The SHRM Foundation announced a partnership on Nov. 22 with Clarvida, a behavioral health and human services provider, for the organization’s Untapped Talent initiative.
The initiative helps organizations implement inclusive hiring practices and engage underutilized talent pools, including veterans, military spouses, ages 60 and older, workers with disabilities and those with a criminal record.
Clarvida will join the initiative as the first visionary partner and will focus on training talent acquisition and operations teams, creating educational pipelines and placing workers in roles that align with their strengths and career goals. Its pilot program will start in eight states — California, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington and West Virginia — with the goal of expanding to 17 states by 2026.
Other companies and HR pros can join the initiative as well, SHRM said.
“Adopting SHRM Foundation’s training programs and creating tailored onboarding and development pathways can help companies of all sizes offer structured career opportunities for all, even with limited resources,” Wendi Safstrom, president of the SHRM Foundation, said in a statement.
Clarvida provides community-based services such as psychiatric care, counseling, therapy, foster care and autism services. While the behavioral health sector is projected to face a shortage of 250,000 workers by 2025, hiring from untapped talent pools can help workers, communities and businesses alike, the SHRM Foundation said.
In fact, studies indicate that inclusive hiring practices such as those under the Untapped Talent initiative can lead to a 22% lower turnover rate. As part of the partnership with Clarvida, the SHRM Foundation will provide evidence-based strategies, learning and resources, such as the Employing Abilities at Work and Military Community at Work certificates.
Making disabled and neurodivergent workers feel welcome in the workplace starts with education and open communication, experts told HR Dive. Employers can offer different accommodations based on employee needs and provide job coaches to get new workers started.
Companies can also tap into the veteran workforce by partnering with groups that foster hiring or training of veterans, experts said. Offering certificates and opportunities for growth, as well as focusing on soft skills such as leadership and team collaboration, can help ease the transition to a civilian role.
Similar inclusive practices help for second-chance hiring of workers with criminal records, experts said. Working with community partners, looking beyond the background check and providing reentry support can make a big difference when incorporating new hires.