Minimize the Effects of a Bad Hire in Your Organization

Few of us want to do things more than once. Yet, nearly three out of four employers admit to hiring the wrong person for a position, according to a new CareerBuilder survey. This wide-spread occurrence equates to a financial loss of an average of $14,700 for every bad hire, but the effects are not just monetary. The multiplier effect of a poor hiring choice can echo throughout the workplace in terms of productivity and plummeting morale for existing workers.

Not Until It’s Too Late
Unfortunately, it’s often hard to recognize a bad hire until after the fact. Employers in the survey who were asked why a bad hire occurred offered several reasons for the outcome. These included internal pressure to fill a position, ignoring warning signs during the interview process and feeling duped by candidates who lied about their qualifications. Others cited regret for emphasizing skills over attitude, an inability to recognize a good hire and feeling pressure to make do with an existing pool of candidates, qualified or not.

While there are many reasons for making a bad hire, there’s a common thread that runs throughout; time. Hiring managers who feel the pressure of a ticking clock and its related implications are more likely to make decisions that could ultimately have negative repercussions in the workplace.

Categorizing a Bad Hire

• Failure to produce the proper quality of work (54 percent)
• Possessing a negative attitude (53 percent)
• Inability to work well with other workers (50 percent)
• Occurrence of immediate attendance problems (46 percent)
• Mismatch between skills claimed at time of hire (45 percent)

New Employee Regrets
Yet, the onus of a bad hire doesn’t solely rest on the hiring manager. Candidates also bear the brunt of a bad decision in the form of a mismatch in work culture and management style, lack of clear expectations and positions that don’t match a job listing or expectations delivered in the interview process.

New candidates who recognize such misalignment often quit within the first six months, effectively sending the hiring manager back to the beginning of the hiring process. Losses also occur in the form of good workers who leave on their own. The CareerBuilder survey found that only 54 percent of employees feel their company is loyal with 31 percent eyeing a job change in the next year.

Forging a Hiring Partnership
Hiring is an extremely important decision that benefits from the use of a tried-and-true process. Working with a staffing agency provides a consistent way to find qualified candidates on a timeframe dictated by the hiring company. Both the client and the candidate benefit from recruiters who live the hiring process every day, creating an ever-growing pool of qualified candidates who are vetted for skills, workstyle and attitude.

At Staffing Kansas City, their experienced recruiters handle the advertising, referencing and testing of candidates through direct hire, contract-to-hire, and contract employment placement services with a replacement guarantee. To learn more about how to fulfill your hiring needs and reduce the chance of hiring failures, contact Staffing Kansas City for “Personnel Services with a Personal Touch”.