Retaining Talent: A Training to Assist Employers in Effectively Promoting & Retaining Second Chance Hires

Although the topic of Second Chance Hiring – or hiring individuals with histories of incarceration – is frequently discussed among employers, businesses, and organizations, the conversation has not sufficiently addressed best practices for retaining and promoting individuals with incarceration histories once they are hired, or – at a more basic level – how to effectively integrate these individuals within the workplace.

Retaining Talent is training curriculum for employers who hire individuals with incarceration histories to catalyze their ability to retain and promote these employees to help them maximize their potential for success. When employers understand the unique barriers that may interfere with the professional growth of people with incarceration histories, then they can support this growing and talented workforce of employees in contributing to better innovations, more efficient operations, and greater profit for the company. Employers who engage in Second Chance Hiring report that they find employees with incarceration histories to be hardworking, dedicated, and more apt for promotion. Second Chance employees are far more likely to grow with the organization when they feel supported by colleagues, supervisors, and the workplace in general.  

Retaining Talent functions like many data-driven high-impact human resources training efforts to increase and expand diversity in the workplace by helping Second Chance employers to develop cultural competence about the impact of incarceration on their employees. This training is mutually beneficial for employers and employees as it creates stable, fulfilling employment pathways for employees with incarceration histories and reduces the costs associated with high turnover for employers. The Retaining Talent training is provided in a “train-the-trainer” model so businesses and organizations can continue the training in the future without relying on IJRD to deliver it each time.

This pilot project will implement Retaining Talent with 10 businesses or organizations already engaged in Second Chance Hiring across the nation. Then the project will be expanded to reach national scale.

Learn how your giving priorities align with the impact we can achieve together here.