Improving Retention Rates Among Veteran Employees

Veterans bring unique value and skills to the workplace. Retaining this talent strengthens your workforce and enriches your organizational culture.

Why Focus on Veteran Retention?
  • Valuable Skill Sets: Veterans offer high-demand, transferable competencies including leadership, problem-solving, adaptability, and teamwork—skills developed in high-pressure, mission-critical environments. A 2023 LinkedIn report found that veterans are three times more likely than nonveterans to hold graduate degrees and are 39% more likely to be promoted early in their civilian careers.
  • High Turnover Risk: Despite these strengths, nearly half of all veterans leave their first civilian job within the first year—primarily due to poor cultural alignment, lack of career identity, and underemployment (Korn Ferry, 2023). Post-transition surveys identify cultural integration and role mismatch as two of the top barriers.
  • Business Benefits: Companies that retain veteran employees beyond the first year report higher team resilience, lower turnover costs, and stronger leadership pipelines. According to a 2021 SHRM and USAA study, 91% of HR professionals said veterans perform equal to or better than civilian counterparts in terms of retention and reliability.

Veteran Retention: How Does Hire Heroes USA Compare?

Hire Heroes USA tracks client outcomes at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post-hire. While early employment retention  often appears consistent across demographics, veterans are at heightened risk of early departure.

According to Korn Ferry, 43% of veterans leave their first civilian job within 12 months, and only 20% remain beyond two years. In contrast, Hire Heroes USA clients show significantly stronger outcomes:

  • 65.68% of our veteran clients remain employed after one year
  • 46% rare still employed after two years

These improvements are not coincidental. They are the result of our personalized one-on-one coaching model, which matches job seekers to opportunities based on cultural alignment, relevant skills, and realistic salary expectations—key factors proven to support long-term job satisfaction and performance.

Let’s visualize these findings further with a bar graph.

Key Strategies for Retaining Veteran Talent

Clearly Communicate Your Mission and Purpose: Veterans thrive in mission-driven environments. Help them connect their day-to-day responsibilities to your organization’s broader impact.

  • Mission Clarity: Tie role responsibilities to high-level goals.
  • Visible Impact: Show how their work matters—early and often.

Is your mission clearly reflected in your recruitment and onboarding materials?

Structured Onboarding, Mentorship, and Peer Networks: Smooth transitions lead to stronger retention. Veterans succeed when they receive clear guidance and early access to support systems.

  • Tailored Onboarding: Address key cultural differences between military and civilian workplaces. Define performance expectations and communication styles.
  • Mentorship & Peer Support: Pair new veteran hires with internal mentors—ideally other veterans—or refer them to free national programs like American Corporate Partners and Hire Heroes USA’s Volunteer Services. These personalized connections foster trust and significantly reduce first-year attrition.
  • Veteran ERGs: Encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing, and support through dedicated veteran spaces like Employee Resource groups (ERGs). These groups promote cultural awareness across the organization, celebrate military milestones, and provide ongoing leadership and networking opportunities.

When onboarding veteran employees, ask: Are we helping them connect to a mission, a mentor, and a network?

A supportive workplace culture is a key driver of retention. Veterans are more likely to stay when they feel valued and respected within their workplace.

  • Leadership and Team Education: Train managers and teams on military culture, communication styles, and how to recognize the unique value veterans bring. Encourage leaders to visibly support veteran programs and recognize service milestones
  • Flexibility and Belonging: Support veterans with Guard or Reserve commitments, and service-connected needs. Create a workplace culture where military identity is respected and integrated—not just acknowledged on Veterans Day.

Ask: Does our culture make veterans feel like they belong—from onboarding through advancement?

Align Roles with Military Experience: Role misalignment is a top driver of veteran attrition. Ensure job descriptions and placement take military experience into account.

  • Skill Alignment: Use military translator tools and consult veteran hiring experts.
  • Career Mapping: Create clear internal pathways for promotion based on performance, not just tenure.

Ask: Are we placing veterans in roles that fully leverage their experience—and preparing them for what’s next?

Professional Development Opportunities: A lack of clear growth potential is a leading reason veterans leave jobs in their first two years.

  • Advancement Paths: Provide defined career progression timelines and pathways to leadership roles.
  • Education & Training: Offer tuition reimbursement, leadership training, or certification programs tailored to veteran interests and expertise.

Ask: Are we investing in our veteran employees’ growth as deliberately as they invested in serving their country?

Ready to Improve Veteran Retention at Your Organization?

Even small improvements to your hiring and onboarding process can lead to significant gains in veteran satisfaction and retention. Hire Heroes USA is here to help.

Need guidance? Let Hire Heroes USA’s Employer Partnership team assist you!