What is often left unspoken is the quieter truth behind such complaints.

Many employers are systematically excluding some of the most loyal workers available. Millions of job seekers are automatically screened because they have a criminal record. At the same time, companies insist that they cannot find reliable employees. These two things cannot be true.

We came at this issue from opposite sides of the same system, and now we sit on the same side of the table.

One of us spent decades as a correctional warden, responsible for staffing secure facilities and trying to send people home better prepared for work and community than when they arrived. Others served decades in the federal prison system in a 213-year sentence stemming from a series of armed robberies committed in his early 20s, and is now an executive at Social Purpose Corrections, working with employers and correctional leaders to improve workforce and re-entry outcomes.

What we have learned, from very different points of view, is that the lack of labor described by many employers is often self-inflicted.

Inside the prison, we watch men and women show up every day to apply for jobs, complete tough programs, earn degrees, and hold themselves to high standards in environments that would burn out many of the world’s free employees. The talent is there. The discipline is there. The loyalty is there.

What is missing is access.

When people return home, many bypass automated screening systems. Not because of skills or work ethic, but because of a checkbox. Close the doors before the conversation begins. Over time, that exclusion not only limited opportunity for individuals. It limits workers for employers.

This is not a good argument. Evidence supports this.

Research cited by the Society for Human Resource Management found that employees with criminal records perform as well as, and in some cases better than, their peers. A peer reviewed study published in the IZA Journal of Labor Policy found that in many job categories, employees with criminal records showed longer tenure and lower voluntary turnover than employees without records.

In a labor market defined by churn, loyalty is not sentimental. It is operational.

Employers often explain their misgivings about the risk. Cultural risk. Liability risk. Brand risk. Such concerns are understandable. Less commonly recognized are the costs of frequent turnover, understaffed operations, and teams that don’t take long to fully contribute.

From where we sit today, we see three things companies are missing when they automatically filter out people with records from the applicant pool.

First, stay on top. People who finally get a real shot after years of closed doors don’t take it for granted. They fought to keep it.

Second, cultural signals. When a company hires someone who has to earn trust the hard way, it sends a message to the entire workforce that growth is possible here and that people are not disposable.

Third, problem solving experience. People who survive and change in prison spend years dealing with scarcity, conflict, and high-stakes decisions. That is not a liability. It is an asset.

Equal opportunity hiring is not about lowering standards. It’s about using standards with purpose. Background checks are still important. Performance is still important. Accountability is still important. What changes is the assumption that a past conviction permanently defines a person’s worth at work.

At Social Purpose Corrections, where we currently work, equal opportunity acquisition is not a slogan. This is a daily operating reality. People are hired with clear expectations, measured results, and accountability, just like anywhere else. That approach reinforces what the data suggest. When people are entrusted with responsibility, many will rise to it.

All over the country, employers are showing the same principle.

Awake Window and Door Co., an Arizona-based manufacturer, built its business from the ground up as an equal opportunity employer. More than half of its workforce is formerly incarcerated, and the company has grown while maintaining a strong, committed team. That is not charity. This is a business decision focused on sustainability.

There is also a wider impact that should be acknowledged. Stable employment is widely recognized as one of the strongest predictors of reducing recidivism. When people leaving incarceration find meaningful work, families are stronger, communities are safer, and fewer people return to prison. The same decisions that improve sustainability can also reduce long-term social costs.

For business leaders wondering where to start, the path doesn’t require a leap of faith. This requires disciplined experimentation.

Audit your hiring filters. Remove blanket blankets that prevent qualified candidates from reaching a decision maker.

Pilot equal opportunity roles or sites. Start a function or location. Establish clear performance standards. Measure retention and turnover against your baseline.

Partner with organizations that understand this workforce. Don’t improvise. Work with teams to help design policies, support employees, and prepare managers to lead with clarity and accountability.

None of this requires lowering the bar. This requires recognizing that loyalty and potential are not lost because of a single line of an application.

Business leaders pride themselves on seeing opportunity where others see danger. Equal opportunity hiring remains one of the clearest opportunities left to do just that.

Loyalty is not lost. The workforce is not disbanded.

We were just hiring before this.