180: Open Hiring at Greyston Bakery with Joe Kenner and Sara Marcus

When people aren't working, the community is suffering, according to Joe Kenner, Vice President of Programs and Partnerships at Greyston Bakery, an organization founded on an open hiring philosophy. From Greyston's earliest beginnings, they've been hiring populations that many would deem unemployable, using a first come first serve approach.

As VP of Programs and Partnerships, Joe Kenner is responsible for directing Greyston's workforce development and community wellness strategies and activities. He's joined in today's conversation by Sara Marcus, Partnerships Manager at Greyston's Center for Open Hiring. She oversees partnerships with employers, non-profit partners, and funders with the ultimate goal of fostering a wider adoption of open hiring among businesses.

In this episode, Joe explains Greyston's humble beginnings, as well as origin of the company's open hiring policy - a strategy implemented by Greyston's founder, Bernie Glassman, as a way to help the Yonkers community thrive. He and Sara take a deeper dive on what exactly open hiring entails, as well as the additional support Greyston provides for its employees' success.

They share some of the benefits of open hiring, including a lower rate of turnover and a reallocation of funds into keeping employees rather than hiring them. Joe also discusses some personal stories of employees' lives changed as a result of Greyston's open hiring.

Finally, Sara discusses the process of helping other companies move toward an open hiring model, including the Greyston Learning Lab where companies are invited to Greyston to get a first hand look at facility and how fewer barriers in the hiring process might work for them. Lastly, both Joe and Sara leave us with a final thought that employers can take away.

Don't forget to share this episode on LinkedIn, tag Jen, and let her know what you learned from this episode for a chance to win a membership to the National Wellness Institute.

This episode is sponsored by Realize Wellbeing.

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For links mentioned in today's episode visit: http://bit.ly/Redesignpod