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One of the top priorities for any organization is hiring qualified employees. Whether your organization is doing a lot of hiring right now or a little, finding the right employees is important. As HR professionals, it becomes our goal to find sources for identifying the best talent. An excellent source for talent is fair chance hiring.
Fair chance employment is the practice of hiring individuals with a criminal record. It’s sometimes referred to as second chance employment. According to The Sentencing Project, between 70M and 100M individuals have a criminal record.
Having a criminal record, even without a conviction, can be a huge barrier to employment. Individuals with a criminal record have the skills to excel in the workplace. This is an opportunity for employers to hire qualified candidates who are ready to work and want to be loyal to an organization.
However, sometimes implementing fair chance employment practices means overcoming internal objections. Here are five common objections and some suggestions for how to address them.
- “It will cost more.” Let’s get the money conversation out of the way. Often organizations don’t do things because they believe it’s expensive. According to research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 81% of human resources professionals said their cost-per-hire (CPH) with a fair chance program was about the same or less than without. Don’t forget that the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) gives employers who hire qualified individuals with a criminal conviction up to 25% of their first year’s wages.
- “No one else is doing it so why should we?” This is simply not true. The Second Chance Business Coalition (SCBC) is an organization that promotes the benefits of second chance employment. Its members include businesses from a wide variety of industries such a manufacturing, retail, transportation, financial services, and telecommunications. Not only does the SCBC demonstrate that companies are adopting fair chance employment practices, but it’s a resource to get information.
- “Other employees will quit because our workplace won’t be safe.” It might be tempting to jump to the conclusion that a person with a criminal history has been incarcerated and / or presents a risk. Again, this isn’t true. Of the 70M to 100M people with a criminal record, only 10M (or approximately 15%) have been incarcerated. As an example, Kelly partnered with a Toyota manufacturing facility to place non-violent criminals into jobs and found it increased their talent pool by 20%. Oh, and it decreased turnover by 70%.
- “Organizational performance will suffer.” Giving someone a second chance doesn’t mean they are second rate. In the same research from SHRM, 85% of human resources professionals found that employees with a criminal record performed their jobs at the same level or better than those employees without. And 75% said workers with criminal records were just as dependable. The SCBC backs this data – their research says that 82% of managers report employees hired through a second chance initiative bring just as much if not more value that employees without.
- “Customers won’t like it.” Ultimately, customers want good products, good services, and good prices. Customers will support organizations that deliver on those things. And even more when the organization demonstrates they have a sense of community. Dave’s Killer Bread grew their brand more than 50% by sharing stories of second chances and redemption. The key was being authentic and honest with customers.
Identifying common objections and discussing them upfront will position the organization to have a productive conversation about fair chance employment.
In addition to doing your research, organizations should consider having discussions with their legal counsel and outside partners. They might have success stories that they can share. They can also offer different perspectives to consider.
Regardless of the unemployment rate, organizations are always looking for skilled employees. Fair chance employment is a source for skilled, loyal workers.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of London, England
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