The CIPD has published new guidance on employing and retaining people with convictions. People Management has written about it (article here) and you can download the guide on the CIPD website.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has recently published a guide to support employers and HR professionals in recruiting and retaining workers with criminal records. Research shows that 2.3 million people in the UK have a conviction, with one in four of these being of working age. This provides significant scope for revising current hiring methods to help fill the all too common talent acquisition gap.
What objectives does the guidance seek to achieve?
The CIPD’s guidance is aimed at providing some top tips for improving organisations’ diversity and inclusivity practices within the context of recruiting people with convictions. It is designed to help employers understand how to approach work seekers with convictions if they wish to expand their talent pool. The guide can be used as a starting point for businesses that wish to change their hiring process to support prison leavers and others who have gone through the criminal justice system. Through this guide, the CIPD is seeking to raise awareness about the challenges that people with convictions face and also about their potential contributions to a business if given the chance to be employed. The guide is a first step to helping employers to understand how other businesses have benefitted from employing people with convictions, how certain challenges can be addressed by implementing a transparent hiring policy and how inclusivity can be enhanced through engaging those with criminal records.
What are the key points outlined in the guidance?
The CIPD has placed great value on equipping employers with the necessary tools to employ, support and retain people with convictions. As with every aspect of diversifying the workforce, practical steps can be taken to reduce stigma and re-offending within the context of allowing people with convictions to work and build confidence.
For employers and HR professionals this means understanding some key aspects outlined in the guide. The guidance suggests that individuals who have gone through the criminal justice system can have difficulties with the traditional onboarding processes and this presents an opportunity for organisations willing to review those policies. To paint a clearer picture, the CIPD has provided two testimonies from employers with global reach that have successfully employed individuals with convictions.
Another key element of the guidance is communicating the organisation’s strategy effectively to allow people with convictions to more easily reach out and apply for positions. This also enables existing staff to become part of the mission and to undergo any necessary training.
Finally, the CIPD guidance provides an overview of the legal framework within which decision-making should be placed. It covers “spent convictions” and when employers cannot require a potential employee to disclose convictions, as well as “regulated activity” which prohibits work seekers with convictions from being employed within certain sectors. It also reminds businesses of the overarching requirement to observe data protection laws by treating relevant disclosures sensitively.
What steps can employers take?
The CIPD’s guidance offers some key suggestions that employers could utilise to better their approach in hiring and retaining people with convictions. Some of these include:
- reviewing the recruitment and onboarding processes to understand how those can be tailored to providing support to people with convictions;
- outlining a comprehensive and transparent approach to evaluating an application where a conviction is disclosed;
- engaging mentors or coaches who will be able to support new hires with convictions;
- establishing a clear organisational protocol on recruiting people with convictions;
- establishing a mission statement where suitable and publicising it to make it more accessible;
- providing suitable training for recruitment and line managers on the company’s internal policies, best practices and relevant legislation;
- reviewing the inclusivity culture internally to address any concerns and to obtain stakeholders’ opinions;
- implementing a policy that details how disclosures of convictions will be handled confidentiality and in line with data protection laws;
- communicating the organisation’s strategy to hiring people with convictions;
- implementing training and starting a meaningful conversation with all levels of the organisation to minimise prejudice; and
- tracking progress to ensure effectiveness of the recruitment practices and make necessary adjustments.
Largely, the new guidance is a step towards addressing the often overlooked and complex landscape of employing people with convictions. The practical recommendations give clear examples of measures that can be taken to support people with convictions in a way that simultaneously benefits them, the business and society at large.
For further resources, please see the full CIPD guide.
