Policies such as ban-the-box ensure that candidates with justice system involvement are not discriminated against during the hiring process and are an important step in connecting returning citizens to jobs. However, even with ban-the-box in place, barriers to entry can still exist. Evaluate whether there are policies that unnecessarily prevent individuals with justice system involvement in their backgrounds from working in specific positions. Although there is the perception that working in a hospital with such a background is not possible, for certain positions this is not necessarily codified in statute.

Some institutions require credit checks for positions that do not involve handling a significant amount of money or expensive goods. This ends up barring candidates with debt above a certain threshold or who may have written checks with insufficient funds in the past, regardless of their current financial status or the degree of the misdemeanor. This provision can end up being a major obstacle to strong local-hiring efforts, as many administrative positions have to handle smaller financial transactions. New Haven Works, a workforce intermediary based in New Haven, Connecticut, partnered with Yale University to reevaluate these thresholds and refine an overly broad policy so that they were no longer barring qualified applicants from these low-risk positions.91 Assessing these policies and determining more reasonable thresholds can help ensure that current practices do not discriminate unnecessarily against candidates with debt.

Where open positions are posted can make a huge difference in terms of whether individuals can access them. Therefore, it is important to post open position announcements in places that local community members are likely to see them. Having a job portal that is easy to navigate is also an important outreach step.

Changing the point at which a hiring manager engages with applicants is a significant step in linking candidates to job opportunities. When hiring managers assist with pre-employment training, conduct mock interviews, and meet with candidates, it can help them to forge personal connections that benefit both the candidate and the manager. Map your current hiring processes and determine whether there are any points at which hiring managers could meet with candidates from outside-in programs. Small adjustments to these processes can make investments and partnerships more effective and efficient.

Access to training opportunities soon after hire not only helps employees build job skills and strengthen performance, but can improve engagement and satisfaction. When are employees eligible for tuition assistance at your institution? Although employers frequently wait for a year to allow employees to access this benefit, opening up tuition assistance after three to six months can connect new employees to career pathways right away. Another important factor to consider is what programs are eligible. Ensure that your policies do not only cover degree-granting programs, as these programs are often not the trainings that entry-level workers can access right away. Tuition assistance policies that are only for degree-granting programs increase the bifurcation of opportunities between lower- and higher-wage employees.

Although tuition reimbursement is an important employer benefit, paying for training up-front can be a significant burden to the lowest wage employees that likely have limited savings. Policies such as direct pay, by which tuition is advanced rather than reimbursed, can help address these financial barriers. Some institutions have paired this with a requirement that the employee given a tuition advance commits to working at the institution for a certain amount of time after training. This requirement is designed to reduce the risk that trainings are not finished and to ensure the agreement benefits the institution. Other policy solutions can include: working out payment plans with employees, partnering with educational institutions that allow for delayed payment, or developing partnerships with local financial institutions that can provide short-term, low-interest loans.

Release time for training can also be critical for enabling entry-level workers to access career development opportunities. Employees might work multiple jobs or have other time constraints, such as childcare, which can create barriers to learn outside the work day. Allowing trainings to be completed on-the-job can help guarantee that they are truly accessible. Since release time is a cost burden, some institutions have used funds from training or human resource departments to pay for this time, or they have utilized internship programs to help fill the gap created by paid employee training.

A critical component to any sustainable impact workforce strategy is ensuring that there are affordable housing options near the hospital. This is especially critical in cities with high cost of living, or where neighborhoods immediately surrounding the hospital are being redeveloped and lower-wage employees face the risk of being displaced as property values rise. Employer-assisted housing programs are increasingly being used to draw investment to a particular place that will enable lower-wage employees to live closer to work and increase retention. For lower-wage employees, homeownership is a critical tool for building wealth and achieving economic well-being. Intentionally linking outside-in pathway programs to an employer-assisted housing program can ensure that a broader range of employees can take advantage of this type of benefit.

There are many strategies for structuring such a program, including forgivable loans, down payment assistance, or a mortgage buy-down.92 One of the most sustainable models for implementing this policy is a community land trust, which provides permanently affordable housing and ownership opportunities to low-income residents. Community development corporations and other affordable housing intermediaries are potential partners for implementing these strategies.93

Practices such as connecting entry-level workers to a variety of supplemental skill development opportunities can help increase retention. Focusing on a wider array of skills can create a more inclusive working environment and can have a tremendous impact. One such example is financial education. On-site financial education programs provide important information to employees—about banking, home ownership, and general financial planning. Knowledge in these areas can help employees retain or build wealth, which in turn can help improve job stability. Other opportunities to offer could include English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and basic literacy and numeracy building classes. All these other courses could dramatically improve an employee’s chances of success on the job and in their career.