Understanding the Professional Reintegration Experiences and Needs: Insights from Crisis Service Employees

Beschrijving

Crisis service careers are marked by a continuous cycle of adapting to operational circumstances and readjusting to life at home. To ensure resilient and sustainable careers, it is critical to study each stage of the deployment cycle and its challenges that can affect the employees’ performance, motivation, and well-being. One of these stages is the post-deployment period, particularly the reintegration process. Reintegration entails the resumption of various roles in the community, family, and at work. While research on the individual and interpersonal dimension is extensive, the professional dimension remains under-researched. To address this gap, the present mixed design study delves into the reintegration experiences and needs of returning military, compared with non-governmental employees, using a quantitative questionnaire and in-depth qualitative interviews (N=30). Particularly, this study focuses on examining the professional challenges and needs of returning employees within the daily interactions and activities with their co-workers and supervisors in the workplace. Thematic analysis was used to identify common themes. We looked into: (1) positive and negative reintegration experiences and their interaction; (2) different professional reintegration experiences and challenges; (3) the diverse (professional) reintegration needs and the extent to which they are fulfilled; and (4) the potential differences in reintegration experiences between soldiers and non-governmental employees. Based on our findings, we formulate implications and recommendations aimed at fostering a comprehensive reintegration understanding and developing a professional support system that addresses the unique needs and aspirations of returning employees, ultimately leading to potential positive outcomes.

Periode	9 okt. 2023 → 13 okt. 2023
Evenementstitel	63rd International Military Testing Association Conference: The next gen
Evenementstype	Congres
Conferentienummer	63
Locatie	Amersfoort, NederlandToon op kaart
Mate van erkenning	Internationaal