The company is on a mission to translate military experience into corporate success.
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. takes pride in supporting the military and veterans through employee-focused initiatives, corporate social responsibility, and customer partnerships. “If I had to bucket the work happening around veterans, there’s certainly an employee component,” explained Michael Mathé, executive vice president, chief operating officer.
Brave Hearts
A key element of Konica Minolta’s commitment is its newest employee resource group, Brave. Launched last year, Brave offers a community for employees who’ve served in the military or are passionate about supporting the military. Open to all employees across North America, Brave has been met with enthusiasm by Konica Minolta employees. “They’re so excited to see the company taking a firm and public stance around our commitment to the military,” said Mathé. “First and foremost, we want to be a safe space for our employees who have served.”
Indeed, Brave provides a safe space for employees, including community calls led by veterans. During one recent call, two veteran facilitators noticed a participant struggling and reached out afterward. “It was a life-saving moment,” recalled Mathé.
The group also engages in meaningful activities, such as creating holiday cards for deployed military personnel. At Konica Minolta’s holiday party, employees were encouraged to write messages of gratitude and well wishes on those cards. The company partnered with Blue Star Moms, a national veteran service organization on this endeavor.
The Patriot Pack ride to honor and raise funds for veterans is another example of the company’s commitment to veterans. The ride began with a celebration at Konica Minolta’s headquarters last September and left a lasting impression. “Our employees are still talking about it,” noted Mathé.
Approximately 200 Konica Minolta employees across the country have served in the military, although the number may be higher than that. “One of the things that we plan to do this year is a campaign to encourage people to share that information,” said Mathé.
Hiring Heroes
Christy Harper, senior director, talent acquisition & HR operations, works closely with Mathé to recruit and support veteran employees. “We want to make sure that we are showing our potential veteran candidates what a strong supporter we are of their past or current military experience,” Harper said.
To achieve this, recruiters are trained to translate military experience into corporate terms to help hiring managers recognize veterans’ unique strengths. According to Harper, the point is to ensure the team is fluent in conversations about veterans and their skills.
Konica Minolta also has partnered with Monster.com’s veterans board and Hiring Our Heroes, a program sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Through Hiring Our Heroes, military personnel transitioning to civilian life can participate in 12- to-15-week fellowships at Konica Minolta. “Our commitment is to help train them so they can better transition to civilian careers when they leave,” explained Harper.
The company offers the intensive fellowship program three times a year, with dozens of veterans interviewed over a short period. “Internally, we train all these interviewers about what makes veterans special,” noted Harper. “The program itself, as far as how many veterans we hire, has been relatively small, but what it allows us to do with communication and retraining in the organization has been huge.”
All of the veterans offered positions have accepted. “What’s been great about this is, internally, it’s allowed us to amplify this idea of what veterans can bring to the organization to hiring managers,” emphasized Harper.
Konica Minolta trains veterans on what it’s like to work in the corporate world and business concepts (like profit and loss statements), but their leadership skills are already an appealing asset. “They tend to achieve a level of leadership skill at a much earlier age than those in civilian careers,” said Harper. “Their leadership and soft skills often exceed those of their peers.”
Challenges of Hiring Veterans
Despite their strengths, hiring veterans requires overcoming certain challenges. “In the beginning, the biggest challenge was normalizing the military experience for our managers,” Harper explained. Hiring managers had to adjust to recognizing and appreciating veterans’ different skill sets and experiences.
Konica Minolta addressed this through education and events, such as bringing in a speaker for Veterans Day to discuss mental health and the unique challenges veterans face. “Just giving managers those tools to be aware and intervene appropriately is key,” added Mathé.
Gauging Success
Konica Minolta measures the success of its veteran initiatives in several ways, starting with how it positions job opportunities to attract diverse talent. The company also monitors onboarding to ensure employees are introduced to programs like Brave, which foster a sense of belonging.
“In addition, we’re looking at retention rates, promotion rates, and engagement,” said Mathé. “We want to understand if employees within a particular demographic are happy, staying, and productive.”
Building a Stronger Community
Transitioning to civilian careers can prove daunting for veterans, particularly because many organizations lack the strong sense of community veterans experience in the military. Harper sees Konica Minolta’s culture as an asset in this regard. “One of our biggest strengths for our veteran employees is that Konica Minolta has a strong sense of community,” she said. “So, coming from the military to here is not as daunting of a transition as it can be in other environments.” Mathé echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the role of Brave in supporting new hires. “We’re literally buddying employees up and making sure like, ‘Okay, you’re a new hire. We’re going to buddy you with Antonio. If you have questions, give Antonio a call.’”
Looking Ahead
Both Mathé and Harper see opportunities to expand Konica Minolta’s veteran initiatives. This includes raising awareness of Brave, greater participation in Hiring Our Heroes, and getting the word out that Konica Minolta is a great place to work.
“Whether you’re a veteran or not, there’s a lot here for you to help make this your home,” said Harper.
For Mathé, it’s about creating a workplace where everyone feels valued. “Creating a welcoming, belonging, inclusive environment doesn’t just help one group. It helps everyone,” he said.
