Military Veterans in Federal Agencies: Organizational Inclusion, Human Resource Practices, and Trust in Leadership as Predictors of Organizational Commitment

Abstract

Military veterans comprise a significant demographic that is adding to the diversity of the U.S. federal workforce. Using data from the 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, this study examined the relationship between organizational inclusion, human resource practices, trust in leadership, and organizational commitment among military veterans and nonveterans in federal agencies. Structural equation modeling showed the positive impact of organizational inclusion and human resource practices on organizational commitment was partially mediated by trust in leadership. Human resource practices had a greater impact than organizational inclusion on organizational commitment. Human resource practices, however, had less of an impact on organizational commitment and trust in leadership among military veterans as compared with nonveterans. Organizational inclusion had more of an impact on trust in leadership among the military veterans than the nonveterans in the study. There was no difference based on veteran status regarding the impact of trust in leadership on organizational commitment.