Low take-up of Ban the Box blamed on ‘exaggerated fear’

The charity Business in the Community (BITC) is calling on more UK employers to remove the criminal record disclosure tick box from application forms – as part of its Ban the Box campaign, launched a year ago in response to widespread discrimination against job-seeking ex-offenders.

Currently only 25 employers, with a combined workforce of over 200,000 have removed the criminal record tick box from their recruitment process.? ?

BITC says too few employers are taking action to make their workforces accessible to the 1 in 5 unemployed jobseekers with a criminal conviction due to exaggerated fear; misunderstanding of legal requirements surrounding conviction disclosure; and the belief that the tick box helps to prevent risk to the organisation and employees.

 “Removing the tick box doesn’t remove disclosure,” points out Catherine Sermon, Employment Director, BITC. “It simply moves asking about convictions to later in the recruitment process – assessing candidates on their suitability, skills and ability first. If just 5% of UK private sector employers removed the tick box, over a million roles would be more accessible to ex-offenders. We are urging many more employers to join the 25 pioneering firms who have committed to Ban the Box this year.”

For more information about Ban the Box click here and follow the #BantheBoxUK on Twitter.

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