We’ve created one of the best bakeries in the country by using Open Hiring®, an unusual approach with roots in the philosophy of our Founder, Bernie Glassman. Bernie was a Zen Buddhist monk who deeply believed in the value of all people.
Most companies hire by reviewing resumes, interviewing the most qualified candidates, and conducting background checks. This makes sense, but it leaves out a lot of people. People who’ve suffered from an illness, or were called upon to care for a family member. People who didn’t get a chance to complete their formal education. Or been convicted of a crime, paid their debt to society, and now want to take a better path. We believe that everyone deserves a chance to make a living. And we know from experience that sometimes the people who’ve faced the biggest challenges in the past have the most to offer now. Our Open Hiring® policy offers just that sort of chance. We don’t look at our bakers’ resumes, do interviews or conduct background checks. Want to work for us? Simply add your name to a list. When a job on the bakery floor opens up, we go to the next person on that list and see if they’re still interested. If so, they get the training they need to start. It’s hard work, and it’s not for everybody. But it’s a steady job, and that changes lives -for our bakers and for their families. When supervisory and administrative opportunities open up, we look at our bakers first. We’re not a huge operation, so some find their next opportunity at other companies -and we cheer them on. Because we’re here to make incredibly delicious baked goods – and to change lives.
We invite you to check out the Greyston Stories here: Greyston Stories →
Without a job... how will you survive? How will you help? How will you put positive energy into the community? asks Monte, a Greyston baker and community role model. He’s most proud of sharing his life experience with local youth in talks at the Police Athletic League. As he says, the real gangsters are the people that have nine to fives...
After his grandfather was shot, Jihad took care of his grandmother as she was dying of cancer. Following her passing, he says, I was lost. I didn’t know where to go, I didn’t know what to do... but Greyston gave me hope. Jihad turned that hope into a career, moving from bakery floor to quality assurance, supply chain, and now R&D specialist. Now he says, I’m able to provide financially for my daughter.
While April was a child, her father broke his back, became dependent on pain medication, served time in prison, and struggled to launch after he got out. So, when April saw a job posting from Greyston, she says as soon as I read the mission and I understood that it was more than just a brownie, more than just a job, I was hooked. Her work at Greyston both honors, and is inspired by, her dad. He taught me that your history doesn’t define you… what really defines you is where you want to go, and your future.
Gena and her husband were facing employment barriers related to a lack of education. They put their names on the Greyston Open Hiring® list together and they hired us on the same day, together. She feels a sense of mission about the work: people love our brownies and we need to get it out there, so we work together as a family to get it out there. She’s proud of her roles as union rep and lead operator. Working at Greyston… has given me direction, it’s given me stability. I love Greyston.
The smell brought me to the bakery, because I used to live up the street and I used to smell the brownies every day. Kwaku had been laid off from his job at a local carwash and was struggling to find a new one, so following his nose proved to be a very good move. He reports that the work is fast-paced… you gotta move to the pace of the brownies, it’s like the brownies are in charge. But he found a team by his side: everybody’s here to help each other… I love my job.
Prior to coming to Greyston, Shawna spent four years searching for a steady job, facing barriers related to her lack of experience and education. She eventually reached a point where she questioned whether she could keep her family together, and that’s when she got the call from Greyston. It was like the clouds just moved; it was so right on time. Now at Greyston for over eight years, Shawna has risen to become a production supervisor. Working here means everything to me and my family.
Will grew up with Greyston just down the street. After a period of incarceration, friends from the neighborhood told him to “come to the bakery,” where he “just got this feeling of open arms.” Starting as a baker on the 7 pm to 7 am shift, Will rose to become lead operator, then took a role in quality assurance, and was recently promoted to production supervisor. Coming to Greyston has opened me up so much. It took me so long… to care for myself enough to push through all the negativity, the insecurities and short-comings… but I’m me now.
Alta Gracia’s son had done good work at Greyston so she decided to put her own name on the Open Hiring® list. “There are many people here who have walked the straight and narrow… and there are others who have come to work here who had their difficult time and rebuilt themselves.” She gives a lot of credit to Greyston’s full-time, on-staff social worker for helping colleagues stay on a better path. “They have given the best they can give and they have changed a lot. Here they give an opportunity to those who need it.
Initially speaking only Spanish, Eva struggled to find work until she found Greyston. At first, she says I felt scared because… I knew absolutely nothing in English. But now, I’m calm… good… because I can understand a little more of the language. After the birth of her first child, Eva needed to stay home for almost a year, and Greyston made it possible for her to return without starting over on her benefits. She appreciates the sense of one team at Greyston: we all differ in language… and I listen to them and learn from them.
