Other key findings include:

82 percent of managers and 67 percent of HR professionals feel that the "quality of hire" for workers with criminal records is as high as or higher than that for workers without records.
74 percent of both managers and HR believe the cost of hiring individuals with criminal records is the same as or lower than that of hiring individuals without criminal records.
Top reasons for hiring workers with criminal records include a desire to hire the best candidate for the job regardless of criminal history, making the community a better place, and giving individuals a second chance.
Large proportions of employees are willing to work with individuals with criminal records. Among managers, 55 percent are willing, 15 percent are unwilling, and 29 percent fall in between. Among non-managers, 51 percent are willing, 13 percent are unwilling, and 36 percent say they are neither willing nor unwilling. Among HR professionals, 47 percent are willing, 8 percent are unwilling, and 41 percent select neither.
46 percent of HR professionals report that their company's initial employment application includes an item about criminal history, and 73 percent say their company conducts criminal background checks on applicants.
While more than two-thirds (68 percent) of HR professionals are familiar with the "ban-the-box" campaign, only 14 percent of managers and 9 percent of non-managers say the same.
Although 93 percent of HR professionals are sure of their companies' position hiring workers with criminal records, 32 percent report that their organization chooses not to have a policy. 27 percent of managers and 51 percent of non-managers are unsure whether their company has a formal or informal policy regarding the hiring of workers with a criminal record. In some organizations, the hiring of workers with criminal records may be a part of the culture which does not require specific policies.
Many employees, including 51 percent of HR professionals, are unsure whether a current employee at their company would be terminated if convicted of a felony.

Instant Insights /

In today's job market, criminal record less important than employment record

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