The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Embracing second chances is a win-win
A labor shortage offers a unique opportunity for employers and the formerly incarcerated.
As Georgia grapples with an unrelenting labor shortage, business leaders across the state face a critical challenge. This month, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce released a survey in which 62% of business leaders identified this talent crisis as the biggest threat to the state’s economy. With only 54 available workers for every 100 job openings, the need for innovative hiring solutions in Georgia has never been more urgent.
One solution in particular has been in practice at GeorgiaPacific for nearly a decade. Our Atlanta-based company — which employs more than 7,600 Georgians — has largely circumvented the ongoing labor shortage by removing barriers and hiring job seekers with criminal records. This Second Chance Month, Georgia businesses should consider adopting similar practices — not just as a compassionate gesture to returning citizens, but also as a practical necessity driven by pressing business needs.
The principle of mutual benefit lies at the root of all we do at Georgia-Pacific and our parent company, Koch Industries. When our business creates value for employees and communities alike, these stakeholders create value for us in return. Charles Koch put it succinctly: “If a company’s not doing that — enhancing the well-being of society — then it needs to go out of business.”
Viewed through this lens, the advantages of investing in formerly incarcerated talent for our company, employees and communities became clear.
Each year, Georgia sees more than 17,000 individuals reenter society from prison. Of them, around 30% are arrested again within three years, largely because of difficulties in finding employment. This revolving door not only costs the state more than $201 million annually, but it also wastes valuable human capital.
Businesses can play a role in interrupting this senseless cycle. By focusing on returning citizens’ potential rather than on their past mistakes, employers can tap into a reservoir of loyal, hardworking talent and curb recidivism in their communities.
This vision of mutual benefit is what prompted Georgia-Pacific to “ban the box” in 2015, eliminating all questions about criminal history from our initial employment applications. If we discover a criminal record during a background check later in the hiring process, we do not automatically disqualify the applicant. Instead, we delve deeper to understand the context and determine if the offense affects the candidate’s potential to contribute effectively in his or her role.
Five years after “banning the box,” Koch Industries took the practice one step further. We developed and deployed a companywide “Creating Second Chances” strategy that works to remove unintended barriers or stigmas for this talent pool impacted by the justice system.
Koch companies also began posting hundreds of job openings each month on a nationwide online job listing run by Honest Jobs, which is designed to help employers recruit top talent with criminal records. This partnership alone has brought us more than 120 dedicated second-chance employees in the past three years.
The positive impacts of Georgia-Pacific’s second-chance hiring practices extend far beyond filling crucial roles. These initiatives have cultivated committed, loyal employees who take pride not only in their work but also in the company they work for. Our team members want to contribute to the organization that saw the potential in them and gave them a second chance.
Skeptics assume that second-chance hiring carries risks, yet Georgia-Pacific’s experience counters this narrative. The true risk lies not in hiring these capable individuals — who have served their debt to society — but in continuing to overlook their potential contributions to our businesses, communities and economy.
At Georgia-Pacific, we have seen firsthand that a job is more than a paycheck. For our second-chance employees, it is a steppingstone to a new life and a building block for a stable community.
This Second Chance Month, we are proud of our role in fostering these opportunities, and we invite other Georgia businesses to join us in this mutually beneficial journey.