The Role of Army Reservists: An Analysis of their Experiences and the Attitudes and Perceptions of Civilian Employers, Regulars and Significant Others

本研究旨在探讨英国陆军预备役人员的经验。它包括分析他们在军队就业、文职就业和家庭生活方面的积极和消极的相互作用，以及他们的文职雇主、正规雇员和重要其他人的态度和看法。少数国际研究考察了与社区角色之间的角色间冲突（例如，紧急服务志愿服务），并提出了志愿服务与家庭生活之间的冲突与结果之间的联系，包括满意度降低和继续担任志愿者的意愿（Cowlishaw等人，2014），以及伴侣困扰（Cowlishaw等人，2010a）和对志愿服务的支持（Cowlishaw等人，2010b）。然而，就可以确定的而言，没有研究探索额外和同时竞争的角色之间的接口，包括军队储备，主要就业和家庭生活。这种界面可能极其复杂，既反映了预备役军人组织和作战需求对初级就业和家庭的积极和消极影响，也反映了这些竞争角色的需求对预备役军人的双向影响。群体认同与改善与他人的互动有着积极的关系，包括对个人应对能力的增强的感知，这些人感觉得到了他们认同的群体成员的支持，而不是他们认为的局外人（Platow et al., 2007）。此外，Sani等人（p782, 2012）认为群体认同给个体一种“意义感、持久性和稳定感，从而防止存在焦虑。”这意味着在角色准备方面，有必要确保预备役人员不仅完全融入组织，而且他们也觉得自己是团队的核心部分。Lang等人（2010）强调了这一点，他们讨论了预备役军人生活的独特性质，因为他们需要正常的日常平民生活，但同时也要做好准备，积极应对征召和突然中断。本研究旨在为陆军预备役人员及其合作伙伴确定资源，这些资源可以帮助最大限度地减少潜在冲突，并增强预备役服务和文职角色的积极丰富经验。戈尔曼和托马斯（1991）认为，尽管历史上糟糕的经济条件有利于正规的军队招募，但预备役人员可能并不总是如此，因为人们倾向于从低就业地区搬迁到其他地方寻求更好的机会。此外，由于预备役人员很可能在非全时的基础上被陆军雇用，他们的正常参与可能由于其他优先事项，包括就业、家庭和休闲活动而受到阻碍。事实上，格里菲斯（2008）对美国预备役军人动机的研究确定了两种不同的群体——一种是出于责任感的动机，另一种是出于物质动机，作者认为后一种群体不仅不太投入，而且缺乏战斗准备。本研究将涉及预备役人员及其家人、雇主和常规服务同事，以探讨他们成功招募和部署的关键问题。除了文献综述、焦点小组和半结构化访谈之外，还将使用文献分析和就业统计来收集进一步的信息，以了解这些变化在武装部队中发生的背景，以及这些变化如何影响预备役人员积极参与军队，以及他们的家庭和雇主。

SummaryThis study aims to explore the experiences of British Army reservists. It includes an analysis of their positive and negative interactions in regard to army employment, civilian employment and home lives, as well as the attitudes and perceptions of their civilian employers, regulars and significant others. A small number of international studies have examined inter-role conflict with community roles (e.g., emergency services volunteering), and suggest links with such conflict between volunteering and family life and outcomes including reduced satisfaction and intention to remain a volunteer (Cowlishaw et al., 2014), as well as partner distress (Cowlishaw et al., 2010a) and support for volunteering (Cowlishaw et al., 2010b). However, as far as can be ascertained, there are no studies which have explored the interface among additional and simultaneous competing roles, including the army reserves, primary employment and family life. This interface may be extremely complex, and reflect both positive and negative impacts of organisational and operational demands from the army reserves on primary employment and family, as well as bi-directional impacts of demands from these competing roles on the army reserves. Group identification has been positively related to improved interactions with others including perceptions of enhanced coping ability for individuals who feel supported by a member of a group they identify with as opposed to someone they consider an outsider (Platow et al., 2007). Furthermore, Sani et al. (p782, 2012) suggest that group identification gives individuals a "sense of meaning, permanence and stability, which protects against existential anxiety." This implies that in terms of role preparedness, there is a need to ensure that reservists are not only fully integrated into an organisation but they also feel a core part of a team. This is highlighted by Lang et al (2010) who discuss the distinct nature of reservists' life because of the need for a normal day to day civilian existence but at the same time being ready and motivated in case of a call up and a sudden disruption. This study aims to identify resources for army reservists and their partners that can help minimise potential conflicts as well as enhance positive experiences of enrichment across the Reserve service and civilian roles.Gorman and Thomas (1991) argue that although poor economic conditions have historically favoured regular Army recruitment, this may not be always the case for reservists because of the tendency for people to relocate away from low-employment areas to elsewhere to seek better opportunities. Moreover, as reservists are likely to be employed on a part-time basis by the Army their regular involvement may be impeded because of other priorities including employment, family and leisure activities. Indeed, Griffith's (2008) study into the motivations of American reservists identified two distinct groups - those that are motivated because they have a sense of duty and those that are materially motivated, with the author identifying the latter group as not only less committed but also less combat ready. This study will engage with reservists as well as their families, employers and regular service colleagues in order to explore the issues critical for their successful recruitment and deployment.In addition to the literature review, focus groups and semi-structured interviews, further information will be gathered using documentary analysis and employment statistics to develop an understanding of the context within which these changes are taking place in the Armed Forces and how these may impact upon reservists' active participation in the army, as well as their families and employers.