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Launch: Employers’ Toolkit for Inclusive Hiring of People with Convictions
The Open Doors Initiative (ODI) is proud to announce the launch of our latest toolkit aimed at fostering inclusivity and equity in the workplace.
An "Employer’s Toolkit for Inclusive Hiring of People with Convictions." launched on the 2nd of May, kindly hosted by Ibec.
Employment has been identified as one of the key tools in reducing recidivism rates, improving the lives of those with a criminal history and as a result creating safer communities. However, we know from our own work and research carried out by others that people with convictions face multiple barriers to employment.
In 2019 60% of employers, who answered a Solas poll, said they were willing to hiring a candidate with a criminal history if supported to do so. Acknowledging there is an appetite for information and guidance on this, ODI has produced a research-informed guidance for employers to best understand how they can remove barriers to employment.
Through the introduction of this comprehensive toolkit, ODI aims to provide employers with practical resources and guidance to facilitate the recruitment and retention of individuals with convictions. Research was carried out by Dr Joe Garrihy and Dr Ciara Bracken-Roche from Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology.
The toolkit offers a range of valuable resources, including:
- Best practices for creating inclusive hiring policies and procedures
- Guidance on conducting fair and non-discriminatory background checks
- Case studies highlighting successful inclusive hiring initiatives
The launch event took place on the 2nd of May, hosted by Ibec. We heard from authors, Dr. Garrihy and Dr. Bracken-Roche as well as a discussion with employers on how to practically implement positive supports.
We are grateful to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) through the 2023-24 Grant Scheme for their funding of this work.
