Browsing by Subject "Employers"

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    Partnering with Employers to Build a Sustainable Operational Reserve in the United States Marine Corps
    (2011-05-01) Peterson, Robert
    Policy Question This paper explores policy options available to the United States Marine Corps that strengthen its ability to sustain the Reserve Component as an operational force, by asking: How should the United States Marine Corps partner with civilian employers of reservists to implement an “operational” reserve that is sustainable during peacetime? Background The reserve component of the United States Marine Corps will continue to fill an operational role after the drawdown of American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The concept behind the operational reserve envisions the deployment of reservists in a periodic and sustained fashion to support theater security engagements and cooperative security agreements. When put into practice, reservists will be required to regularly deploy overseas. Reservists are only part-time members of the military and most depend on a civilian employer for their livelihood. While businesses have generally been supportive of deployments during periods of conflict, it is unclear how they will view continued deployments, absent an existential crisis. Since reservists depend upon civilian employers for their livelihood, their support is necessary to sustain a peacetime operational reserve.
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    Policy dissonance when wearing the “employer hat”: The practice of governmental vehicle reimbursement among public sector employees
    (Case Studies on Transport Policy, 2023-06-01) Tsairi, Y; Tal, A; Katz, D
    Transport-related benefits can have a significant impact on employees’ vehicle ownership and use. Policy implemented by governments, which are often both large-scale employers and models for the private sector, are especially important in determining travel behavior. The research focuses on the Israeli practice of providing substantial subsidies for public sector employees to own cars, through the salary benefit of “vehicle reimbursement”. The benefit, originally created to circumvent salary caps, today provides a substantial income supplement for more than half of the country's public sector workers, translating to 10% of all Israeli employees (in addition to 10% of employees who receive a company car). The article explores the extent to which vehicle reimbursement encourages car ownership and car usage among public workers. It also seeks to assess the willingness of workers, the labor union and the government to replace the vehicle reimbursement salary component for a substitute that does not require car ownership. Analysis of both a survey of employees (n = 276) and interviews with government and labor union officials, suggests that Israel's “vehicle reimbursement” constitutes a classic perverse incentive, driving and perpetuating private car ownership and usage, thereby affecting workers’ transport preferences in both the short and long terms. While the majority of public employees are willing to consider accepting salary compensation in lieu of car ownership, institutional and legal obstacles currently stand in the way of policy reform. This case study offers a first exploration of the role of historical employment arrangements in shaping employee and employer transportation decisions.