Employers, more than ever before, need to protect themselves against accidents and crimes committed by their employees. With negligent hiring, lawsuits, training costs, workplace violence and theft on the rise, pre-employment screening as well as taking the correct pre-employment screening steps are no longer an option, but rather a necessity for businesses.

We’ve argued a lot for the importance of background screenings in the employment process. Their importance is “number one” when it comes to ensuring the wrong person isn’t being hired to staff your counter or crunch numbers. But what about the individuals on the other side of the fence? People with felony marks on their record, prison time, bad credit…many aren’t hardened criminals and some genuinely want a second chance in life. Should employers give them equal consideration? Absolutely.

Although a negative mark on one’s criminal record won’t necessarily completely discount individuals from employment, it’s still a stigma. Many employers feel they are taking a risk by hiring an ex-convict regardless of the crime. Because of liability concerns and possible legal risks, many individuals find themselves turned away from good jobs they might otherwise be very qualified for.

Yes, people with a criminal or less than honorable past do face additional hurdles when seeking employment. Do employers hurt themselves by having preconceived notions about an applicant based on a negative mark on their record? Absolutely!

There’s this idea that if you give a felon the chance to settle into a work environment, they’ll take advantage of the situation, run riot and bring a lawsuit down on the company.

However, smart hiring practices can ensure someone with a record can be suited well for a position, prove themselves and even thrive once they’ve been vested with responsibility and trust. Employers can structure probationary periods of employment for someone with a record allowing a chance to prove their worth to their new company. There are right ways to hire people with a criminal past that won’t make them a liability and let them shine as a company commodity.

Consider that someone who is actively employed has less of a chance to return to old criminal ways. Not all ex-cons want to continue a life of crime after their release or at the end of a sentence or probation. There are many people who have made mistakes and want an opportunity to set things right for themselves. Employers simply can’t assume all of them are down to commit crimes for life.

What about untapped potential and talent? To set things straight, a felony record does not make someone a neanderthal. There are all kinds of skilled laborers, tradesmen, creative minds and well-spoken people out there who have made mistakes. If the crime committed doesn’t affect the nature of the work performed, it makes no sense to not to consider someone with a record. As before, a felony mark doesn’t automatically make someone a pistol-packing, bank-robbing, DUI hellhound.

Given the nature of felonies however, it does call for careful evaluation on the part of an employer to determine their suitability for a position. There may be some positions an individual may never be qualified for again given the nature of particular crimes. It’s unfortunate but very much a reality for some.

Hiring someone with a felony record will continue to be a dicey situation for any employer given the nature of the situation. Yet, is it fair to those committed to a new life to be grouped with truly unrepentant crooks and thugs? No, it isn’t. Good hiring practices weigh all the facts and qualifications when considering someone for employment, regardless of criminal record or not.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 10:00 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.