Fair Chance Hiring Resources for Employers

Our fair chance hiring guides can help employers do their part to advance equity and dismantle systemic barriers.

Working Toward a Good-Jobs Economy

In an era when racial equity and the dismantling of occupational segregation are pressing concerns, initiatives to expand employment opportunities for individuals with records are more critical than ever.

Workers of color are disproportionately impacted by both systemic barriers and occupational segregation. Thousands of individuals with records return to their communities from incarceration annually, a significant portion of whom, due to structural racism, are people of color. By embracing fair chance hiring practices that encourage a diverse and talented workforce, employers can help contribute to a more just and inclusive society.

We invite you to explore our resources and take meaningful steps toward improving your organization’s policies. Together, let’s work toward a good-jobs economy where everyone has a fair chance to support their families and communities through work.

The Impact of Mass Incarceration on Employment Discrimination

Black, Latinx, and Indigenous individuals in particular face unfair record-related barriers to employment because of racial profiling and a legal system that disproportionately criminalizes communities of color.

In total, roughly 80 million people across the U.S. have an arrest or conviction record that can stand between them and employment. These individuals encounter systemic discrimination in the labor market, perpetuating cycles of unemployment and economic instability.

The repercussions extend beyond individuals with records, broadly impacting families across the country, given that nearly half of U.S. children have a parent with a record.

Equity Tools for Employers and Reentry Advocates

For the past 20 years, NELP has researched and advocated for employment policies that expand opportunities for workers with arrest and conviction records. As a leading voice on “ban the box” and fair chance hiring policies, NELP has advised policymakers and advocates across the country. NELP has also worked with employers to provide guidance on fair chance hiring and learn more about employer experiences in this arena.

These resources will help you learn about, develop, and implement fair chance hiring policies in workplaces across the country.

Fair Chance Hiring for Employers Policy Briefs

NELP’s "Fair Chance Hiring for Employers" policy brief series outlines clear steps for equitable hiring practices.

Understanding the Importance of Fair Chance Hiring

Part One lays out many of the reasons your company should implement the steps to fair chance hiring outlined in Parts Two to Eight of this series.

Fostering a Fair Chance Culture at All Levels of Your Company

Part Two describes how your company can lay the groundwork for successful fair chance hiring.

Adopting Recruitment Strategies that Welcome People with Records

Part Three details how your company can develop recruiting strategies and job announcements that attract and welcome workers with records.

Banning the Box Even When Background Checks Are Legally Required

Part Four explains how to adjust application forms to ensure they do not deter workers with records or lead applicants with records to be unfairly excluded.

Implementing Fair and Transparent Candidate Screening

Part Five details several ways to make your candidate selection and screening process fairer and more transparent, even when a background check is required.

Shifting Background Screening Goals from Exclusion to Inclusion

Part Six describes how to carefully limit record screening and avoid unfairly excluding job applicants with records.

Ensuring Job Candidates Have a Fair Chance to Respond to Background Checks

Part Seven explains how to implement a fair process that helps ensure misleading or erroneous background check reports don’t cost you qualified applicants.

Ensuring Success, Internally and Externally

Part Eight suggests several ways your company can increase the impact of its internal fair chance hiring policy improvements and encourage more widespread change.

Fair Chance Hiring Employer Toolkits

Our toolkits on hiring workers with records are adaptable across industries.

Fair Chance Hiring in Financial Services: A Step-by-Step Guide to Hiring Workers with Arrest and Conviction Records in the Financial Services Industry

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for financial services employers—particularly, their human resources staff and executives—to operationalize their commitment to fair chance hiring into concrete policies and practices.

Fair-Chance Hiring in Philanthropy: A Step-by-Step Guide

This toolkit is a practical guide to help employers in the philanthropic sector align their business practices with their core values and mission by embracing fair chance hiring.

A Healthcare Employer Guide to Hiring People with Arrest and Conviction Records

This employer toolkit both explains why healthcare employers should adopt fair chance hiring policies and provides careful guidance on how to proactively recruit and hire people with arrest and conviction records.