Bosses got a sneak peek at the Army Reserve aspect of employees’ lives during an employer immersion activity on Exercise Austral Shield 2024 in Cairns and RAAF Base Curtin.
ADF Reserves and Employer Support (ADFRES) took 24 employers from Tasmania, NSW, Queensland and WA to the country’s far north to showcase what their reservists do away from home.
The Queensland group were given a demonstration of underwater autonomous vehicles from the Maritime Deployable Robotic and Autonomous Systems Experimentation Unit, and a tour of patrol boat ADV Cape Inscription to see how reservist employees live while being deployed on Operation Resolute.
This was followed by a tour of 11th Brigade’s Security Response Task Unit headquarters at Porton Barracks.
The WA employers met reservists involved in exercise activities at RAAF Base Curtin and in nearby Derby.
Alan Hon is used to seeing his employee, Craftsman Ash Divakaran, in hi-vis clothes for their work in the mining industry, so seeing him in full soldier combat ensemble was an impressive sight.
“I think I’ll take a picture and put it up in the office for everyone to see,” Mr Hon said.
When Craftsman Divakaran joined the Army a few years ago, Mr Hon said he was supportive, recognising the chance for additional training.
“I can see it’s a good opportunity to upskill and even bring additional skills back to our company, and I can see he really enjoys it so I think it’s a win-win for everyone,” he said.
Craftsman Divakaran, a vehicle mechanic at 11th Combat Service Support Battalion, said he enjoyed the structure of the Army, and believed his workplace could learn a lot from it.
“We’ve had a few conversations in the past month or so about just putting more structure and more processes into how we work and the Army is probably where I get it from,” he said.
“There’s a reason why it works, and it’s worked for a long time, and that’s why we still have it, which is what I bring into my civilian role.”
The group observed a combat serial to finish off the tour, watching soldiers respond to an attack on their command post at Cairns Airport.
Senior regional support officer for ADFRES Andre Eastment said the visit was a way for employers to better understand Army life.
“They love the insight into what their reservist does while they’re away from the civilian workplace, and they learned something about the skills and experience that employee has,” Mr Eastment said.
Some employers said they were interested in discussing the benefits of employing more reservists with their colleagues and implementing an ADF Reserve leave policy or improving one already implemented.
ADFRES holds employer immersion activities throughout the year during major exercises and also conducts base tours to encourage companies to enrol with the Supportive Employer Program.
ADFRES is also responsible for the Employer Support Payment Scheme, the Prince of Wales Awards and the Employer Support Awards.
