What is second chance hiring?
A working definition from MIT Sloan
second chance hiring (noun)
An employment practice whereby an employer hires someone who has a criminal record.
At a time when labor shortages are threatening critical industries like health services and manufacturing, access to an able and loyal workforce with a high retention rate might sound improbable. But for companies that have embraced second chance hiring, it’s business as usual.
“Employers need workers,” said MIT Sloan Professor Emeritus Paul Osterman. “Second chance programs are not charity: They are good business, and they work.”
In a 2024 interview with MIT Sloan Ideas Made to Matter, Peter Quigley, of Kelly Services, shared that there are currently 1,000 second chance workers on assignment for the professional staffing organization. According to 2023 figures from Kelly, clients with a second chance hiring practice in place had fill rates that were 25% higher and turnover that was 2.7% lower than clients without such a program.
“These employees are hardworking, they’re loyal, [and] they’re appreciative of the fact that they got a second chance,” Quigley said. “It’s good business, and it also has the benefit of being the right thing to do” at a time when 77 million people — 1 in 3 U.S. adults — have a criminal record.
Human Resources
Future-Ready Enterprise Academy
In person at MIT Sloan
Register here
AI hiring perpetuates familiar biases. Here’s how to avoid that trap
The AI hiring revolution doesn’t have to be a story of automated bias, argues MIT Sloan’s Emilio J. Castilla. Tough questions and constant monitoring can lead to fairer systems.
Why talent management strategies go wrong — and how to fix them
“The Meritocracy Paradox” offers frameworks to help organizations make people-management decisions based on data and evidence rather than intuition.
The business benefits of a workplace health and well-being committee
HaWCs can be a cost-effective way to reduce turnover among front-line employees and save your organization money.
How to lead tech professionals and teams
Keeping your technology workforce operating at peak performance is critical to digital business success. Here’s how to motivate and manage tech workers.
How to build a winning team, on or off the court
Here’s how to align talent, culture, and strategy to create lasting team success, according to private equity exec and WNBA franchise CEO Suzanne Abair.
The most serious cases reported by organizational ombuds
When employees contact an ombuds, what issues are raised — and which are most important to all stakeholders, including the organization?
Finance taps generative AI to streamline accounting, hiring tasks
In finance, AI can improve efficiency and help executives make strategic decisions, but proper governance is a must.
FMLA may be weak, but it does help women advance in the workforce
Researchers studied the effects the Family and Medical Leave Act had after its passage in 1993. Here’s where it drove change.
6 ways businesses can leverage generative AI
Experts from Salesforce, S&P Global, and Corning share six key strategies to unlock generative AI’s potential without falling for the hype.
New research debunks 4 myths about ‘impostor syndrome’
Impostor thoughts reflect the belief that others overestimate your abilities. New research shows they’re not all bad and don’t last forever.