Do companies make money if they hire felons

Courtesy of Rebel Pundit A criminal record is usually not the kind of qualification most employers have in mind when looking for new hires. He’s launching a study and wants other companies to participate in it to examine the benefits and challenges of those who have spent time behind bars, according to WWMT Newschannel 3. While many employers remain skeptical about hiring ex-offenders, others extol the benefits of adding these members to your staff. Here are four reasons, in addition to the social benefit, why you should consider rehabilitated offenders. Since most people who have spent time in prison find it difficult to get jobs and re-enter society, they’ll likely be extremely grateful and loyal to any employer who gives them a chance. So if I help someone else be successful, they’re a lot more interested in helping me be successful. The training they received in prison ma y be transferable to your job. Many people who spend time behind bars are able to receive vocational training and participate in certification programs for GEDs and college degrees, which can help prepare them for employment and provide valuable skills that transfer across fields.

How to Determine Whether to Hire a Convicted Felon

Finding a good job with a felony conviction can be a real struggle. However, there are a number of different high paying jobs for felons out there. While it is true that high salary, white collar jobs are very hard to land if you are a felon, it is relatively easier in IT. This guide is for felons who want to learn how they can get their foot in the door with an IT company, and start earning much better pay than most other felon-friendly jobs. Here are the top job opportunities you should consider applying for if you have a felony conviction:. Network support administrator: in the modern wired world, network support specialists are like secretaries. They run the computer systems networks for businesses large and small. They also set up new networks, install computer software, and troubleshoot various types of networks if they are down. Database administrator DBA : more and more companies rely of the cutting edge skills of DBAs to help with their daily operations. Using special software programs these vary depending on the industry , database administrators organize and store critical data for the company and make it available to users and employees. Computer programmer: programmers create and write code for new computer software.

1. The Military

They also test and correct the code to make sure that the software is working properly and that there are no bugs. There are different coding languages, and most programmers specialize in one two. App developer: mobile app development is one of the fastest growing fields with a lot of high paying jobs. Many companies hire app developers to develop programs for their customers both on iPhone and Android. There are also developers that create gaming and other entertainment apps. Web developer: this is one of the best jobs in the technology and information sector. The main responsibility of a web developer is to create and design websites.

2. McDonald’s

The trick is, they have to make it through an apprenticeship program designed to test and build their basic work aptitudes, such as staying on schedule and working well with others. Hiring a convicted felon isn’t what most businesses set out to do. The company operates over 9, commercial pharmacies across the US, providing prescriptions as well as other medical supplies and supplements, with career opportunities in sales, logistics, beauty , customer service, administration and more. If a candidate has a conviction that you say disqualifies him for the position, the EEOC requires you to give the person a chance to «demonstrate that the exclusion should not be applied due to his particular circumstances. Felons are not permitted to work in departments that use firearms, either. Greyston now is trying to package its approach to lure in other companies. The company is a signatory of the Fair Chance Pledge and, according to Successful Release, does not discriminate against hiring felons, provided their timeline of conviction has expired. In all states, you can ask about felony convictions before you actually hire an employee. When trying to decide how you want to shape your policy regarding convicted felons, consider the true nature of your business. Indeed, due to ongoing recruitment issues, the US Army and Marine Corps are both increasingly willing to offer recruits felony waivers , especially if their felony is classed as a misdemeanour in another state. Related Tags. If the job candidate has a conviction for shoplifting from six months ago, you can make a strong argument that this is not a trustworthy individual. But you may be surprised to know that many of the biggest companies on the planet are, in fact, actively hiring felons in

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Background check for employment

Ty Hookway had to check on an office building his building services company, CleanCraft, was set to clean in upstate New York, and what he saw changed his business and his life. The companoes person who was supposed to do the work had called in sick, and when Hookway got there, he found one of his newer hires, Sanford Coley, in the building, working away in shorts rather than his uniform.

But what really got Hookway’s attention: The shorts revealed that Coley was wearing an ankle bracelet. He was on parole for bank robbery.

Hookway hadn’t thought to ask about Coley’s criminal record. More stories like this may be coming to offices like yours. With the job cpmpanies tight, ex-felons and other workers who often struggled to find jobs are getting a second look, according to a recent report by the Society for Human Resource Management, which surveyed more than 2, corporate managers and HR executives nationwide on their attitudes about ex-offenders for a hrie released in May.

Unemployment among ex-felons isn’t explicitly tracked by the U. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it was estimated at 27 percent last year by the Thry Policy Initiative. But some researchers think it’s even higher — informal estimates claim as many as half of released convicts failed to find jobs or stayed out of the labor force.

Since an estimated one-third of U. Corporations are showing at least some signs of interest, advocates say. In addition to SHRM’s study, the job site Glassdoor barred job listings from employers who intend to weed out ex-offenders.

New Jersey-based consultant Eric Mayo says a long list of top American companies have proved themselves open to hiring ex-offendersmostly for service jobs, ranging from minimum-wage employers from McDonald’s to CNBC parent Mney and, in Mayo’s Atlantic City backyard, casinos, which he said are practically cities unto themselves, demanding an array of service workers. To stoke more action, the federal government is offering a tax incentive called the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for employers who hire and retain ex-felons, veterans and individuals from other target groups with significant barriers to employment.

Under this program if an employee works at least hours a year, felonns company can claim a 25 percent tax credit of their first year’s wages and 40 percent if he or she works hours. Some cities tjey states also offer tax credits and other incentives to employers willing to hire ex-cons and give them a second chance. Philadelphia’s Fair Chance Hiring Initiative provides a cash reimbursement to employers who hire felons that have been released from prison within the past five years. Many employers are apprehensive about hiring felons and look for ways to hedge their risk.

They partner with local organizations that work to train ex-cons for jobs and provide other types of rehabilitation services. To find these organizations, state unemployment or workforce development offices can offer referrals. The Federal Bonding Program is another option companies turn to. This program bonds felons who are hired and mainstreamed by companies of all sizes.

The bond provides compensation if an employer suffers theft or loss due to the employee’s dishonesty. Greyston’s «open hiring» model means that anyone who puts their name on a list for a production job can have one as they become available, CEO Mike Brady said. The trick is, they have to make it through an apprenticeship program designed to test and build their basic work aptitudes, such as staying on schedule and working well with.

About half don’t make it, Brady said. But enough do to convince Greyston that other companies would be better off investing less in screening companirs workers and more in training and supporting them to capitalize on second chances and on connecting them to social services they need to support a transition to working life. Here’s how to keep employees from quitting Richard Branson believes the key to success is a three-day workweek.

But if they’re not, we let a lot of people go. Two such candidates are one-time drug dealers Dion Drew and Alvin Wilson. Drew, 41, grew up in Yonkers and said he plied his old trade a three-minute walk from Greyston. Wilson, 64, spent nearly a decade after his release as a self-employed contractor, doing everything from carpentry to snow shoveling before coming to work.

Drew has become an ambassador for open hiring, even doing a Ted Talk with Brady about it. He claims he has the two dogs and now «just needs the house. Wilson is a mixer on the brownie line, where the quickly moving array of goodies waiting to be wrapped recall the famous scene from I Love Lucy where the heroines land short-lived jobs in a candy factory the bakery makes about a tractor-trailer load of brownies daily, or 7 million pounds per year.

He was released infrom the last of his five felony cases, and arrived at Greyston two years ago. Both said their big problem in getting back to work was learning how to take direction and fit in, as people do in the workplace. And each said the biggest difference between themselves and others who fail at reentering society is that they simply decided, while in jail, that they had to do better. I wanted to put the smile back on my mom’s face.

Greyston now is trying to package its approach to lure in other companies. Just a short drive from its factory, Greyston set up the Center for Open Hiringwhich Perry Solomon, a consultant working on the project, described as a way of bire do companies make money if they hire felons to «think the right way» — swapping expenses spent finding workers who don’t have red flags for more investment in training.

A study on employers’ attitudes toward hiring ex-felons suggests that many are ready for change. Only 14 percent of human-resources managers won’t consider hiring ex-offenders, the report commissioned by the Society of Human Resources Management and funded by the Charles Koch Instituted says. The biggest reason is simple: makke percent of executives say their ex-offender hires have been at least as successful as their average hire.

Other common motivations were to help build communities compahies give ex-offenders a second chance. But only 5 percent actively recruit ex-offenders, the survey said. Cpmpanies most important factors in getting hired: A verifiable work history, and some level of education or training after the workers were convicted, indicating that they improved themselves while imprisoned.

That’s consistent with a study by the RAND Institutehide found that 59 percent of employers would consider an ex-offender with one conviction if they were given an incentive through a tax credit, which they are offered under federal law. But the biggest difference-maker is if employers can recover staffing-agency fees they pay to find workers who don’t stick with the job, or get the agencies to find them a replacement worker for free if they take a chance on an ex-offender who doesn’t work.

Rand found that employers are much less willing to mxke at felons with a history of violence, such as robbery charges, Rand scholar Priscilla Hunt said. What doesn’t appear to work as well is trying to force employers’ hands by forbidding them to ask about criminal records on job applications. So-called «ban the box» laws, named for the check-box next to questions about whether applicants have records, often lead to racial discrimination, as employers screen out a broad swath of minority applicants in order to avoid interviewing ex-offenders, according to research by Rutgers University economist Amanda Agan.

Screening out ex-offenders can also subject employers to liability for policies that have a disproportionate racial impact, said Dariely Rodriguez, director of the economic justice project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

They’ll hold other employees accountable. They want it. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. All Rights Reserved. Data also provided by. Skip Navigation. Markets Pre-Markets U. Key Points. More American companies, such as McDonald’s and Delta Air Lines, are hiring ex-cons as part of their inclusion strategy.

Executives say 82 percent of their ex-offender hires have been at least as successful as their average hire, according to a report by the Society of Human Resources Management. Only 14 percent of human resources managers won’t consider hiring ex-offenders. It really takes employers who are willing to let go of their biases in pursuit not only of equality but of the best candidates.

More from At Work: Here’s how to keep employees from quitting Richard Branson believes the key to success is a three-day tgey «We’ll hire anyone who walks through the front door — no questions asked,» said Brady, who estimates that about 40 Greyston workers have criminal records.

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Changing attitudes

Ty Hookway had to check on an office building his building services company, CleanCraft, was set to clean in upstate New York, and what he saw changed his business and his life. The maintenance person who was supposed to do the work had called in sick, and when Hookway got there, he found one of his newer hires, Sanford Coley, in the building, working away in shorts rather than his uniform. But what really got Hookway’s attention: The shorts revealed that Coley was wearing an ankle bracelet. He was on parole for bank robbery.

How to Determine Whether to Hire a Convicted Felon

Hookway hadn’t thought to ask about Coley’s criminal record. More stories like this may be coming to offices like yours. With the job market tight, ex-felons and other workers who often struggled to find jobs are getting a second look, according to a recent report by the Do companies make money if they hire felons for Human Resource Management, which surveyed more than 2, corporate managers and HR executives nationwide on their attitudes about ex-offenders for a report released in May. Unemployment among ex-felons isn’t explicitly tracked by the U. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it was estimated at 27 percent last year by the Prison Policy Initiative.