Patrice Funderburg Talks Fair Chance Hiring, Bojangles Partnership on Levelset Podcast
The successful second chance partnership between the Center for Community Transitions and Bojangles was one of the highlights of Fair Chance Conversations, a Levelset podcast featuring Executive Director Patrice Funderburg.
Levelset works with companies, such as Bojangles, to minimize barriers to attracting and retaining high-quality talent. Team members Matt Joyce, Alex Love and Salomon Moreno-Rosa invited Patrice to talk about building partnerships between employers and community-based organizations.
During the segment, Patrice discussed supporting individuals with past justice involvement, building proactive hiring collaborations with companies, and the importance of leadership buy-in. She also highlighted how she measures the effectiveness of partnerships between community organizations and employers and offered advice to employers looking to build effective Fair Chance initiatives and community partnerships.
Levelset recapped the podcast with an article on four key takeaways:
- Employment and career readiness training, along with dedicated case management services, can be transformative for the short- and long-term success of individuals with past system involvement.
- Community organizations play a key role in determining fit and candidates’ readiness and are critical partners in identifying and developing robust pipelines of talent.
- When assessing the effectiveness of employer partnerships, it is essential to look at retention and attrition numbers and track “talent mobility” or the advancement of people with past convictions through the company.
- Securing leadership buy-in, which requires engaging senior leaders and removing any “blindspots” on Fair Chance hiring, is an essential first step for developing strong partnerships between companies and community organizations.
Watch: Fair Chance Conversations podcast