Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR)
The Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense
organization. ESGR’s mission is to gain and maintain active support from all public and
private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve. ESGR works both
nationally and locally to support the following functions:
- Operate a proactive program directed at U.S. employers, employees, and communities that ensures
understanding and appreciation of the role of the National Guard and Reserve in the context of the
DoD Total Force Policy.
- Enable employee participation in National Guard and Reserve training programs and on military
duty without civilian job impediments of any kind, to include encouraging voluntary compliance with
federal and state statutes governing employment and reemployment rights of Reserve component
members.
- Encourage interaction between National Guard and Reserve units and their communities to promote
public understanding of the National Guard and Reserve and encourage partnerships between civilian
organizations and military units in the community.
- Assist in preventing, resolving, or reducing employer and/or employee problems and
misunderstandings that result from National Guard or Reserve membership, training, or duty
requirements through information services and informal mediation.
- Assist in educating National Guard and Reserve members regarding their obligations and
responsibilities to employers.
- Use the military chain of command to promote better understanding of the importance of
maintaining positive working relations between employers and their Reserve component employees, in
order to sustain National Guard and Reserve participation.
- Solicit the assistance of military agencies, military training schools, and military and
civilian associations in educating the Reserve forces about their rights and responsibilities
regarding terms and conditions of civilian employment, as stipulated in the Uniformed Services
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).
- Recruit and develop volunteer leaders at the national and local levels to promote the
development of employer personnel policies and practices that accommodate and facilitate employee
participation in National Guard and Reserve activities.
ESGR conducts services in support of the organization’s strategic goals.
The primary emphasis for a comprehensive employer outreach program is directed towards known
employers of the Guard and Reserve, as identified by the Civilian Employment Information (CEI)
initiative through the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness. To
that end, ESGR conducts the 5-Star Employer Program, which seeks to inform and educate employers
about their rights and responsibilities with regard to their National Guard and Reserve employees,
and to recognize and reward those employers who go “above and beyond” the requirements of the
law.
To learn more about ESGR and the 5 Star Employer program visit their website at
http://www.esgr.mil/.
Date Last Reviewed: June 29, 2009
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