Many of the human resource managers doesn’t prefer hiring ex-convicts or ex-offenders due to their criminal records. It is a very tough time for many of them to face interview especially one who was alleged with some legal issues. But, they can prove themselves if they were given a second chance. Counseling will help them to overcome that tag which they have along with their qualifications.
On another side, it is a huge risk for the company if they committed to any such past activities. There are some good points also they do hard work for the rare opportunity offered. Companies do not show much interest to hire such candidates, because they cannot disturb their work environment. Here are a few pros and cons of hiring Ex-convicts.
Pros of Hiring Ex-convicts:
1. Excited to start a new career:
Despite all the hurdles in their life, some ex-convicts explore to start a new career, they contribute their full efforts to get stable in their life and they can bring change in their life.
The employers may get the best outcome from these convicts if they were provided a chance, all that they would expect is honesty in them and the extra eligibility with them to survive in the job role.
If one could recognize them, they possess highly talented skills that they acquired from their training sessions in prison or previous qualification. They work equally smart with others because they knew the value of such offers.
2. Follow ethics:
Inculcate ethics of work and deliver their best results. They follow the work ethics better than the other employees since they were afraid of their past. The urge to live a better life will force them to follow ethics and be responsible at the workplace. Work sincerely to grow in their career and they do not involve in office politics.
Finding an opportunity itself is a great chance for them. They adapt to the environment, culture, and skills. They do not take any chance to trouble employers and show their efficiency at all means. Work with sincerity and limit themselves to violate rules.
3. Loyal:
Many of them wanted to get rid of their past and remove their ex-convict tags from their career, they work with loyal for one company and live up to their expectations. They accept it as a challenge, they possess different skills which will work for the company. So employers recruit them with an expectation that will not harm.
One can utilize their skills for a good cause that will be helpful for the company to develop, may lay the foundation for a good future. Upon checking the candidate profile, the employers can pick the best and hire them. They do not hold only the crime record against them but also may possess great skills in playing a great role.
4. Motivated:
It is likely to learn a lesson from their experience, they definitely would have faced the punishment or penalty, the cost of it would make them realize how worse life can be changed. So they do not try to attempt such crime further.
They are motivated by themselves or by the law. So employers can hire them with no second thought in few cases who were extremely influenced and changed themselves.
Their experience with life threatening situations will motivate them to find an opportunity and be successful in it. They are physically and mentally strong to face challenges.
5. Encouraging for a Better society:
The companies would get benefits from the government for encouraging the ex-convicts to work. The organization will be encouraged and they will be given additional resources that would be required for the development.
The greatest risk for any company is a talented person leaving the company when they provide new opportunities.
As these ex prisoners have very low chances they don’t give up easily. Not hiring the ex felons is to encourage the recidivism in the society, they do commit many crimes if they don’t have employment.
The nation will grow by employing ex convicts, as the nation grows the companies will grow and will be provided with financial support.
6. Hiring ex convicts will facilitate with incentives:
There are many advantages to hiring ex-prisoners one of them is the employers will get incentives upon making them part.
Whenever the employers check the billing hours or productivity hours of the employees it will always less than the required working hours and it is an invisible loss, when they add up all the employee non billing hours together it will be high, this can recover by hiring some ex felons, since they get some amount from government upon hiring them.
They do get some tax benefits which is an exciting factor for any company. Ex convicts try to prove themselves that they can earn their own money by working hard and there is no loss for the employers also.
7. More reliable than conventional employees:
Employers need not worry about the safety and security of the work environment upon hiring the ex prisoners. They can take the help of the parole officer to supervise their behavior only after having a proper investigation of the ex offender profile they can recruit them.
As per the survey, these offenders contribute much productive work than the conventional employees, there is a high possibility to face complications in their career if the offenders tend to commit a crime again so they will be careful while working in a company.
They seem to be much attentive and workaholics due to this reason. Many of them are afraid to return to jail if they do not make it up with this chance.
8. Cost effective Idea:
Especially for the small scale industries, they cannot spend money to hire the high profile candidates, and also it is a cost burden for them to hire new employees whenever someone resigns, hiring ex cons will save they don’t need to pay high charges for the vacancy advertisements, or hiring process.
They can simply contact the parole officer and find out the best among the offenders and can hire them. And they do have much potential to work and they will create new ways to develop the business and will help to invest the money in another form that will help for the growth of the company. They already equipped with skills from some training programs that are provided in jail.
Cons of Hiring Ex-convicts:
9. Harmful to others:
Even after counseling some of them remain the same mindset of stealing things from people or cause damage to others. It happens with some ex convicts. Maybe because of the insufficient wages by the employers, some commit crimes even after given employment, this disturbs the workplace environment and the employees no longer feel safe to work in such an environment.
Other employees will not show much interest to work in such companies and they start leaving gradually and it leads to the disaster of that company. So one should be careful enough while hiring them, otherwise, there would be huge implications that drag them into trouble.
10. Degraded behavior:
Convicts may have previous educations skills and other qualifications, but because of the environment in prison, they may be degraded in behavior. They continue the same behavior in their workplace, by not being punctual, and indiscipline at work. It will affect productivity and cause damage to the diversity in the company.
So the employer had to terminate the employee and hire a new employee for the same post which is a waste of money and time if they hire a conventional employee before they will not have such loss, and it is risk decision in such cases.
11. Employees will not be supportive to hire:
Other employees in the company may not accept hiring ex offenders in the company. They do have fear about their safety while working with them. Even employers tried to hire them, there will be many concerns, discussions that will arise from the staff not to hire them. This will create an imbalance between employers and employees.
Harmony among them will ruin and this will badly affect the results of the company, people start hating the management and disruption will be created in a peaceful work environment. They may not support the employee to work along with them. There should be a detail counseling program to be taken before employing them.
12. Discrimination between employees:
There is a high possibility of arising in racism in the workplace. Upon hiring the ex offenders, the other employees may avoid them and create a different group. There will be always two different opinions between them and the unity may disturb. If they keep fighting against each other one day it will become a huge issue.
The reputation of the company spoils if there are issues between the employees. So many companies do not try to take such risk by hiring such candidates. This Low esteem in ex prisoners may lead to committing new crimes in the workplace, they try not to trouble but because of being hated by others they do so.
13. Skills may not be useful:
As per the thesis, very few try to prove themselves. The rest have failed to survive, they do not possess equivalent skills like others, though some have they were not updated and rest failed to prove their skills since they were diverted from this track of normal life.
Employers had to arrange special training programs if they had to hire them since they do not possess the right skills required for the job. This may cost the employers and instead, they can hire the freshers or experienced candidates suitable for the job.
Also, it takes time for employers to make them work for live projects until unless they fully trained and assessed.
14. Dishonest:
Ex-convicts also include the ones who committed to fraud and forgery. There is a huge risk in hiring them. One cannot trust them. If they were given a responsibility that is involved with a huge amount, they try to repeat the same because of the hunger they had and try to fraud the employers.
They plan with intelligence as they had experience and it will give a tough time for employers. It is likely to expect future risks with such candidates. That is why many companies end up avoiding such offenders who applied for the job.
It is better not to choose the profiles with a record that has a dishonesty background. Though they will face complications for committing such crimes it is a loss for the management.
15. Mentally weak:
As they have bitter experience in the past, prison life and lawsuits may disturb the mental behavior of a person. They are weak at making decisions also not smart enough to work. They need some treatment to overcome it. But hiring them will not be helpful for the employers, it takes them time to come out of it and work equally with others.
Since they face many issues in the past they are sensitive enough and some are control freak, which will not be a good corporate culture. In a few professions, the employee should be patience to handle the work and customers. So hiring them is not a good decision in that case.
16. Involves training programs for job readiness:
Employers had to face the burden of arranging the training programs before employing ex offenders so that they do not cause any harm. It involves money and staff to conduct such programs, and they still exist a stigma of hiring them.
It takes time for the management to make sure that candidates are eligible to work also they should take time to check their records also they have to get into contact with parole officers regarding their hiring.
Though they help in a tax benefit, it is a lengthy process to hire them. They had to sort out all the claims against them and have a proper investigation. Have to assess them whether they are reliable to work.
