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How do you align social responsibility with effective recruiting in a tight labor market? 

Question your hiring assumptions.

I returned late from the #ConsciousCapitalism conference. I’d been gone just two nights, yet I smiled, laughed, and shed a small tear as I kissed my sleeping children.

I closed my eyes to imagine not seeing my son for two-and-a-half years. I felt a pit in my stomach, yet reality would hurt more. For a mother who presented at the conference, that is reality: during her 30 months in prison, she won’t see her daughter.

I can only imagine the drive I’d feel to rebuild relationships after such prison time. By providing women jobs in tele-sales, #Televerde helps women successfully re-enter society.

A powerful reason to do the right thing.

Prison-to-work employers such as #Televerde report strong success, as hiring inmates helps rebuild lives and delivers diligent employees. Only 7% of #Televerde employees are arrested within nine years of being released from prison; that’s far fewer than the 83% recidivism rate for inmates released without a job. And that 7% arrest number is particularly striking when you consider that 30% of all Americans are arrested at some point. Meanwhile, a friend who hired #Televerde found their salespeople diligent and effective.

Insights that bust social myths about hiring illustrate social responsibility’s win-win-win outcomes: high-quality employees in a tight labor market, reduced tax dollars for jails, and inmate second chances.

Before you complain about a tight labor market, ask yourself, “Are you making the most of all labor pools, including the recently incarcerated?”

Consider developing a socially responsible talent strategy using tools such as #banthebox [stop asking job candidates about prison records]. Or collaborate with others, such as by hiring #Televerde to develop sales leads. Such change requires effort, yet investors and society can both win.

#Televerde is an estimated $41 million a year, for-profit company. How much #meaningfulprofit can you earn?

Share your thoughts in the comments or by sending me an email: info@RodWallacePhD.Com.

Our society cannot just survive. For the sake of our children, it must thrive.

Rod


Dr. Rod Wallace​ is an economist, consultant, and speaker who helps businesses make more money by solving society’s problems. A Fulbright Fellow, he has led multi-organization billion-dollar initiatives worldwide and partnered with a Silicon Valley pioneer to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence on society. 

Rod speaks about how to integrate social responsibility into business to maximize profit and purpose. He highlights digital technology’s impact on society and the strategies and tools with which business can solve our big, systemic problems.

Contact Rod at ​info@RodWallacePhD.com​.