Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1436421
PalletCentral • November-December 2021 33 and the Charles Koch Institute found that an increasing number of employers were widening their search for job candidates to include people with criminal histories (a whopping one in three American adults). Many U.S. employers said they were willing to hire someone with a record if that applicant is the best person for the job, with more than 28 percent of corporate respondents even willing to hire those with prior records of violent crimes. Good for them. People can be rehabilitated, and if there's one silver lining in this labor shortage it is that there are more opportunities for those released from prison. In fact, and according to a recruiter from a Pennsylvania staffing agency, many employers have found that those released prisoners are an "untapped group" of employees. "ese individuals want to work and can be productive on the job," he told Fox News. But what about my safety? is is a world in which employees can get seasoned journalists fired because they feel threatened merely by existing in the same "virtual space." is is a world in which a side-glance, an off-hand comment or an overly friendly hug can supposedly create an "unsafe space" and result in accusations of harassment or workplace bullying. is is a world in which some employees feel threatened when a co-worker has a different political view, doesn't believe in climate change or enjoyed Dave Chappelle's recent Netflix special. So how can these workers, so afraid for their safety, cope with colleagues who literally killed or raped someone in their past? Well, we're going to find out, because those workers' jobs are being replaced by those very people. is is what you get when you get involved in a company's employment practices. Difficult times require difficult decisions. Small business confidence is dropping amid labor shortages. As a small business owner, many of my clients would be more than happy to hire an ex-prisoner who had been convicted of a minor crime rather than some wokester who is upset because her boss once voted for a Republican and doesn't support an increased minimum wage. We'd be more than pleased to hire an ex-con who can be relied on to show up to the office every day and perform his job instead of a whining twenty-something who complains because a nearby employee is listening to music they find offensive. So yes, let's relax the rules around drug use and prior convictions if it means getting hard workers, even if their behavior is a little rough around the edges. iStockphoto.com/ ndoeljindoel/ shironosov/AnnaStills/SeventyFour According to a recruiter from a Pennsylvania staffing agency, many employers have found that those released prisoners are an "untapped group" of [productive] employees.