Ryder System, Inc. is launching a new initiative dubbed the “Veteran Buddy Program,” designed to pair current Ryder employees who are military veterans with new veteran employees so as to help ease their transition from military to civilian life.
“Military veterans come from a very organized, structured life, with clear direction, career paths, and job descriptions, as well as high levels of unit collaboration,” noted Patrick Pendergast, Ryder’s group director of recruiting services, in a statement.
“They leave the military with a desire to become a part of an organization that has a clear mission and purpose,” he added. “We want every transitioning veteran to feel welcome and to know that they are part of a team.”
Pendergast pointed out that Ryder has dedicated exclusive recruiting resources toward hiring veterans and has customized its online recruiting site to enable veterans to enter their military job classification and have their qualifications automatically matched with Ryder job openings.
This new program then takes those efforts a step further once the recruiting process is completed. Veteran new hires are assigned a Ryder military veteran “buddy” who will be available to help them assimilate to their new work environment.
Ryder – which currently employs more than 2,700 veterans out of its total workforce of 26,700 – explained that “simple gestures” such as showing a new veteran around the office or shop and being available to answer questions can help new veterans settle into his/her new civilian work environment easier.
The company added that 400 of the current veterans it employs have been selected to participate in the new “buddy” program, which is launching in 36 states.
