Over the next few pages you will see information on Looking for people friendly employers taken from Unlock’s online information hub with the kind permission of Unlock. We end the Looking for People Friendly Employers section with single page entries provided by some of the listed organisations, which showcase their commitment to providing employment opportunities for people with convictions.
There are many UK employers who not only employ prison leavers, but actively recruit them via both workshops in prisons and direct applications. Your conviction is not the barrier you might think it is and bosses like James Timpson talk openly about the chance to help prison leavers learn new skills and build careers.
"We have 7 prison training academies that teach men and women in custody the skills and services that we provide to the public. Most of these will go on to be offered full-time employment upon release. We employ approximately 650 ex-offenders, which equates to roughly 12% of our entire work force. We have in excess of 2500 outlets and approximately 150–200 of these will be managed by Foundation or ex-offender colleagues. We also have approximately 50 colleagues who work in our branches on day release (ROTL)."
Darren Burns, National Recruitment Ambassador, Timpson
In order to try to make sure prison leavers get the most positive start to their applications, a number of companies have signed up to the Ban the Box campaign, to give people a second chance by removing the tick box from application forms that asks about criminal convictions.
"A criminal conviction doesn’t have to be the end of your career but many people with convictions feel anxious about disclosing details of their past, fearing that they will be judged and discriminated against.
For many people, knowing that an employer is ‘friendly’ towards people with convictions helps them to apply for jobs with more confidence. That’s why we’ve developed these pages to go on top of the information we have about disclosing to employers.
On these pages, we’ve identified a number of employers who, either as a result of their recruitment process or company ethics, have a positive attitude towards people with convictions.
However, please note – you shouldn’t limit yourself to only applying to these companies as we know from our work there are loads of employers that regularly recruit people with convictions, it’s just that they simply don’t shout from the rooftops about it. " Unlock
Nicola Inge, Employment and Skills Director at Business in the Community (BITC), commented: 'The 150 companies who have stepped up to Ban the Box understand that finding your next recruit isn’t about ticking a box, it’s about considering people with the right skills and experience, and not judging them on past mistakes. Those companies which haven’t banned the box could be locking themselves out of a talent pool totalling 11.7 million people in the UK. These people could diversify the workforce and provide a huge return on a company’s investment – but they need to be given a second chance.'
www.bitc.org.uk/news/ban-the-box-one-million-roles/
Many employers consider individuals with convictions on merit and take steps to encourage applications from people with convictions.
“My offence happened because of complicated personal circumstances and there’s never space to explain on an application form. I have applied for so many jobs and never heard back. I know my qualifications are good, so I know that it’s because I’ve had to tick the box. When I applied for my current job, I really appreciated the fact that I was not asked about criminal convictions straight away.” Aaron
Employers who have signed up to the Ban the Box campaign:
For the most up-to-date list of Ban the Box employers, visit Business in the Community’s website www.bitc.org.uk/fact-sheet/employers-that-have-banned-the-box/
The following are some well-known ‘friendly’ employers that are known to recruit people with convictions from the community.
Boots initially recruited ten people with convictions into warehouse roles but have since recruited people with convictions across all areas of their work. They were one of the founder members of the Ban the Box campaign.
Compass Group have involvement in food services, healthcare, education and sport and leisure. They offer opportunities for people with convictions and were part of a group of organisations who wrote an open letter to the Financial Times setting out their positive experiences of recruiting individuals with convictions.
Co-op are a food retailer, insurance provider, funeral services provider and a growing legal services provider. They offer employment opportunities to people with convictions, provide financial education within prisons and help those about to be released from prison to set up bank accounts.
Costain Group work within the energy, water and transportation industry. Applicants would usually be expected to meet the entry standard for any specific vacancy. However, Costain work with a number of organisations, including The Prince’s Trust, to ensure that opportunities are open to people who may have difficulty in demonstrating that they meet the standards, including people with convictions.
Greggs have been actively recruiting people with convictions since 2010 and take on individuals from both prison and the community.
Home Group provide housing for people with low to medium support needs. They positively encourage job applications from people with convictions, as a way of demonstrating their commitment to enable people to gain independence and lead a stable life.
Iceland are another retailer who signed an open letter to the Financial Times supporting the recruitment of people with convictions and are a member of the Ban the Box campaign.
Lend Lease employees set up a dedicated not-for-profit company called BeOnsite in 2007. They provide people from excluded groups with industry relevant training and sustained employment within the property industry.
Marks & Spencer have a positive attitude to the recruitment of people with convictions and have publicly stated that ‘the morale and motivation of their existing staff, without a criminal record, increased following amendments to their recruitment policies to include people with convictions’.
Pets at Home are another retailer who signed an open letter to the Financial Times supporting the recruitment of people with convictions and actively support the Ban the Box campaign.
Poundland have been supported by the Shaw Trust to provide employment opportunities for people with convictions.
Sainsbury’s state that ‘diversity and inclusion are an integral part of their heritage’ and have for many years had links with the prison service providing opportunities to people in custody and also people with convictions living in the community.
Tesco has a fully inclusive recruitment policy which includes working with the prison service to provide opportunities for people in custody and extends to people living in the community with convictions.
There are some employers that have established direct links with prisons. This might first involve offering training or work experience opportunities.
Boots have worked in partnership with HMP Sudbury since 2014.
Greggs deliver training courses for people with convictions setting them up with a placement in a shop with a view to being offered a full-time position at the end of the training period.
Halfords work in partnership with HMP Drake Hall to provide training and employment opportunities for people in custody. Upon release, employees can go on to complete a 3-year technician programme leading to the Institute of Motor Industry NVQ3 and Diploma.
Pret a Manger run an apprenticeship scheme which offers up to 70 places a year to people with convictions and/or the homeless to enable them to access a 3-month work placement within Pret.
Apprenticeships can often lead to a full-time job.
Skanska UK offer training placements for people in custody who are in the last 12 months of their sentence. The training leads to certificates in minimum gas industry standards and individuals are guaranteed employment upon successful completion of the training.
Sue Ryder have been offering volunteering placements in their shops and central offices since 2006 to people with convictions. Many of these individuals go on to secure paid work with the charity.
Timpson employs more prison leavers than any other company in the UK. They provide training workshops in prisons which can train up to 35 apprentices at any one time. Successful applicants will often go on to work in a Timpson shop whilst still in custody and would usually expect to be kept on after release. Timpson assist other retailers to employ people with convictions.
We are extremely grateful to Unlock (a charity for people with convictions) for giving permission for some of their material to be included in The Hardman Directory. Unlock provides support to people with convictions and you will see details of this listed on the page devoted to Unlock in the Other places to look section. We are also grateful to Business in the Community (BITC) that also provided us with inspiring quotes and contacts with people in several of the ‘prisoner friendly’ companies showcased in this section.