Moving Beyond Good Intentions to Lasting Impact
It’s easy to call yourself a Forces-friendly employer. With a Covenant pledge and a few lines in a CSR report, the label is within reach of any organisation willing to make the right noises. But in 2025, the question has evolved from “Are you Forces-friendly?” to “What difference are you making?”
Over the past decade, we’ve seen significant progress in recognising the value of Armed Forces personnel, veterans, and their families. From increased public support to the widespread uptake of the Armed Forces Covenant, awareness is higher than ever.
And yet, for all the good intentions, many in the military community still face barriers to employment, underemployment in civilian roles, and a lack of understanding from employers. Progress has stalled for some. Others have raised the bar, as our most recent white paper Lessons from the Top 50 GREAT British Employers of 2025 explored.
If Forces-friendly is to mean anything in 2025, it must mean more than a pledge. It must mean partnership, accountability, and impact. So what does that actually involve, and how can employers make sure they’re delivering value not only to veterans, but to their own organisation and to wider society?
The Shift from Symbolic to Strategic
In the early years of the Armed Forces Covenant, pledges played a vital role in raising awareness. Employers could demonstrate goodwill and take early steps to engage ex-military talent.
Fast forward to today, and expectations are higher. The 2023 Defence Select Committee report on the Covenant’s effectiveness, along with Forces in Mind Trust’s Decade of the Covenant report, make it clear: too many employers stop at the symbolism. The result is a patchy landscape of commitment, where positively a number of employers excel, many still lack robust, meaningful support for the Armed Forces community.
The truth is, hiring veterans or signing a pledge isn’t enough. The Forces-friendly leaders of today are those who embed veteran inclusion into their core strategy, because they recognise the shared value it creates. These employers don’t ask, “Should we do something for veterans?” They ask, “How can we unlock the full value of military experience, in a way that strengthens our business?”
That shift, from symbolic to strategic, is what separates true Forces-friendly employers from those simply ticking a box.
What a Truly Forces-Friendly Employer Looks Like in 2025
Being genuinely Forces-friendly means applying the same standards you would to any other core talent or inclusion initiative, with structure, resourcing, and accountability.
It means:
- Understanding the Community
Recognising the diversity within the Armed Forces population — veterans, service leavers, reservists, spouses and partners — and tailoring your approach accordingly. - Auditing Your Approach
Proactively reviewing recruitment, onboarding, development and retention policies to ensure they are inclusive of military experience and free of unintended barriers. - Investing in Training
Equipping hiring managers and HR teams with the skills to understand, translate and value military CVs, career journeys and communication styles. - Creating Pathways
Designing routes into the business for ex-military personnel, including structured transition programmes, upskilling initiatives, and partnerships with Forces organisations. - Measuring Impact
Moving from intent to outcomes — tracking hires, promotions, attrition and engagement levels across the military community. - Embedding Inclusion
Listening to lived experience, building support networks, and making veteran inclusion part of broader diversity and talent strategies.
Beyond CSR: The Business Case for Doing It Right
One of the most persistent myths around Forces-friendly employment is that it’s a charitable exercise, something to be done out of goodwill, rather than value. But organisations that lead in this space know better.
Veterans and service leavers bring an exceptional mix of skills: leadership, resilience, teamwork, accountability, and a mission-focused mindset. These aren’t just “nice to have” attributes, they’re competitive advantages in a business context.
A Forces-friendly approach isn’t just the right thing to do. It helps you:
- Fill critical skills gaps in industries like cyber, logistics, engineering, and project management.
- Strengthen leadership pipelines with proven talent who’ve led in high-stakes, high-pressure environments.
- Boost productivity and retention through a purpose-driven, loyal workforce.
- Enhance brand reputation with customers, stakeholders, and employees alike.
When done well, veteran inclusion becomes part of your long-term workforce and talent strategy, not just a CSR initiative or seasonal campaign.
Raising the Bar: How SMJ Helps You Deliver Impact
At SMJ, we understand both sides of the employment challenge: what veterans need to succeed in civilian work, and what employers need to become truly Forces-ready. Our support is grounded in lived experience, data, and a deep understanding of how to create sustainable change.
We help organisations:
- Assess their maturity through our free maturity assessment.
- We help create bespoke strategies for engaging ex-Forces talent.
- Attract and retain talent through direct candidate engagement, job-matching, and access to our network of pre-qualified veterans and reservists.
In short: we don’t just help you look Forces-friendly — we help you be Forces-friendly, in a way that’s practical, sustainable and impactful.
The Forces-Friendly Future is Accountable
The landscape is shifting. Government expectations are rising. Candidates are more discerning. And the Armed Forces community deserves more than performative support.
In 2025, Forces-friendly leaders are those who:
- Treat inclusion of veterans and their families as a business priority.
- Back up their pledges with action and investment.
- Measure their progress and invite scrutiny.
- Embrace the commercial, cultural, and societal benefits of doing it right.
At SMJ, we believe the future of Forces-friendly employment lies in evidence-based practice, peer learning, and deep collaboration between employers and the veteran community.
If your organisation is ready to lead, not just in words, but in action, we’re here to help.
Let’s move from intention to impact. Let’s raise the bar — together.
