Mercer's web-based survey, conducted in late March and early April, includes responses from 201 employers across the country. The survey found considerable variation in military leave and pay policies, beyond what is mandated by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

Findings of Mercer's survey include the following:

• The military call-ups have had virtually no effect on the executive ranks of the responding companies and minimal effect on management employees. The employee group most affected was professional/technical employees, followed by nonexempt clerical/technician and nonunion hourly employees.
• In light of the current situation in Iraq, more than one-third of the companies surveyed (37 percent) changed their pay practice for military leave by increasing pay provided under current military leave plans for those called to active duty. The majority of companies (62 percent) made no recent changes to their military pay practices.
  
• Most of the companies surveyed (68 percent) pay reservists the difference between their civilian and military pay while on active duty status. However, 23 percent provide no pay to reservists on active duty. A small minority (8 percent) provides full civilian pay in addition to any military pay.
  
• Of the companies surveyed, one-fifth (21 percent) provide eight weeks or less of pay for military leave. At the other extreme, 46 percent provide pay for a year or more, including 27 percent who provide military leave pay for an unlimited amount of time.
  
• Employers take many different approaches to providing medical benefits coverage for reservists and their families. The most popular approach, used by 40 percent of the respondents, is to continue the employer-sponsored coverage at existing levels/contributions indefinitely. About one-quarter (27 percent) allow reservists to maintain existing coverage through COBRA, and 5 percent terminate employer coverage upon the reservist's eligibility for TRICARE, the health benefits program provided by the US government to military members and their families. The remainder (27 percent) take other approaches, such as allowing the continuation of employer-sponsored coverage for a limited amount of time (e.g., 180 days) before switching to COBRA or TRICARE coverage.
  
• Military call-ups have created many staffing vacancies and shortages among US employers. Most (69 percent) have responded by increasing overtime for remaining workers or redistributing the workloads of absent employees, while others (21 percent) are hiring temporary workers to fill the vacancies. The remainder (10 percent) say they are using a combination of these approaches.
  
• Employers are providing a range of special support services to families and work groups affected by the military call-ups. Common actions include information hotlines (an action taken by 19 percent of the responding companies), loans to Reservists' families (11 percent), and transportation, education, and housing assistance (6 percent). Other actions include support groups, care packages, and special efforts by company-sponsored employee assistance programs (EAPs) to serve the needs of military families.