The business case for hiring candidates with justice-impacted backgrounds is strong, CWS 3.0 previously reported. In addition to providing plenty of available talent — roughly one-quarter of the US population has a criminal record — 85% of human resource professionals and 81% of business leaders report that individuals with criminal records perform the same as, or better than, employees without criminal records, according to research from the SHRM Foundation. Additionally, 82% of managers and 67% of HR professionals say second-chance employees bring as much value to their organization as workers without records.

But how does a contingent workforce program go about dipping its toe into this talent pool?

Start by looking at your challenges, explains Marvin Figaro, director of DEI strategic partnerships at Kelly. “What are they trying to solve? Are they struggling to identify talent? Are they in highly competitive markets? Are their rates not competitive?”

If fair-chance hiring looks like a solution to the challenges and the demographics in the area suggest a deep talent pool, then the important internal conversations can begin.

Have the Conversations

While hiring managers and C-suite executives have much to gain by having a pool of quality hires on tap, they can be hesitant to back a program if they are not sufficiently educated on the realities of justice-impacted hires. Risk, compliance and legal teams may be particularly concerned since they are tapped with mitigating negligent hiring.

Expect to spend time educating your constituents and advocating for your case, and plan to have many conversations before gaining full support. Inform stakeholders of the benefits beyond filling positions, such as building a positive reputation within your community.

Staffing provider HireLevel has tapped its own second-chance program for about seven years to fill positions, mostly in light industrial roles. Its recruiters check in on the placements more often and take a “high-touch” approach with their buyer clients — something contingent workforce program managers can do with their stakeholders as well.

“We let them know we are there to protect them and really just give the customer a crutch to make that investment, to think outside of the box,” says Nicole Kline, HireLevel’s VP of operations and strategic accounts.

Having C-suite commitment is important, but it’s also important to have support from the managers who are doing the hiring and screening.

“It needs to actually come all the way down the chain,” explains Maha Jweied, CEO of The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, an organization that works with companies to champion solutions that promote public safety, deliver justice and strengthen communities. And the reverse is also true.

“You may have a committed line manager who understands and wants to be able to create opportunities, but if they don’t have the buy-in from the top, that’ll also limit their opportunity to open their doors,” Jweied says. “So there needs to be really a thoughtfulness within the business.”

Support Your Hires

Providing extra resources for fair-chance populations can help ease stakeholders’ concerns and help get your program off to a solid start.

For this population, in particular, adjusting to the workforce can be a big change, so offering support systems such as mentorships or career counseling can help keep them on track. Justice-impacted individuals may also need schedule flexibility to attend court hearings or meetings with their parole officer.

For some candidates, acquiring supplies such as appropriate work clothes and/or required safety gear may be cost prohibitive; hence, providing these items can make a real difference for success. And since transportation can also be a challenge, consider offering bus passes or shuttle services to worksites.

Background Checks

Research shows that nearly nine in 10 employers require applicants to undergo a background check, according to the Second Chance Business Coalition, and a criminal record can reduce the chances of a second interview by half. This is one reason why nearly 75% of people who were formerly incarcerated remain unemployed a year after being released, according to the 2022 White House Proclamation on Second Chance Month.

Consider whether your background screening policy is creating an unnecessary speed bump and hindering your ability to secure workers. Can the criteria be lessened for a particular role, or is the check even needed at all?

“A lot of companies have not looked at their process in over 15 years, so they’re applying a process to mitigate a risk that they thought existed 15 years ago,” says Kelly’s Figaro, whose program helps contingent workforce programs manage that risk. “And for some, it’s a steep climb because you’re asking them to redo or modify their process in a way that’s not just going to impact one aspect of operations — it cuts across the entire enterprise.”

The First Step

The most important thing RBIJ’s Jweied advises businesses to do is to start small.