How Far Does Your Compassion Go?

The decision to be a compassionate leader always sounds—on paper—like nothing but a win-win situation. If you’re showing more kindness and compassion to your employees, this is going to be reflected both in the work culture that you cultivate and in the reputation that your business garners as a result. But where do you draw the line when it comes to compassion in your leadership and decision making skills? This next question is something only each individual person can answer for themselves, but where, for example, does compassion fit in with someone applying for a job that has a criminal record?

Do You Believe In Second Chances?

 

On the one hand, a person who runs a business wants to do so with both peace of mind and profitability as key points of focus. A person who applies for a job and shows a criminal conviction in a background check would likely be an automatic “pass” for most businesses simply due to the caution of taking a risk on someone who has already committed a crime. Go to this site if you’re interested in knowing the key differences between criminal law and civil law. Look at this list of jobs felons cannot do if you’re looking for employment opportunities as a convicted felon.

But as a compassionate leader, this is where things become more complicated. A criminal record is a criminal record, there is no denying that. But believing that this is all a person will ever be can pose problems for someone that truly wants to exercise compassion and understanding. And of course, it all depends on the circumstances. BeenVerified free trial lets you check someone’s criminal record.

Is a person truly nothing but a thief if the criminal conviction is for theft, and you find out it was done at an economic low point, in order to survive and get food? Is a violent conviction a sign of a risky, out of control person if the act was committed as self-defense against an abusive spouse?

As a compassionate leader, facing someone else with these circumstances, only you can find the right answer when the time comes.