Fair Chance Hiring: Don’t Lower The Bar, Lower The Barriers with Checkr.org VP, Ken Oliver (#44)

For many companies, employing formerly incarcerated individuals may seem like a high-risk proposition. However, there are more people with charges and convictions than you realize. And there are plenty of moving, life-changing success stories that show that fair chance hiring can be good for your business. Ken Oliver, Vice President of Checkr.org shares his own success story and tells us that “fair chance hiring doesn’t mean hire every single person with a record. Every company has a right to hire the best person for the job. We don’t want them to lower the bar, we just want them to lower the barrier to access.”

Episode Note: See the links below to learn more about Checkr.org and to view the incredible story of Ken Oliver’s Friend, Larry Miller - From Prison to Nike’s C-Suite: Larry Miller’s Journey.

Highlights

[2:29] From prison to VP

[5:36] The value proposition of re-entry programs

[11:36] Overcoming objections to fair chance hiring

[16:13] Data and evidence supporting fair chance hiring

[18:00] The “From the Streets to the Boardroom” resilience story of a leader at Nike

[23:58] The business impact of diversity of lived experiences

[26:50] The justice-impacted and the labor gap

[36:07] How HR can introduce fair chance hiring and tactical things to consider

[41:38] What the EEOC and Title VII say about hiring someone with a record

[45:57] Checkr’s training sessions for HR pros and government-funded apprenticeship programs

Guest Bio

Ken Oliver, Vice President, Checkr.org

Ken Oliver is Vice President of Checkr.org, the social impact division of background screening company Checkr Inc. He also serves as the executive director of the Checkr Foundation. Checkr.org is dedicated to the mission of building a fairer future of work, one job at a time, by reshaping the narrative and providing pathways to sustainable employment for nearly 80 million Americans with an arrest and conviction record.

Ken's professional expertise spans the landscape of diversity, equity and inclusion and justice, record clearance, talent development, talent sourcing, strategy, change management, and public policy. His insights and contributions to the field have been recognized and featured in publications such as Newsweek, Forbes, Fast Company, The New York Times, and others.

He also played a role in shaping California Governor Gavin Newsom's 2021 Future of Work Report.

Links

https://checkr.com/

https://www.checkr.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kengoliver/

Larry Miller’s Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7ZVqsjfRg0

https://www.hrmorning.com/articles/formerly-incarcerated/

https://www.hrmorning.com/articles/second-chance-month/

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