Ban the Box

Business in the Community’s (BITC) Ban the Box campaign calls on UK employers to give ex-offenders a fair chance to compete for jobs by removing the tick box from application forms and instead asking about criminal convictions later in the recruitment process.

Employers often ask candidates about criminal convictions at the initial stage of a job application. If so, people with criminal convictions are excluded from roles for which they may be qualified and capable of doing. By Banning the Box organisations get: access to a wider, more diverse talent pool; save on recruitment costs; and enhance their reputation. Currently 145employers have signed up to Ban the Box, covering about 980,000 roles.

Creating meaningful employment is one of the most significant ways that business contributes to the livelihoods of individuals and communities, and is for many the only sustainable route out of poverty.

Offering quality experience of work, adopting new approaches to recruitment and breaking down barriers to entering work for people from disadvantaged groups can benefit business by tackling skills shortages, building new talent pipelines, boosting retention rates and achieving higher productivity.

Find out more about Business in the Community’s focus on employment