Belonging Beyond the Uniform : Helping Veterans Thrive in Civilian Workplaces

This article was submitted by SIOP Military and Veterans Inclusion Committee member Steve Baumgartner

For many veterans, one of the most challenging parts of leaving the military isn’t just the career transition, it’s the loss of belonging and purpose. The military offers built-in identity, shared mission, and close bonds. Civilian workplaces, on the other hand, often run on informal networks, unclear norms, and self-driven advancement. Differences between military and civilian workplace and social norms create a gap that challenges veterans’ sense of belonging (Rumann & Hamrick, 2010; Shepherd, Sherman, MacLean, & Kay, 2021).

The Psychology of Belonging
Belonging is central to performance, engagement, and retention. When people doubt they are valued members of a group, motivation and satisfaction drop (Walton & Cohen, 2007). Veterans carry a deep commitment to mission and team into civilian roles, yet many report difficulty achieving a sense of belonging when colleagues don’t share their military background (Shepherd, Sherman, & MacLean, 2021).

Stereotypes and Social Dissonance
Even positive labels like “hero” can create social dissonance. Veterans may be respected for discipline and toughness that allows them to protect and serve, but this same stoicism creates the stereotype that veterans are rigid or unemotional due to their controlled and calm reactions. These perceptions can block connection to and opportunities within workplaces that prioritize interpersonal skills and tact (Shepherd, Kay, & Gray, 2019). Furthermore, employers do not always understand how military experience is relevant to the job, and the lack of civilian work experience translates to veterans needing new training or licensing before being considered for civilian employment (Stone, et al., 2015).

Bridging the Belonging Gap
Both veterans and organizations play a role in building connection in the civilian workplace:

• Veterans can translate their experiences into organizational terms—teamwork, adaptability, cultural competence—and build networks through veteran and non-veteran mentors (Mobbs & Bonanno, 2018).
• Organizations can
  • Implement hiring and evaluation practices that promote merit-based selection for reducing stereotyping or funneling of military applicants based on the presumptions and biases of the hiring team rather than evaluating their individual capabilities and skills (Shepherd, et al., 2019).
  • Support acclimation with structured onboarding, employee resource groups, and clear signals of inclusion. Simple interventions that normalize early uncertainty can reduce doubts and keep veterans engaged (Walton & Wilson, 2018). In a recent study, veterans who perceived greater organizational structure also reported stronger belonging and confidence in their new roles (Gibbs et al., 2025).

The Broader Payoff
Helping veterans find a new identity, shared mission, and close bonds in the civilian workplace doesn’t just benefit them, it improves the culture for everyone. Veterans’ focus on collective success, once supported, strengthens team cohesion and overall performance (Shepherd et al., 2021 ).

Conclusion
Belonging and identifying with an organization’s mission is not a soft issue, it drives effectiveness. The shift from military camaraderie to civilian ambiguity is real, but it also opens opportunities. When organizations address the ambiguity and clearly identify the norms and mission, veterans can bring their full strengths forward while building more inclusive workplaces for all.

Get involved or learn more here.

• See the MVI article in TIP (632, Autumn 2025) introducing the committee and its efforts Fostering Engagement, Service, and Integration of the Military and Veteran Community Across SIOP and Beyond.
• Edit your My Account – Profile on SIOP.org to include Additional Information on your interests and to identify your Veteran Status* to receive distributions from SIOP on military, veterans, and the MVI.
• *The SIOP team will create MIL/VET and MVI distributions from members who have selected veteran, actively serving, or neither actively serving nor a veteran from the veteran status drop-down options (fifth input in the last tile). “Neither” would include all supporters of the military community, including spouse, dependants, DoD, and beyond.
• Contact MVI directly to submit a request for engagement or further collaboration.

References

Gibbs, B. R., Chen, X., Kelley, A. J., Tormala, Z. L., & Cialdini, R. B. (2025). The role of structure in facilitating workplace efficacy and belonging among transitioning employees (veterans). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 183, 104273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2025.104273

Mobbs, M. C., & Bonanno, G. A. (2018). Beyond war and PTSD: The crucial role of transition stress in the lives of military veterans. Clinical Psychology Review, 59, 137–144.

Rumann, C. B., & Hamrick, F. A. (2010). Student veterans in transition: Re-enrolling after war zone deployments. Journal of Higher Education, 81(4), 431–458.

Shepherd, S., Sherman, D. K., MacLean, A., & Kay, A. C. (2021). The challenges of military veterans in their transition to the workplace: A call for integrating basic and applied psychological science. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(3), 590–613.

Shepherd, S., Kay, A. C., & Gray, K. (2019). Military veterans are morally typecast as agentic but unemotional. Nature Human Behaviour, 3(9), 974–985.

Shepherd, S., Sherman, D. K., & MacLean, A. (2021). The military veterans’ transition to the workplace: A call for integrating basic and applied psychological science. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(3), 590–613. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620964128

Stone, D. L., & Stone, E. F. (2015). Factors affecting hiring decisions about veterans. Human Resource Management Review, 25(1), 68–79.

Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(1), 82–96.

Walton, G. M., & Wilson, T. D. (2018). Wise interventions: Psychological remedies for social and personal problems. Psychological Review, 125(5), 617–655.