s next assignment brought the couple back to the U.S. Jacey knew picking up where she left off in her stateside career was not an option. She’d have to do what military spouses often have to do: start again.

“I did not know what to do, so I planted a bunch of career seeds at once. Some grew, and some did not,” she says. “I started researching how other people handled significant life change and shared strategies online, and the Next Door Project was born.”

“The world gives you little hints about what you should be doing,” says Jacey. “You just have to pay attention.”

The Next Door Project is a platform for Jacey’s speaking, consulting, career coaching, and writing endeavors. True to her experience, her specialty is helping people in transition to look for, create, and recognize opportunities. Jacey offers these tips for managing career transitions:

Know your local environment.

“Get local contacts and local interests. People get jobs through contacts.”

Know what you have to offer.

“Identify what you have to sell in the marketplace.”

Know what the world needs.

“Identify what the market is willing to buy. That takes some experimenting,”

Know your priorities.

“Be honest about what you really want in your heart of hearts and soul of souls. I want to have lots of time to write, and I want live where Brad lives. I’m willing to sacrifice some career stability to get those two things.”

More training or education may be helpful, but it’s not the most important thing, Jacey says.

“One of the most common mistakes we military spouses make is to keep going back to school, hoping to make ourselves more marketable. Instead, we need to work on making ourselves more local. Unless a degree is required to get a license in your field, like law, teaching, or nursing, don’t get another degree.”

Even with goals in mind, the right training, and local contacts, career transitions are difficult. Maintaining personal balance and self-confidence is a challenge, as is determining what job will be the right fit.

Jacey says one of the hardest things she had to do in her latest transition is to redefine her expectations of what the right job would look like.

“I heard about a part-time job that would let me teach new veterans how to get jobs, but I was worried that it was not a logical step up for me. I’d be a red-shoe gal in a brown-shoe world,” she says. “Then I found out how much I had to learn about the topic, how it was an epic task for veterans, a group I care about most in the world.”

It was a challenge she couldn’t refuse. She took the job and says it’s one of the best she’s ever had. Still she admits finding the next door of opportunity is never easy, even with years of experience. For reassurance and stability, she goes back to what is most important to her.

“I’d love to tell you that I am a Mrs. Miniver, totally unruffled by the slings and arrows of military life,” Jacey says. “Really, I’m a squirrel, and I am totally ruffled and freaking out all the time about work. Brad is my rock. And, to be fair, Starbucks. The habit of writing every day at Starbucks keeps me productive, no matter what.”

Jacey Eckhart is a coauthor of Stories around the Table: Laughter, Wisdom, and Strength in Military Life, author of The Homefront Club, and the creator of the Next Door Project.

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