Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1436421
32 PalletCentral • November-December 2021 palletcentral.com Workforce By Gene Marks Alternative Workforce: Hiring Outside the Norm L ast year, the noted columnist Andrew Sullivan was fired from his position at New York Magazine because, he wrote, the staff and management at the publication seemed to believe "that any writer not actively committed to critical theory in questions of race, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity is actively, physically harming coworkers merely by existing in the same virtual space." Around the same time, well-known, centrist columnist Bari Weiss left her position at e New York Times after alleging that she had been bullied by some of her colleagues and was called a "racist" and a "Nazi" for her expressed views. "ere are terms for all of this: unlawful discrimination, hostile work environment, and constructive discharge," she wrote. "I'm no legal expert. But I know that this is wrong." Unfortunately, the newsrooms at New York Magazine and e New York Times were deemed to be unsafe places for their employees because they were forced to work with people with differing views. So, imagine how those same employees would feel if their organizations hired someone who could potentially be harmful. Say, someone who was Hiring outside of an employer's usual comfort zone is paying off for some in the tight employment marketplace. convicted of committing an actual violent crime such as assault, battery, rape or even murder? at's what's happening across the country right now. Because of the dire labor shortage caused by a perfect storm of government entitlements, higher savings and an out-of-control media hysteria around a virus that is in our rear view mirror, many people are still concerned about their "safety." ey're quitting their jobs in record numbers and choosing to stay at home because it's "safer." So, what can employers do? Why, here's a good answer: hire unsafe people. In California, a rubber recycling company's long practice of hiring ex-felons is paying off as a resource for much needed labor. About half of the company's 65 employees have spent time in prison and are mostly sourced from local halfway houses. "ey stack up very well when it comes to skills," the company's CEO told the Los Angeles Times. A job fair in Ohio attracted "background friendly" companies who were willing to hire people with a criminal past to fill their open positions. An ex-con who spent more than 33 years in prison for aggravated robbery and murder recently celebrated his anniversary with a manufacturer in Cincinnati. A former drug dealer is finding new employment opportunities in Tennessee. e CEO of JPMorgan Chase started a coalition aimed at hiring ex-cons. Kim Kardashian has pushed reforms to help prisoners get more jobs. ere's even a federal tax credit that rewards employers for hiring ex-convicts. is is not new. Even before the pandemic, a report from the Society for Human Resource Management Kim Kardashian has pushed reforms to help prisoners get more jobs. There's even a federal tax credit that rewards employers for hiring ex-convicts.