Did you know that around a quarter of the UK population has a conviction? That’s a lot of people with valuable skills, experience and knowledge who can make a positive contribution to society. This comes at the same time as many organisations are struggling to recruit the right people.

This guide from the CIPD Trust provides practical recommendations for employers who want to broaden their talent pool and welcome people with convictions into their workplace.  

By offering opportunities to people with convictions, organisations can empower them to rebuild, thrive, contribute positively to society and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.   

Member tool: CIPD Buddy AI AI
Use AI to find trusted answers on our Knowledge hub. Start using CIPD Buddy AI

Visit the CIPD Trust website to download the guidance to gain practical recommendations on how to:

  • Highlight your approach to recruiting people with convictions in job advertisements and career pages on your website. Let people know that you do not discriminate against people with convictions.  
  • Train recruiting managers on your policy and any relevant legislation relating to recruiting and managing employees with convictions, as well as fair and inclusive recruitment practices.  
  • Seek out suitably qualified mentors or champions where appropriate, to support people with convictions joining the organisation. Allies can play a powerful role in creating an inclusive culture and help to provide valuable support. 
  • Communicate your strategy for employing prison leavers both externally and internally, reassuring existing employees about checks in place. External communication is also good for your reputation, your employer brand, and will help to drive candidates to your vacancies. 

Download the guide on the CIPD Trust website

CIPD Trust: Guide to hiring people with convictions
  • Factsheet

    Recruitment: An introduction

    Facts on the recruitment and resourcing process; from defining the role to making the appointment

    For Members
  • Employment law

    Recruitment: UK employment law

    Explore legal considerations on recruitment. Including what to consider during the pre-employment process and into probation

    For Members
  • Two people having a conversation in an office setting
    Data

    Hard-to-fill vacancies

    Explore hard-to-fill vacancy trends by industry with data analysis from the CIPD's Labour Market Outlook report. CIPD members can also download the data for use in your internal organisational benchmarking, discussions, and business cases.

    For Members
    • All guides