What to Do When Your Top Hiring Manager Makes a Poor Decision

What are the consequences of a bad hiring decision? Mistakes in hiring can cost your company money and time, but can also be draining to your staff and the company culture itself. If your top hiring manager has made a poor hiring decision, you can take steps to prevent as much damage as possible to your company. But it’s important to act quickly.

Consequences of a bad hiring decision

There are a few reasons to replace a mismatch as quickly as possible, including:

  • They’re time consuming and frustrating for coworkers. Hires that are not a good fit for a position, either due to poor attitude or lack of required skills, can be difficult and even frustrating for their teammates to work with. If others need to pick up the slack, poor hires can also become time consuming for the team.
  • Their performance may not improve. It’s not always wise to give a poor hire the benefit of the doubt, especially if he or she is not a good fit for the company culture, or does not have the necessary education, skills or experience to perform the job.
  • Customers may suffer. Your end product or service is how your company is being judged by the public. A poor hire can ultimately lead to weakened output to your customers.

How to replace a poor hire as efficiently as possible

To create a win-win for all involved, consider the following release strategies:

  • Conduct a one-month review. After a new hire has been with the company for a month, have a one-on-one meeting to assess his or her satisfaction with the job. Let the employee know you are looking out for his or her best interest. If the worker is dissatisfied, encourage him or her to seek employment that he or she may find more fulfilling.
  • Offer a release option. If you have noticed that an employee may not have what it takes to excel in his or her position, let the employee that you are not letting him or her go, but the likelihood of success in the position is unlikely. Offer a good referral and severance money to leave after a defined period of time, during which the employee can seek out employment that is a better fit.
  • Give a release bonus. Let an employee know that if they feel the job is not right for them, they may leave after a defined period of time and earn a release bonus. It may seem like a bad idea to pay an employee to leave, but when you compare it to the cost of maintaining a poor hire, it may work out in your favor. And this gives the worker finances to rely on while seeking out a new job.

How to prevent future poor hiring decisions

You can also take steps to help ensure future hires are great fits for your open positions and the company. You may want to work with your hiring managers to:

  • Use extended training time as an evaluation period. A long onboarding period can give you the time you need to assess a new employee’s performance and skills.
  • Create very specific job descriptions. Be sure your job descriptions highlight exactly what education, skills and experience are required for a position. This can help make your selection process much easier.
  • Add a phone interview to the hiring process. This extra layer of interviewing can help you gauge a candidate before you take the time to conduct an in-person interview.
  • Ask key questions during the interview. Tailor your interview questions to cover specifics about the job role and responsibilities, and the candidate’s ability to perform the assigned tasks.
  • Work with a staffing partner. Recruiters are experts at finding and placing best-matched talent to your staff. They have access to databases that include both active and passive candidates and will work with you for the employees you need.

If you’re looking for staff in the Atlanta area, check out Snelling Georgia Group

Our recruiters pride themselves on placing candidates with the most appropriate positions to match their skills and experience. To learn more about how Snelling Georgia Group can work with you to supplement your staff, contact us today.

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