Using HR Scorecard with Analytics to Actualize Next Generation Performance
How the Combination of the HR Scorecard and Analytics can be a Game Changer Analytics of all types is the wave of the future. Right from Data Analytics that uses advanced forms of data analysis using large datasets and other pools of data to find patterns in the same to the Business Analytics tools that […]
Myths about Talent Management
Without doubt talent management is a very useful concept for organizations but unfortunately many of them look upon the former as an overhead rather than a value creating process. This can be attributed to some flaws in the implementation and some myths among HR practitioners regarding the same. In this write up we try to […]
Training Needs Analysis
Training is an expensive process not only in terms of the money spent on it but also the time and the other resources spent on the same. The most important question therefore is determining whether or not a need for training actually exists and whether the intervention will contribute to the achievement of organisational goal […]
The Role of Employers in Promoting Work-Life Balance
Employee happiness is not a choice for today’s employers but it is a need which may directly impact the organization’s topline and bottomline profitability. Employers who have realized the importance of work-life balance are more profitable and successful, as such organization’s tend to have employees who are more happy, creative, love to take challenges fearlessly […]
Employee Training – Objectives, Benefits & Steps in Creating a Training Programme
Training implies enhancing the skills and knowledge of the employees for performing a specific job. Training tries to improve employees’ performance in current job and prepares them for future job. The crucial consequence of training is learning. Objectives of Employee Training Programmes To prepare employees to meet the varying and challenging needs of the job […]
We consider it an axiom that once someone is fired from a job or has done time in prison or otherwise, have a bad or blotted record, then chances of such people finding jobs is difficult and almost impossible.
Indeed, it is drilled into our heads that once you have a blot on your resume, then you can bid goodbye to any chance of being hired in most firms, and especially the top notch ones.
While this is certainly true since corporates are usually conservative when it comes to hiring people, in recent years, a new trend has emerged wherein the so-called Second Chance hiring or the process of giving those with a criminal record or otherwise, a Black Mark on their resumes, another chance at reforming themselves and ensuring that they remain employed.
The vision behind this concept is that everyone deserves a second chance and more so in the present times of distress where Covid has made it harder for all of us to sustain ourselves and our families. Therefore, it is indeed the case that Second Chance hiring matters for all stakeholders.
Having said that, one must also be realistic and not start dreaming Utopian fantasies about reformed criminals and those who have been fired elsewhere or otherwise, have made a mess of their careers to start life afresh with the Second Chance hiring.
After all, corporates exist to make profits and hence, not being charity shows, they have every right not to participate in the process of Second Chance hiring.
Indeed, this is the case with the majority of corporates who believe that Second Chance Hiring is a risky and pointless bet on people who might or might not deserve the Second Chance.
Therefore, many Human Rights activists often point to the practicalities of Second Chance hiring wherein most firms are reluctant to take in those with Blemished Resumes.
The corporates cannot be faulted in this aspect as repeat offenders usually fall back on their old ways and this can cause irreparable harm to their reputations as well as their business sense since law enforcement would blame them for hiring those with criminal backgrounds.
Moreover, given the extensive background checks that corporates conduct, there is also the matter of violating organizational policies by hiring those with criminal records and blemished reputations.
On the other hand, the activists usually distinguish between hiring those under Second Chance by categorizing them according to the severity of their misdemeanours.
In other words, what the activists say is that not everyone who has done Jail Time is there because of severe and serious criminal charges and there are many who were either wrongly convicted or sent to jail on flimsy charges.
What this means is that we need to distinguish between Serious Felonies and Ordinary Misdemeanours to ensure Social Justice by giving the latter a Second Chance to reform them.
Of course, there is also the fact that Second Chance Hiring might or might not work as intended and hence, what many in the United States are insisting is that corporates can very well formulate their hiring policies based on their assessment of who can be hired under this paradigm.
Moreover, with the mass incarceration rates at an all time high, there is a fiscal case to be made for Second Chance Hiring since lack of adequate pool of candidates can lead to distortions in the labour market.
Anyway, most prisons in the US often employ the convicts in full time jobs with the corporates themselves.
Indeed, the last point is the most important as far as Second Chance hiring goes. It is the fact that there are private prisons in the US where the inmates often work full time in jobs that are agreed upon between the government and the corporates.
This is also a major source of revenue for both the corporates and the governments and hence, it is a natural extension of this trend wherein those released from prison are hired by the same corporates.
This is something that should make sense to all stakeholders and this is where some activists see hope that once released, those with minor charges can go and resume their lives and lead a normal existence.
It is our argument as well that Second Chance hiring as an idea whose time has come should be seriously pursued.
Moreover, with the pandemic increasing joblessness, there has to some sort of relaxation in the rules of hiring as there is the equity and the social justice angles to be considered.
In other words, corporates have to do their bit for social responsibility and Second Chance hiring gives them the right platform for them to actualize the vision of social equity.
Last, Second Chance hiring is a concept that is fraught with many perils and hence, we recommend that corporates do their Due Diligence before deciding on hiring those with criminal histories and black marked resumes.
On the other hand, the government has a role to play in this as well by smoothening the process through assistance to both employers and potential employees and getting them together face to face.
To conclude, while there is a humanitarian aspect to Second Chance Hiring, corporates can take the chance or decide to not take chances and this decision should come after extensive discussions.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Corporate Corruption and the HRM Function: Legal, Ethical, and Moral Perspectives
February 12, 2025
The Challenges of Managing Attrition in Contemporary Organizations
February 12, 2025
The Challenges of Recruiting and Onboarding Remote Employees in Virtual Workplaces
February 12, 2025
