Definitions of Key Survey Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Activated Guard/Reserve Members | Members of the National Guard or Reserves who are are serving in full-time, active-duty status |
| Combination of Full Pay and Differential Pay | A pay policy for training or activated Guard/Reserve members in which their civilian employer provides their full civilian pay, in addition to their military pay, for a period of time, followed by a period in which they are provided the difference between their typical civilian pay and their military pay |
| Deployments | Military orders requiring a service member to relocate from their home base to another location for an extended period of time |
| Differential Pay | A pay policy for training or activated Guard/Reserve members in which their civilian employer provides the difference between their typical civilian pay and their military pay |
| Employee Resource Groups/Business Resource Groups (ERGs/BRGs) | Groups within an organization, which are typically voluntary and led by employees, that connect employees with similar backgrounds or traits to foster engagement, improve organization culture, and provide employee support and services |
| Full Pay | A pay policy for training or activated Guard/Reserve members in which their civilian employer provides their full civilian pay, in addition to their military pay |
| Guard/Reserve Members | Current members of any National Guard or Reserve component, whether in a training or activated status or not |
| Internal Mentorship Program | A program run by an employer, or one of the employer’s groups, in which more recent hires connect with more established employees for help acclimating to the employer. In internal mentorship programs, both mentor and mentee are employed by the organization |
| Internal Promotions | Movement of a staff member already employed by an organization to a higher-level role within the same organization |
| Mentees | Employees hired relatively recently by an organization that connect with mentors, who are more established employees at the organization, for help acclimating to the employer, as part of a mentorship program |
| Mentors | Established employees working at an organization who connect with mentees, who are more recent hires at the organization, to help them acclimate to the employer, as part of a mentorship program |
| Military-Connected | People who are Veterans (former members of any branch and component of the armed forces), Guard/Reserve Members, Military Spouses, or current Service Members |
| Military Spouses | People married to current or former service members of any military branch or component, including the National Guard and Reserves |
| New Hires | Employees who were hired by an organization during a particular time period (defined in the survey question) |
| Overall Employees | All employees, including those who are connected to the military as well as those who have no connection to the military |
| Permanent Change of Station/PCS | Military orders requiring a service member to permanently relocate from one home base or installation to another |
| Protected Veterans | Former service members meeting particular federal criteria, including those who were discharged within the last three years, served active duty during a period of war, have a service-connected disability, received an Armed Forces Service Medal, or meet other criteria, detailed by the U.S. Department of Labor here: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/posters/Infographics/files/ProtectedVet-2016-11x17_ENGESQA508c.pdf |
| Remaining New Hires | A subset of an organization’s new hires for a particular period of time (defined in the survey question) that includes only those new hires who remained employed at the organization 1 year from their hire dates |
| Support Personnel/Staff | Employees whose work is intended to improve the on-boarding, retention, engagement or advancement of fellow employees of the organization |
| Training Guard/Reserve Members | Members of the National Guard or Reserves who are are participating in military training |
| Total on Staff | Total employees on staff during a particular period of time (defined in the survey question) regardless of the date they were hired |
| Veterans | Former service members of any military branch or component, including the National Guard and Reserves |
Survey Links & Resources
To start your survey response, click the button below, then register with your name and email address and you will immediately receive a survey
The appearance of U.S. Department of War/Department of Defense (DoW/DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW/DoD endorsement.
Webpage image credits (from top left): DVIDS VIRIN 171206-A-NU445-006.





