What is United for Veterans?
United for Veterans is one of UCB’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) focused on veterans and veteran supporters. United for Veterans leverages the combined strength of UCB’s veterans and veteran supporters by encouraging through shared experiences, celebrating veterans’ diversity, inspiring professional development, and honoring veteran communities through servant leadership opportunities while fulfilling our company goals and diversity, equity, and inclusion ambition. 

Why did UCB establish an employee resource group for veterans?
UCB has a strong base of employees who have served in the military and colleagues who support them. A group of dedicated employees had been exploring the idea for an ERG and in 2021 came together to lay out a plan. Our ERG launched on Veterans Day 2021 and is focused on three key pillars: awareness, advocacy, and advancement. We aim to create greater recognition for veterans and the veteran population both internally within UCB and externally in our communities. We focus on advocating for veterans through community service and are dedicated to identifying and enhancing professional development opportunities for veterans within UCB and externally.  

Why are people joining United for Veterans?
Members join us looking for camaraderie and the opportunity to serve.  Whether a veteran or a veteran supporter, our members often reference the feelings of belonging, the tight bonds shared in the military, or as a family member of a servicemember.  For example, members came together to create greater awareness of the significance of Memorial Day and Veterans Day while simultaneously advocating for veterans worldwide through the two-week campaign that led up to Memorial Day 2022.

Why is it important for businesses to consider the interests and needs of employees who are veterans?
Veterans and veteran supporters are a diverse group of individuals who can share unique perspectives based on their military experiences. Veterans come from all walks of life and socio-economic groups with varying cultures and backgrounds. This diversity lends itself to helping employers tackle some of today’s major challenges.  Veterans are taught to focus on teamwork, helping others, and achieving the mission. This mindset makes veterans valuable to employers looking for multi-culturally experienced employees who focus on teamwork and achieving goals in a timely manner.  

What do you want people to think about as employees and colleagues this Veterans Day?
While there are a lot of things to think about, this Veterans Day we’re encouraging colleagues to reflect on sacrifice. Thinking back throughout history to present day, there were many personal sacrifices made by veterans while serving in the military. Many sacrificed their life, and we honor their lives and their ultimate sacrifice every Memorial Day.  Additionally, many other veterans have made physical sacrifices such as losing limbs, losing their eyesight, suffering traumatic brain-injury – often leading to epilepsy, experiencing life-long pain. Other veterans have sacrificed their mental health – persistent depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), feelings of isolation, inability to socialize in typical society following deployments, and a host of other mental health challenges. So, whether physical sacrifices, mental sacrifices, or a combination of both, veterans find it very challenging to cope with their sacrifices made on behalf of their country. As we reflect on what Veterans Day means to us, we hope all will take time to appreciate the deep level of sacrifices made by so many veterans throughout the past decades and centuries.