Patrick Burge normally advises businesses on how to become a franchisor, and recruit franchisees. But he is also part of the advisory board of The Fair Chance Business Alliance.
The FCBA is a not-for-profit run by employers for employers, helping organisations of all sizes address the talent crisis by giving people with criminal convictions a fair chance to contribute to the UK economy through gainful employment.
Founded and funded by employers for employers, the objective is to shatter outdated myths and improve social mobility by making the hiring and progression of people with criminal records safe, sustainable and normal.
The FCBA exists to advance the cause of Fair Chance employment in the UK, making the case for hiring and promoting people with criminal records, supported by a tiered quality standard to ensure this is successful, sustainable and safe for everyone in the business.
The Alliance is independent of Government and politics and is led by representatives from a range of employers working together to improve employment prospects, reduce reoffending and build safer communities.
For businesses with a gap in productivity, skills, or recruitment, the FCBA provides resources, education, and advice that helps to employ and retain the best people, including those with a criminal record.
As James Timpson the Prisons Minister said in his maiden speech in the House of Commons in July 2024, ‘I am very clear that prisons must be available as a punishment and a deterrent but currently our prisons are not working, they create better criminals, not better citizens’
The speech addressed the problem thoughtfully, backed by facts, and real experience from his sector leading Timpson Shoes business front and centre. The Speech was a lesson in leadership, and was supportive of those running, working and living in our Criminal Justice System.
As Timpson said, leaders who really care, get care back from those they lead.
That is where the SME community comes in. The FCBA has founder members from large corporates such as Murphys and Sodexo, but it is in the SME community where real opportunities can be realised.
As most of us know, there is both an availability of skills issue and a productivity issue in the UK. We are just ahead of Italy, and behind the USA, France and Germany in productivity. So, for businesses with a gap in productivity, skills or recruitment, the FCBA is a membership organisation that provides resources, education, and advice that helps to employ and retain the best people, including those with a criminal record.
All members sign our Fair Chance pledge:
“As informed employers, we are committed to providing people with criminal records a fair chance to participate and progress in the UK economy and contribute to society.”
The FCBA has challenged the existing paradigm of producing another ‘best practice guide’, replacing it with a Bronze/Silver/Gold tiered framework to solve some of the biggest challenges facing employers and society, productivity, talent shortages and economic inequality.
Jeff Korzenik, a respected American author, and Chief Economist for one of their largest banks, called the FCBA approach ‘ground-breaking’. Over here, in the UK are you ready to learn more about becoming a Fair Chance employer?
Data supports the fact that businesses that follow a fair chance approach are thought more highly of by their other employees and their customers, and fair chance employees tend to stay with the businesses longer and are good employees.
There is also evidence to suggest that fair chance is a great way of differentiating your business from competitors, and can help win business.
This is not just about doing the right thing, it can also be about improving your brand image, as well as improving your revenues and bottom line, and it is definitely about getting the best people for your business, and keeping them.
If you would like to know more, do get in touch.