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Hazell Bros Group Managing Director Geoffrey Hazell was among six Australian business leaders selected to participate in the Bosslift program in the Solomon Islands, where Australia has assumed a leading role in providing military presence.

The program was the first of many to the Solomon Islands to be run by the Australian Defence Force, an initiative to generate greater awareness about the role of Reserves among business leaders.

The Australian Defence Force presence in the Solomon Islands is comprised primarily of Army Reserve members.

On recruitment, 99 per cent of the Australian Defence Force is made up of Reserves who play a major role in peace keeping missions.

"It's a two way street between employers and employees of Reserves on the Solomon Islands," Mr Hazell said.

"Hazell Bros' commitment to training and employer of choice strategies assist us in allowing greater flexibility for our employees

"At Hazell Bros we place great value on training and recognise the important role the Reserves play in the Australian Defence Force," he said.

"The Bosslift program provided insight into how business leaders can benefit from the training employees receive in the Reserves," Mr Hazell said. 

Some of the skills employees can develop in the Reserves include teamwork, leadership, risk management, project management, people skills and work planning. 

The group discussed how employees and employers can both benefit from improving the way Reserve training is recognised in the workplace - thereby limiting the difficulty employees have in getting out of the workforce to be involved in Army operations.