Articles

Hiring Returning Citizens: Are We Sending the Right Message?

I will never forget her name or the day I sat across the table from her in a meeting to terminate her employment. She was a great employee, one we wanted to keep. She was such a strong performer that we had decided to promote her. With that promotion, she would need to obtain an industry license. All she needed was a background check with no felony convictions. 

Most employees were chomping at the bit for this promotion but not this employee. Each time the subject came up she dismissed the promotion and said she was fine where she was. However, we had invested in this employee and we needed her to move to the next step so her strong performance could be better utilized in the organization. Her odd responses about a potential background check were not leaving anyone with a good feeling, which started to raise questions that required answers.   

After some probing questions and deeper investigating, we got our answer. She had lied on her application. Company policy was clear that falsifying an application was grounds for immediate termination. No exceptions. She was a single mom with a two-year-old daughter. While I could not save her employment, I, at least, wanted to hear her story. 

She sat across the table from me crying over the loss of her job as she explained. Years ago, she had fallen in with the wrong crowd. Her boyfriend was bringing in drugs from Mexico and he convinced her to drive down to Texas to pick them up and bring them back to Missouri. On her way home, she was pulled over and arrested. She then spent three years in prison out of state. That was the wakeup call she needed. When she was released, she cut all ties with her old crowd and set out for a fresh start in life. She got a job and performed well, demonstrating that she had been rehabilitated. When our job opportunity came along, it provided the perfect next step for her new life. Convinced that our company would not hire someone with a criminal record, she altered the facts on her application to cover her time in prison. The real heartbreak of that situation was that our company was working hard to follow fair chance hiring processes. Had she been honest with us from that start, there was a good chance she still would have been hired.  

I learned two things that day. First, people with a felony record can rehabilitate and deserve second chances. Proof of that sat across the table from me. She was a top performer and a valued member of our team. Second, as employers, we need to make sure we have created a safe space for open and honest conversations for returning citizens. The processes in place for HR are only as good as the message being communicated to potential applicants. Fair chance hiring must be a public message, not just an HR procedure.

Nearly a third of working adults have a criminal record that can create barriers to employment. Studies show that employment is a key factor in reducing recidivism. When recruiters create a space for honest conversations, workplaces reap the benefits of filling positions with diverse applicants. When applicants receive the message of fair chance hiring, they reap the benefits of acceptance and success.

Holly Perryman
HR Managed, LLC
Owner & HR Consultant