What is the Easiest Way for an Employer to Show That They Have Inclusive Hiring Practices?

Employers do a great job of having equal employment opportunity statements, in accordance with their principles (and the law). Usually, the statement looks something like:

[Company Name] prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

This could be made even more powerful and inclusive if the employer added just a few more words.

[Company Name] prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, unrelated criminal conviction history, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Simply by adding “…unrelated criminal history…” the employer is signaling to its current workforce and future applicants that this business is committed to hiring the best person for the job, and any criminal history that does not directly impact a candidate’s ability to perform the work will be ignored.

This is a painless and no-cost way to grow the potential applicant pool and passively source second chance hires.