What if businesses removed barriers to employment and gave job seekers a fair shot at self-sufficiency?

For the formerly incarcerated, unhoused, or people with limited education, getting a job can be extremely difficult. In 1982, Greyston Bakery piloted Open Hiring, a recruitment practice where simply putting your name on a list could get you hired — no work experience, background checks, resumes, or interviews.

Now adopted and scaled by companies like The Body Shop, Open Hiring continues to unleash human potential and uplift populations that have been historically excluded from the workforce. In this episode, we explore barriers to fair employment, the economic and social benefits of equitable hiring practices, and why inclusive hiring is a step towards tackling poverty, inequality, and other global challenges.

Featuring: Chidi King, Branch Chief, Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO), Joseph D. Kenner, President & CEO at Greyston, Antonia Tony-Fadipe, Inclusive Hiring Lead at The Body Shop and Juan Pablo Larenas, Executive Director of B Lab Global.

--

Finding Humanity is a production of Humanity Lab Foundation and Hueman Group Media. This special series is created in partnership with B Lab.

Subscribe, rate and leave us a review.

For more information, visit findinghumanitypodcast.com.

Follow us on Twitter @find_humanity and Facebook.