Thales UK is proud to support the British Military
On 12 September 2014, Victor Chavez, CEO Thales UK, signed The Armed Forces Corporate Covenant, making a commitment to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. As part of this commitment we recognise and celebrate Armed Forces Day and provide support for our active Reservists as well as military veterans and their families.
This year, Armed Forces Day is on Saturday 25 June. As part of Thales UK’s celebrations, we have organised several different events for our Reservists and military veterans, including a trip to visit HMS Caroline, the last floating survivor of the Battle of Jutland, at the Alexandra Dock in Belfast; a buffet lunch in Crawley and a more informal get-together at a pub in Bristol.
Thales UK is both aware and appreciative of the highly valuable skills that military veterans and Reservists bring to their roles. The leadership, commitment, teamwork and responsibility that they learn through their time in the military are the qualities that make them an enormous asset to us.
Thales’s military knowledge helps to shape future products and services, ensuring they align precisely with the needs of the armed forces. Our experience also means that we are ideally placed to identify suitable candidates to bring on board in future roles, and Thales has a range of activities underway to continue to recruit military veterans and Reservists including an employee referral proposition.
Lance Corporal Dr Helen Muncie, Defence Business Lead for Thales Cyber and Consulting UK joined the company in 2004. She has been an Army Reservist since 2009, served in Afghanistan in 2013/14 and now works in the Intelligence Corps. For her, her transferable skills go both ways.
Helen says: “My managerial experience in industry was definitely beneficial in stressful situations that required a lot of self-discipline and the ability to empathise with and motivate other soldiers. My military experience has definitely paid off within Thales as I am able to capitalise on my deep understanding of military systems, soldiers and the environments they train and work in.”
Already part of Thales’s Special Leave Policy, Reservists are able to take two weeks paid leave annually for their annual training commitment, whilst a third week can be taken unpaid or as part of their annual leave. Thales is currently looking at developing a more specific policy for these employees as well as also exploring ways that Reservists can stay engaged with the company and supported whilst mobilised, including stronger communication links.
Whilst military veterans and Reservists bring a wealth of skills to the organisation, we recognise that people can suffer from mental health issues as a result of some of the things they have seen and done whilst on duty. This ranges from mild stress and anxiety to more serious symptoms of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder. We are proactively looking at ways in which we can extend our current offering to provide enhanced support for these types of issues for all our employees. Future actions include enabling managers at all of our locations to spot the signs that someone may need help, and being approachable and equipped to take action.
Thales was awarded Silver status in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme in 2015, which is linked with the Armed Forces Covenant.
At Thales UK, we continue to be proud to employ and support the Armed Forces and look forward to a great partnership for many years to come
Image © MoD
Army Reservists of the The Royal Wessex Yeomanry (RWxY), the South West's Army Reserve Cavalry Regiment taking part in Challenger 2 main battle tank training exercise.