There are numerous ways to support people with criminal convictions to move on from their offending histories and live fulfilling lives. Research suggests that support into paid employment is one of the most important factors in helping to achieve this. Recruiting people with criminal convictions has also been shown to reduce re-offending by up to 33%.
Reducing re-offending through employment is one of the best ways to encourage individuals to give back to the communities around them, not take from them, and become a true benefit to society. However, this is often overlooked by employers, even those with skills shortages and limited talent pools, who may instantly dismiss many people with criminal convictions who could be perfect for a role due to a tick box on an application form.
That’s why Business in the Community (BITC) formed their ‘Ban the Box’ campaign, something which Offploy, like many other companies, has signed up to. As a Ban the Box employer, an organisation does not ask candidates whether they have any unspent criminal convictions at the application stage and so cannot discriminate against candidates with offending histories. Instead, candidates may be asked later in the recruitment process, such as at the interview stage, considering the candidate’s character over their (criminal) conviction.
Recently, Offploy partnered up with Guidant Global, an award-winning outsourcing recruitment specialist, to support them through the Ban the Box application process. Guidant Global hopes to become a role model to other employers by encouraging them to follow in their footsteps and ‘Ban the Box’ from their application forms, too.
Job advertisements for roles with Guidant Global now clearly state that they are a Ban the Box employer in the hope that people will feel confident in disclosing their convictions which may have previously held them back and, of course, their application forms no longer ask candidates if they have any criminal convictions as they recognise the value people with criminal convictions can bring to employers and society as a whole. Candidates will be given the opportunity to disclose their criminal convictions during the interview stage in a manner they feel comfortable with, either as a written or verbal disclosure.
Emma Buckley, Talent Attraction and Acquisition Manager at Guidant Global, said:
“At Guidant Global, diversity and inclusion within our recruitment process is one of our top priorities, so recently achieving ‘Ban the Box’ status has been an exciting achievement for us. The application process went smoothly, with Jacob available to answer any questions along the way. We now have access to a wider talent pool and can attract a more diverse workforce which represents the community around us.
From a recruitment perspective we had some excellent support from Offploy Justice Personnel’s Craig Harris, who helped us to recruit a candidate for a notoriously hard-to-fill position. Craig was always there to answer any questions and eager to form a relationship with us to understand our recruitment needs.”
Speaking on Guidant Global’s recent achievement, Jacob Hill, Managing Director of Offploy, said:
“It is fantastic to see that a talent acquisition specialist like Guidant Global is being proactive in creating a fair and equal hiring process for all. There are roughly 11 million people in the UK that have a criminal conviction and these individuals often face unjust discrimination before even being given a chance. Recruitment firms have such a big influence with employers and it is important for them to be on board as they have the power to drive a positive societal shift. Guidant Global should be proud to be a shining beacon to its clients, leading by example to encourage employers to do things in a better way.”
Support of large companies such as Guidant Global greatly contributes towards Offploy’s mission - to support people with criminal convictions into meaningful, mentored and sustainable employment. This helps the UK fill its chronic skills shortage, reduces re-offending and makes society safer.
Find out more information on the Ban the Box campaign here.
For more information on Guidant Global click here.