Contact centers are facing a talent crisis. Declining populations, shrinking workforce participation, and a widening skills gap aren’t just challenges; they foreshadow a looming crisis.
The question is no longer how to hire but if there will be enough talent to hire at all.
This two-part article explores bold, innovative strategies to help contact centers navigate this crisis and thrive in a world where traditional talent pipelines are drying up.
Part 1 (last issue) provided an overview of labor force trends and tapping an undertapped workforce, beginning with aging and Indigenous populations. It also examined childcare issues. Part 2 (this issue) looks at those whose circumstances and, yes, actions have created walls: individuals with disabilities and those who have been incarcerated, respectively, with a conclusion.
Empowering Talent with Disabilities
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), enacted in 1990 and expanded in 2008, has been instrumental in promoting equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities. It protects those with physical or mental impairments that substantially limit major life activities, ensuring they have access to the same opportunities as individuals without disabilities.
Yet despite these protections, individuals with disabilities have historically faced barriers to employment, including misconceptions about their capabilities and undue concerns over accommodation costs.
These challenges persist even as data show that many individuals with disabilities can perform essential job functions effectively when given reasonable accommodations (Anand & Sevak, 2017; Journal of Labor Policy).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 6% of U.S. adults lack access to reliable transportation; it’s much worse for people with disabilities (14.4%). Publicly funded paratransit services are costly, and there are waits and waitlists.
…individuals with disabilities have historically faced barriers to employment, including misconceptions about their capabilities…
Meanwhile, approximately 23% of North American rail mass transit systems lack wheelchair-reachable platforms (Ferreira et al., 2021; International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences), which are expensive to retrofit into older stations or build new ones.
Access to many public spaces also remains problematic. In response, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published the “2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design”. It sets requirements for new construction or altered government facilities, public accommodations, and commercial facilities.
Rather than mandating accessibility, Title III of the ADA provides different accessibility guidance for three use cases:
- New construction must be fully accessible.
- Renovations to older buildings must be fully accessible.
- Buildings constructed before 1992 that are not undergoing renovations must remove barriers to access that are “readily achievable,” meaning updates that pose little difficulty or expense.
The main issue with Title III is that what constitutes a “readily achievable” modification is typically decided on a case-by-case basis (Pulrang, 2022; Forbes). The undeniable consequence is that many pre-1992 buildings remain largely inaccessible to individuals with disabilities.
Employers must go beyond compliance to unlock the full potential of individuals with disabilities. They do this by creating an accessible recruitment process that ensures job descriptions focus on essential functions and avoid unnecessary qualifications that may exclude candidates with disabilities.
Applications, websites, and hiring platforms should accommodate various needs, including screen readers and alternative formats, ensuring a fair and inclusive process. Additionally, employers should avoid inquiries about disabilities during recruitment, adhering to ADA regulations.
Providing reasonable accommodations is another critical step in fostering inclusion. Employers can support individuals with disabilities through modified work schedules, assistive devices, and ergonomic workstations.
Regular updates to workplace accessibility, such as ramps and elevators, work-from-home (WFH), and specialized software integration, can further magnify the contributions of individuals with disabilities. These accommodations often – but not always – require minimal investment and yield significant employee satisfaction and performance returns.
Educating leadership is equally important in promoting inclusivity. Training hiring managers and supervisors on ADA compliance and addressing unconscious biases can help create a workplace culture that values the contributions of individuals with disabilities.
Highlighting success stories of disabled employees and fostering open communication around accommodation needs can further strengthen this inclusive culture.
Collaborating with external organizations, such as vocational rehabilitation agencies and disability advocacy groups, provides additional avenues for recruiting individuals with disabilities. Participating in job fairs and initiatives tailored to this demographic helps organizations connect with talented candidates and gain insights into best practices for integration.
By actively targeting individuals with disabilities in the workforce, employers close critical skills gaps, foster innovation, and strengthen team performance. Moving beyond compliance to embrace inclusivity as a strategic priority ensures long-term organizational success. It solidifies the company’s reputation as a forward-thinking and equitable employer.
Second Chances, Lasting Impact
Recruiting formerly incarcerated individuals is an untapped opportunity for employers willing to embrace fair hiring practices. Nearly 70 million U.S. adults, or 27% of the population, have an arrest or conviction record, making criminal background checks a major barrier to employment (HR.com, 2020).
Contrary to common perceptions…employees with criminal histories often excel in the workplace.
Research from the DOJ reveals that applicants with a criminal history are 50% less likely to advance in the hiring process, with Black applicants facing compounded discrimination.
Nearly half (49%) of Black males have arrest records by age 23, compared to 38% of white males. Employers are twice as likely to hire white applicants with criminal records over their Black counterparts.
This disproportionate impact not only perpetuates racial disparities but also prevents businesses from accessing a large pool of capable talent.
Contrary to common perceptions (see BOX), employees with criminal histories often excel in the workplace.
Being Released from Incarcerated Individual Myths
Over 700,000 people are released annually from American prisons (Carson, 2018; Prisoners in 2016). Our local communities and employers stand to benefit by helping these people transition back into society.
The stigma associated with incarceration reflects more myth than fact, preventing these individuals from becoming a valuable and motivated asset to society and employers, like contact centers.
Let’s review five common myths.
Myth 1: It’s a high risk to hire formerly incarcerated people because of their criminal history.
Fact: According to the American Civil Liberties Union (2017), formerly incarcerated workers have 12% less turnover than the general public. Moreover, military enlistees with felony records were 33% more likely to be promoted to sergeant (North Carolina State Institute for Emerging Issues, 2022).
Myth 2: Ex-offenders do not want to work.
Fact: According to the Prison Policy Initiative (2018), nearly all formerly incarcerated people want to work, but structural barriers restrict access to gainful employment.
Myth 3: Ex-offenders lack the skills and education required by today’s jobs.
Fact: The correctional industry promotes learning and developing social, emotional, and behavioral skills essential for successfully transitioning back to communities and workplaces (National Institutes for Correction).
Myth 4: Formerly incarcerated individuals require too much support to transition smoothly into the workplace.
Fact: Federal agencies, including the Departments of Labor and Education, offer apprenticeship, mentoring, and skills training programs to help ex-offenders prepare for the workplace. For example, various state transportation departments had launched reentry workforce training pilots for formerly incarcerated people (Public Roads, Autumn 2024).
Myth 5: There are no federal tax advantages for hiring ex-offenders.
Fact: The Work Opportunity Tax Credit offers employers a tax credit incentive, typically up to $2,400, for hiring individuals of targeted groups, including those with felony convictions within one year of their release from prison.
A study in the contact center industry found that employees with criminal records had 10% longer tenure than those without, demonstrating strong retention and performance potential (Minor et al., 2018; Journal of Labor Policy).
New policies, such as the “Ban the Box” initiatives, aim to reduce stigma and provide fairer hiring opportunities by moving background checks later in the recruitment process.
The Fair Chance Act, for instance, prohibits federal agencies and contractors from requesting criminal history information before extending a conditional offer of employment. With 37 states and 150 cities adopting similar policies, these laws cover nearly 80% of the U.S. population.
To maximize the benefits of hiring formerly incarcerated individuals, employers should adopt best practices outlined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). These include:
- Developing narrow policies for screening criminal conduct.
- Ensuring questions about criminal records are job-related and consistent with business necessity.
- Maintaining confidentiality of applicants’ records.
Training hiring teams on EEOC Title VII compliance and discrimination prevention is equally essential to fostering an inclusive hiring process.
The contact center industry faces a talent crisis that demands bold and inclusive actions.
By embracing these strategies, employers can tap into a resilient and loyal workforce while contributing to broader social equity and reducing recidivism, perhaps helping stem the vicious circle of crime.
Recruiting formerly incarcerated individuals is a matter of fairness and a strategic opportunity to build a diverse, high-performing team.
Turning Recruiting Challenges into Opportunities
The contact center industry faces a talent crisis that demands bold and inclusive actions. Addressing labor shortages and skills gaps are not one-size-fits-all endeavors.
By embracing the potential of aging workers, individuals with disabilities, formerly incarcerated individuals, and Indigenous peoples, contact centers can build a more diverse, resilient, and high-performing workforce.
These efforts go beyond solving immediate recruitment challenges; they position contact centers as leaders in equity, innovation, and adaptability in a rapidly changing labor market. The time to act is now because the future of customer experience (CX) depends on the people who deliver it.
