The Formula for Military Spouse Success

The 4+1 Commitment

4+1 - The Formula for Military Spouse Success Badge Icon

The 4+1 Commitment is a way for employers to voluntarily commit to improving military spouse employment outcomes.

Adopt the Commitment

Presenting Organizations

In partnership with the Department of Defense’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership

Why make the Commitment?

Military spouse unemployment and underemployment are persistent concerns within the military community and are now a threat to military readiness and national security. For decades, military spouses have endured an unemployment rate of 20% or higher.

The well-documented factors include frequent relocations, increased family responsibilities when a partner is deployed, limited employment options near military bases, and child care. This crisis has significant implications for our nation’s all-volunteer force, including financial instability and the decreased recruitment and retention of service members.

Quick Facts (PDF)
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Ready to make the 4 + 1 Commitment?

By making the Commitment, organizations pledge to adopt at least one of these four policies:

1.

Facilitate job transferability

2.

Offer remote or telework

3.

Offer flexible work hours

4.

Provide paid or permissive Permanent Change of Station (PCS) leave

and

+1

Consider joining an existing government spouse employment program

MILITARY SPOUSE CAREER ACCELERATOR PILOT
MILITARY SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PARTNERSHIP

The Original Signatories

Starbucks is the first signer of the 4+1 Commitment and is a founding member of the Do Your Part coalition. In 2023, Starbucks bolstered support for military spouse employees by launching a transfer program to promote retention through a military move!

Additional Signatories

4+1 The Missing Link

AJ Jones II

Executive Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, Starbucks

Our mission as a company is that with every cup, with every conversation, with every community, we nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection. And for us, nothing can be more endearing than the connection we have with our partners, with the communities that we serve. One of those communities is the military and veterans community, and for there we have among our promises a bridge to a better future…I'm so grateful to join my other fellow original signatories and also making sure that Starbucks is able to lead the way and doing it all the way on behalf of this community. So we are grateful to both Blue Star and also Hiring Our Heroes for allowing us to be here today.

Craig Newmark

Founder, Craigslist & craig newmark philanthropies

This is necessary because I personally feel I owe it to military families, vets, and so on. We owe them a lot. We can't forget them. And, you know, like I like to tell people: a nerd's got to do what a nerd's got to do.

Dr. Jill Biden

First Lady of the United States

We don’t just need spouses to have jobs. We need them to be able to keep those jobs and turn them into careers. Hiring Our Heroes and Blue Star Families are asking for 1,000 companies to commit to retaining more spouses. It’s ambitious, but together we can achieve it. And everyone in this room has a role in making this vision a reality.

Ellyn Dunford

Spouse of the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Today, the Department of Defense must recruit and retain families. Who will we lose if we can't find flexible professional employment for our spouses and appropriate childcare for our children?

Eric Eversole

Vice President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and President, Hiring Our Heroes

We are facing a national crisis in military spouse unemployment. The 4+1 initiative will serve as a rallying cry to raise much needed awareness and provide pathways to meaningful careers for military spouses, especially those that are remote and portable.

Jennie Sager

Global Head of Consumer Marketing and Managing Director, Nextdoor

All communities are important to Nextdoor. The military population is especially important to next door because we know that they are looking for a sense of belonging and to feel welcomed in their new community when they settle in and next door is uniquely positioned to help them establish those meaningful connections in their local communities and get things done quickly and easily, like finding employment, whether that's full time or part time.

Kathy Roth-Douquet

Co-Founder & CEO, Blue Star Families

That is what the 4+1 initiative does. It brings the community together to focus on a few common sense practices and policies to help military spouses as they search for and maintain careers. And I think we all would agree that military spouses shouldn't have to choose between a life of service, their life of service, and their career.

The Honorable Alex Wagner

Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs

Spouse employment isn't just the right thing to do in 2023. It's an essential part of our military's readiness.

Frequently Asked Questions
Click "Adopt the Commitment" at the top of this page to sign up.
No. Companies of all sizes are encouraged to adopt this commitment and support their military spouse employees.

Adopting these practices can help recruit and retain talented military spouse employees in your organization. Military spouses are educated, resourceful, adaptable and resilient employees — a great addition to any team. Establishing your organization as an authentic supporter of the community will positively impact brand loyalty for the 20 million+ members of the military and veteran community, and for all Americans who care for them.

Signatories of the 4+1 Commitment will be authorized to utilize a special badge denoting they adhere to best practices supported by Hiring Our Heroes, Blue Star Families, craig newmark philanthropies, American Corporate Partners, and several government partners.

Your company will be acknowledged on the 4+1 Commitment website.

Yes. We would love to celebrate the great work your company has done and elevate it so that military spouses and your customers alike understand the steps you have taken to support military families.
Yes! We’ll help support you and track your progress as you embark upon your journey to effectively support your military spouse employees.
Yes. Please check out Blue Star Families’ Summer 2023 report outlining the insights from other employers in Closing the Loop: An Eight-Step Guide to Building a Holistic Military Spouse Employment Program, created thanks to the gracious support of sponsors USAA, Navy Federal Credit Union, and PenFed Credit Union.
Do Your Part is a multi-sector coalition of change-makers seeking to fulfill the Constitution's promise of providing for the common defense by focusing on these three areas:
  • Community & Connectedness
  • Jobs & Economic Security
  • Military & Youth Well-Being
  LEARN MORE
Blue Star Families and Hiring Our Heroes, in partnership with the Department of Defense’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership, will provide a unique badge of distinction for 4+1 signatories.

The 4+1 Commitment: A Formula for Military Spouse Success is presented by Blue Star Families and Hiring Our Heroes in partnership with the Department of Defense’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership. The initiative is launched as part of Blue Star Families’ Do Your Part campaign, made possible by craig newmark philanthropies.