What is Second Chance hiring?
Second Chance hiring is the act of employing formerly incarcerated individuals, people in recovery, or other applicants whose life choices and situations have disadvantaged them in obtaining stable employment.
What does this mean for your organization and how can your company benefit?
Second Chance Employees...
01
Can Be Better Quality of Hires
The SHRM (Strategic Human Resource Management) Foundation found "that 85% of HR professionals and 81% of business leaders report that individuals with criminal records perform the same as, or better than, employees without criminal records." ₁
02
Are Adaptable
The SHRM Foundation finds that "66% of employees would be proud to work for an organization that offered training, guidance or mentorship opportunities to people with criminal records to facilitate their return to work." While also explaining that there is a direct correlation with second chance employees are found more committed to workplaces that offer that aforementioned training. ₂
03
Boost the Economy
"According to research from JPMORGAN Chase, employment challenges that leave individuals with a criminal record unemployed or underpaid cost the U.S. economy between $78 and $87 billion every year." ₁
04
Provide Tax Benefits
Through the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, this provides a tax credit for qualifying new hires who are previously incarcerated as well as pre-existing second chance hires that may already be within your organization. Visit site below on how to get signed up as well as specific credit back to your company.
What does Second Chance hiring mean to the Second Chance employee?
To put it simply, hiring justice impacted individuals gives them a second chance at life. By being employed the individual may feel a sense of financial security, higher self-esteem and being able to not only provide for themselves but for their families in order to live a better life.
Workforce Development Program
90-day internship
Funded by The SoulFisher Ministries, our second chance employees would like to acquire experience within your organization for a job and / or career path they might be interested in. Our clients graduate from a 6-week intensive course that prepares them for the real world. TSM will ask for updates on performance and behavior throughout the internship duration. TSM participants will earn a $12 per hour stipend during the internship period, provided by The SoulFisher Ministries.
What does it mean to be a true second chance employer after our program?
Keeping an open mind
Keeping an open mind after our program goes a long way when it comes to making second chance part of your company's corporate culture. We hope that looking beyond someone's past becomes common if the employee proves to be beneficial to your team.
Continued Support
Another goal of ours is for second chance employees to be aware of any kind of benefit they may qualify for. Continued support within your organization will help second chance employees be more successful inside and outside of the workplace.
Fair and Equal pay
Second chance employees are people too. Our expectation is that our clients will earn a livable wage and have the opportunity to take advantage of benefits. As well as expand and diversify the available jobs to current second chance employees so more opportunities can match their talents and skills.
Advancement Opportunities
At the end of the internship program, if employees have done well, we expect that they can continue to be a benefit to your organization's team. They can make a career out of what they already doing as a full-time team member and find potential advancement opportunities to further their career.
Following even some of these points can positively affect your employee's experience within your company.