"When justice-involved individuals are given the opportunity, they don’t waste it"

Cara Plus and McKinsey & Company partnered to publish one of the largest studies about what frontline employees want and what employers think they want. The result of the study reveals that companies are thinking about hiring people impacted by the criminal justice system, yet most employers are missing out on the benefits of hiring from this talent pool.

Fair-chance hiring is still not a widely applied hiring practice. However, this study shows that justice-involved job seekers are more successful in receiving advancement opportunities than any other group surveyed. As Cara Collective’s article put it:

“When these individuals are given the opportunity (or a “fair chance”), they don’t waste it. Employers more broadly report justice-involved employees demonstrating a high level of effort and commitment to their jobs, often translating to higher rates of retention and advancement.”

The article also talks about how employers can tap into this group of talent. As a starting point, they should reevaluate their background check requirements to reduce barriers, including their consideration of people with felonies and various types of crimes. This will help the companies meet their hiring demands with qualified, loyal, and committed people.

Read more about the results of the study and ways to implement fair-chance hiring to cultivate a more diverse, accepting workplace: https://caracollective.org/beyond-fair-chance/