HOW TO AVOID A BAD HIRE.

 The Bad hire:

We have all been there. 

Your new employee that you have invested time and money in hiring is not working out. This can range from when they get their first pay check they go out on a pharmaceutically or alcohol-fuelled binge and do not come back, they get caught stealing or they get stopped by the Police on their first day, on the way to work smoking a joint and the Police call you to ask you to vouch for them, all of these are true events. Then there are just the bad performers that your business does not need. All these individuals were bad hires.

They may have a sad story, but you have to let them go because it is hurting your business to keep them on. Your responsibility is to your business and your employees.  

What are the costs to the business of hiring a new person?

A new employee costs to most business is about 3 months of that person’s salary, by the time they are inducted and get up to speed in the new role sometimes longer and the cost goes up. That does not include the salary you are paying them to get up to speed in their new role. Further costs need to be made for the loss to the business in the time it takes you to find your new employee that you are without a team member.  

For one minute just think of a position you need to fill, think of what 3 months’ salary is and write that figure down, look at it and that is just the first level of cost. 

Slightly scary and that does not include if you use the expensive services of a recruitment agency, if that is the case that is another several thousand dollars, Euros or Pounds.

 How did you get into this position?  

We all need to hire new people from time to time.

Where are you looking for new employment candidates? Or are you even doing the looking? Many companies waste resources by recruiting badly. They go to outside agencies that are not interested in your business, they are just selling the next body to fill a hole and taking your money.

Today you can write a job requirement or Job description and have it on job boards worldwide in minutes.

Can you write a good Job Description?  

It is a skill that so many employers get wrong.

There are so many bad Job Descriptions out there. They are vague, with unnecessary fluffy language that does not get the message over to a prospective candidate. Put what you want from the person in that role, what they will get in return, make it fair and reasonable. Fluffy language puts people off applying.

A quality Job discerption is very important as this is what your prospective candidate reads and decides if they apply or not. You can lose out on the best person applying to your business by writing a bad job description.

Your HR department should have highly trained professionals that know how to recruit. Yet time and time again companies use Recruitment Agencies and pay thousands of dollars, Euros or Pounds to use their services. Remember the 3 months of salary rule above, Agencies normally charge 10-15% plus tax, add those together and that is a lot of your HR budget lost. If the business puts a few practical steps in the process you get better value and a better hire. You do the maths.

 What is your selection process? How do you hire someone?

This may be a read through of the CV, a quick interview and welcome to the company. If that is it, there may be a problem. If it is a 7 stage interview (True story) including flying people in to conduct two rounds of interviews, 3 hours of advanced psychometric testing and then the company decides to change the job role, then that is a costly error to the business. There has to be a balance.

Whatever process you decide on think it through, if you do it right, you get it right.

Learn how to recruit properly, if you need advice send me an email. Avoid that costly hire mistake.

 Congratulations you have found your new employee:

You have found your new employee. How do you onboard or induct them into your business? They are a cog in your business machine. The cog may be the right size, but if you do not fit it into your business machine properly it can do financial damage to your operation.

When a bad hire is your fault:

An idiot once said to me “I do not have time to train new staff.” “No, you do not have the money or time not to train them. “Fail to train and your business feels the pain” is saying that saves your business from a bad hire. Because if you do not induct, on-board or help that cog into its right position and make sure it is a good fit it will damage your business, that good hire is now a bad one because you have made them that way, this is your fault.

Are you helping your business to sink?

Too many businesses operate a throw them in at the deep end and see if they sink or swim attitude. 

If they sink so does your business, give them onboarding lessons and your business can reach Gold medals.

Think about how would you want to be treated in the early days with a new company? If you give them a good start they are likely to stay. If you give them a bad start then?

These are the first step you need to consider to avoid getting a bad hire.

For more help and advice please contact me at [email protected]

? Ron Mayne 2020