Hi craig,
A lot depends on the kind of company employing, and the nature of the job.
I curently work in the public sector in the Attorney-General's department. Obviously this kind of organisation has to be seen to be "squeaky clean" so any kind of felony conviction is likely to see an employee terminated or a candidate rejected.
I am also familiar with the early childhood and education sector. In this kind of role, offences "against the person" (especially children) would not be tolerated. However, property offences or fraud for example may not automatically exclude a candidate from a position. When police checks (criminal checks) identify these kind of felonies, a whole range of factors are taken into account in reaching a decision.
Factors might include:
- age of the offender when the offence took place
- recency of the offence
- nature of the offence and implications for the job under consideration
- good behaviour of the individual since the offence
- honesty of the candidate if they have declared the criminal history prior to employment
There is "no one size fits all" here, and I believe that people deserve a second chance when their offending does not place the company, other staff or clients at risk. Hope this gives you an idea of the above situation ; ) Regards mark |
