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If you’re having problems getting the right people into your business, the solution may lie in a not-so-obvious place; the UK prison system. Big brands such as Marks & Spencer, Pret a Manger, and the Virgin Group – to mention just a few – have all seen the rewards of taking on people who have served time in prison.
Whilst this recruitment tactic may, on the face of it, appear to be risky, it can be remarkably beneficial to both the business and the individual. Here, we look at the advantages of hiring ex-offenders for your small business.
There’s a pool of talent
According to the Prison Reform Trust, there is a department dedicated to education within every UK prison, with training available to prisoners on various subjects including business studies, computer programming, engineering, plumbing, hairdressing, and cycle maintenance.
Some prisons also have HMP Academies, which are spaces set up by high-street employers – such as Timpson – to train prisoners in specific skills in environments that mimic their shopfronts.
All of this is delivered with the aim of preparing an offender for their life outside of prison. Government data indicates that ex-offenders who get a job after their release are far less likely to offend than someone who does not get a job; however, only 17% of ex-offenders find employment within a year of their release.
Many people leave prison capable and ready to work. Your business could take advantage of this opportunity and utilise this vast pool of untapped talent.
Low recruitment costs
Hiring a new recruit can cost a significant amount of money, with the British Business Bank putting the figure at £3,000 per person if you use a recruitment consultant. Even without a consultant or agent, you still need to pay fees for advertising roles, without any guarantee that you will find appropriate candidates.
You can save a considerable amount of time and money on recruitment overheads if you are willing to open up new roles within your company to ex-offenders.
The New Futures Network (part of the HM Prisons and Probation Service) aims to get employers to work with prisons in getting ex-offenders jobs. As part of their drive, they can help you find candidates that could be right for you, as well as actually organise interviews with the candidates shortly before they are released.
Added diversity for your business
Building a diverse team is your duty as a business owner, but this isn’t just a responsibility – a diverse workforce can also become one of your business’s strengths. It enhances company culture and can play a key part in facilitating the personal growth of your employees. Two elements that will help your business succeed.
Ex-offenders may not initially be top of your list when it comes to diversifying your team, but if they are dedicated to rehabilitation, they can become unique and valued team members, with life experience that no one else under your employment will have.
Getting the right mix of people together will be one of the most rewarding things you do as a business owner. The more inclusive you are, the better the rewards.
A new perspective
The different skills and experiences your individual team members possess will be able to help your business as and when it encounters new challenges. As life experience goes, serving time in prison will be one of the more extreme tribulations that an employee will have been through; however, this experience could provide you with a fresh perspective on any issues you face.
Whilst having been to prison certainly isn’t commendable, it can provide an individual with traits that a business can use positively such as perseverance, strength of character, resourcefulness, and focus. All attributes that a good employer should be looking for when recruiting new people to their business.
Added loyalty and reliability
Ex-offenders will know that their chances of staying out of prison are greatly improved if they are employed. By providing them with a job, not only are you giving them the means to make a living, as per any other employee, but you could be making the difference between them being in or out of prison.
Reports indicate that this can see an increase in loyalty to businesses that employ ex-offenders, with the employee being fully aware of the chance that they have been given and being keen to repay this. This means a general improvement in staff retention and also a reliable, committed, and effective worker, as the employee strives to ensure their employment status.
It’s beneficial to the community
By being open-minded and willing to work with ex-offenders, your business is having a positive and direct impact on a societal problem. You are providing a subset of people with an opportunity and genuine chance to change and steer them away from a harmful life.
It’s no longer enough for a business to just provide a good service. Consumers now expect more from the organisations that they associate with. They want to see that businesses are socially conscious and proactive in delivering their services in an ethical and responsible way.
According to the government, 81% of people believe that businesses who employ ex-offenders are positively contributing to society.
If you, as a business owner, decide to start recruiting ex-offenders, how vocal you are about this is very much up to you, but it would be foolish to completely ignore the branding and marketing opportunity that this avenue could provide your business. Cynical but true.
Convinced? Here’s how you can get started
There are a number of ways that your business can get involved in helping and employing ex-offenders, including providing your own training in prisons to prepare prisoners for work, employing prisoners on day release from prison, and – as covered in this post – taking on ex-offenders as employees.
To find out more about this recruitment opportunity, take a look at the government’s dedicated ‘Employing prisoners and ex-offenders’ page.
Thanks for reading
So there you have it, the benefits of hiring ex-offenders for your small business. Employing ex-offenders will not be appropriate for all businesses, and as with all forms of recruitment, there are risks involved. However, it’s a worthwhile avenue to explore, as you attempt to build the best possible team at the same time as being a socially responsible business.
We hope you have found this post helpful. Please leave a comment if you have any questions.
