Tech companies are forward-thinking, on the cutting edge, innovative disrupters, drivers of solutions. Technology will save us – from climate change, Alzheimer’s disease, poor educational systems, and catastrophic earthquakes. Technology is a solid, positive path to a better world, right?

Not so fast.  

There’s a dark side – the scrambling for qualified employees, the rising cost of living and increased congestion in cities where hi-tech companies locate, and the unrealistic demands of the market, VC’s, and Wall Street.

There’s also the even darker side: the disruption of entire industries (no one needs a travel agent anymore), slow wage growth and job dislocation, the amplification of fake news and political extremism, cyber bullying, and hackers holding entire cities hostage.   

It’s not always pretty out there.

All of these problems can’t be solved immediately. But some can be better managed right now– and not by slick PR campaigns, regulation, or new apps. Tech firms can do something impactful, innovative, solution-generating, and, at the same time, create real benefit and positive buzz. How? By eliminating background checks.

What?! Bring unqualified people into the workplace who will commit crimes and hurt people, and lead to a number of lawsuits? No, not at all. Hiring qualified people – regardless of whether or not they’ve “served time” — will help companies uncover an untapped source of talent and serve the public interest as an added bonus.

Here’re the facts. Formerly incarcerated people stay on the job longer, they are less likely to leave voluntarily, and they are no more likely to be fired than employees without records. See, Dylan Minor, Nicola Persico, and Deborah M. Weiss’, “Criminal Background and Job Performance” (Chicago: The Society of Labor Economists, 2017).

But, but, but – our attorney will never let us, we can’t get insurance, our customers will complain, we’re afraid, it’s a hassle. We’re well familiar with these explanations for zero-tolerance, hiring policies.

We’re the ones you’ve refused to consider. We’ve been denied employment over and over, we’ve worked harder and harder; and we’ve taken training programs and acquired AA degrees and learned to code. We get bachelor’s degrees, advanced degrees, we stay out of trouble for decades, and yet we’re perceived as a risk. Really? It’s as if we have the scarlet letters “FI” – formerly incarcerated  permanently affixed to our backs.

If we believe in a system of law and justice, then those who have served their time and been released should be viewed as having paid their debt to society. None of us were sentenced to a lifetime of unemployment.  

Who’s the “we?” It’s us at What’s Next Washington (WNW). WNW is a Seattle-based, nonprofit of formerly incarcerated individuals and allies who are prototyping new ways to change attitudes and change hiring practices. We want to join with tech companies to take the lead – but in a different way. We want to collaborate on bridging the gap of mistrust and fear and misunderstanding between tech companies and the formerly incarcerated. It’s a win-win. The tech industry needs qualified employees, and it is on the cutting edge of changing ideas, practices, and culture. And, quite frankly, the industry could use a PR boost. Being a second chance employer is a good thing. And, we need you. Those of us with criminal records who are qualified and interested need good jobs and good prospects.

So we may not be able to solve the problems the tech industry faces, but we can work together on expanding your hiring pool, increasing opportunity and fostering community wellbeing.  That would be moving all of us down the solid, positive path to a better world, right?

WNW is hosting a select number of human resource directors and employment-law lawyers (the hiring “gatekeepers”) to explore liability concerns, insurance issues, and the data and experience around second-chance hiring.   

The goal is to provide participants the space to engage in a thoughtful, open conversation about worries on both sides of the employment gap. From that conversation, we hope employers will choose to include the entire pool of skilled labor in hiring decisions.  

Want to participate or learn more? Contact us at whatsnextwashington.org

What’s Next Washington is also curating Impact Hub’s Stories of Resilience: The Formerly Incarcerated, Drug Addicts and Society’s Castaways. You can register for this event on Eventbrite.