One of the biggest hurdles convicted felons find after serving their time is getting back into the workforce. There’s tons of research on the statistics and likelihood that felons will find in securing gainful employment upon their release, but a story published by Chron sums up the primary reason why so many companies appear reluctant to hire folks who have been convicted of felonies: “legal liability issues.”
The outlet goes on to say, “If an employee commits a crime, the company might be held partially or fully liable, depending on the particulars of the case. This could lead to thousands or millions of dollars in damage awards and attorney fees.”
There have also been pieces published by convicted felons who’ve written about the difficulties they’ve had in attaining work, but there are also employers who’ve delineated at length why they are not only open to hiring ex-cons but stated that these folks have ended up becoming top performers at their company.
The dejection of not being able to land a job due to one’s legal history must be a hard one to shake, which could be why so many TikTokers are reacting positively to a beaming user’s post on the platform where she thanks Edible Arrangements for hiring her when no one else would.
@allessandria_ Tyler oakley is such a fever dream bye #work ♬ original sound – pop culture moments🫶🏼
In the clip, user Allessandria (@allessandria_) smiles into the camera as she adjusts her hair. A text overlay in her video reads, “Me to edible arrangements bc they hired me when no one else would (felonyonmyrecord)”
She lip-syncs to a sound of former YouTuber Tyler Oakley referencing a monkey wink emoji set to the Nintendo Wii Shop theme.
In a follow-up video, the TikToker shows herself wearing an Edible Arrangements apron where she is, again, performing another lip-sync, this time to Deftones’ “Beauty School.”
@allessandria_ Love this
♬ beauty school – 🎧
TikTokers who saw her posts mentioned other businesses that hire folks who’ve been convicted of felonies in the past as well. One commenter remarked that Panera will onboard felony offenders, and someone else said that they’ve worked with folks at Target who had criminal records. Subway, Red Lobster, and Buffalo Wild Wings were brought up as viable options for job seekers with a criminal record as well.
According to Career Addict, there are a number of major companies that will hire felons. Microsoft has previously worked with foundations in the past that helped place applicants in positions with the tech firm. McDonald’s, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Amazon, General Mills, Delta Airlines, Walmart, Google, American Airlines, Pizza Hut, Facebook, Gap, CVS, Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s, Prudential, Uber, IKEA, and Tyson Foods were also mentioned on the list.
Another viewer of Allessandria’s video remarked that they believe their own criminal past is keeping them from getting a job. “Lol is this why I’ve been applying to jobs for like 3 months with no success?? I refused to file my taxes but I didn’t think it’d b that deep,” they said.
However, someone else said that they’d come across plenty of managers who’ve had records. “Plenty of places do, I have yet to work a job WITHOUT a manager who did time in prison,” they claimed.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Edible Arrangements via email and Allessandria via TikTok comment for further information.
