Study: Bad hires are a lousy lot
(Hysob Shin, hshin@ajc.com)
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Ever had to suffer the consequences of a bad hire?
A new study by CareerBuilder.com finds that 69 percent of employers say bad hires lower productivity, affect worker morale and even result in legal issues.
Bad hires are also costly: 41 percent of companies estimate such hires cost them more than $25,000 individually, and a quarter put the cost at more than $50,000.
So, why make such a hire, you might ask? CareerBuilder found 38 percent of employers said they needed to fill the job quickly, 21 percent simply didn’t know enough about the employee before hiring him or her and 11 percent didn’t check references.
“The more thoroughly the candidates are vetted, the less likely they will be a poor match,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. (Was that a collective “Duh!” we just heard?).
In addition to the impact on productivity and employee morale, bad hires also can damage relationships with clients, according to 22 percent of respondents.
Finally, most bad hires have the same thing in common, according to more than 60 percent of respondents: They fail to produce quality work, they don’t work well with others, they don’t show up for work, and they simply have bad attitudes.
(Commenting closed. Check out the wide range of views on this topic.)
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94 comments Add your comment
dre
December 13th, 2012
2:56 pm
Why are there are sooooooo many bad hires in city and federal government – which make you jump through hoops just for an interveiw??? Could it be they have a racial quota to fill???
Don't Tread
December 13th, 2012
2:59 pm
“Ever had to suffer the consequences of a bad hire?” Daily.
When you have people who can’t adhere to a deadline, who spell things incorrectly and use the wrong words in a sentence (in an email going out to customers, no less), who don’t bother to check their work, and can’t calculate simple percentages (and realize that the sum of all the parts has to equal 100% of the whole), is it really any wonder that hiring these people costs money and productivity? (And these are the so-called “college graduates” – don’t get me started on the others!) And to boot, many of these folks have problems with drugs (surprise, surprise) and obeying the law.
Random, frequent drug testing and some real background checks would weed out most of these miscreants and give some deserving people a chance.
Fredo
December 13th, 2012
3:02 pm
It ain’t the way I wanted it! I can handle things! I’m smart! Not like everybody says… like dumb… I’m smart and I want respect!
Puhlease
December 13th, 2012
3:24 pm
It’s one thing to hire a “bad hire”…it’s an entirely different thing to keep them employed. It’s the worst thing for morale when “good hires” have to put up with a slack “bad hire” becuase the “hirerer” doesn’t want to admit he made a mistake.
In the Tank
December 13th, 2012
3:30 pm
When u have to hire a certain number of ppl with a particular skin color, then Quality goes out the window for the required “Quantity”.
SMK
December 13th, 2012
3:41 pm
Laid off in March after 17 yrs. Highly qualified for a specific type of job. Company called me from LinkedIn, HR Interview, brought me in for an interview, then nothing (no “Thanks but no thanks” even); didn’t apply for anything until August (took a few months off). Applied at a major employer here in Atlanta – HR interview, brought me in for a 3 hour interview including a practice project, then nothing (again, not even a “Sorry but no.”). Applied in October for two more; interviewed for both, offers from both, and accepted the one that was able to complete the entire process in two weeks (application to offer). So far, so good. HR is missing out on a lot of good people, and companies need to fix their hiring processes so they can get the right people into the right jobs. There are companies hiring and growing – you just have to find them.
Class of '98
December 13th, 2012
3:42 pm
I guess Judge Smails would have never given Mike Krzyzewski a shot.
InDemand
December 13th, 2012
3:44 pm
Another reason for hiring bad employees: assuming that having worked for a large, well-known company equates to “high quality” employee. Fortune 500 companies are so big that the bad hires can hide for years and some large companies are afraid to fire them once they’ve been around for a few years.
Ms. L
December 13th, 2012
3:46 pm
Bad hires can also come from when a company misleads you about the job. They present it as one way but when you start the job its a different type of work (e.i. telemarketing).
Billy Pilgrim
December 13th, 2012
3:46 pm
A firm right here in Atlanta decided to be an early adopter of resume scanning software to screen applicants. It so happens, I used to work for this firm and helped to create a new department. When I left to go back to grad school five years later, my boss told me to come back anytime. After seeing the job advertised, I applied and was rejected for a “lack of relavant experience.” I called my boss and he told me he had to hire the best candidate out of a lackluster field—and why I didn’t apply. I told him what happened…and he said HR minds the gate and no one dares question its judgment. No question there are bad hires, but has anyone considered an incompetent HR department that likes push button solutions to difficult problems?
Liquasia
December 13th, 2012
3:47 pm
My worst hire was someone I had known and worked with years earlier in a different job. Mostly based on auld lang syne and with minimal vetting I unwisely brought the individual on board into a position for which he was totally unsuited, and problems galore ensued.
As others have already posted, friendship, family relation etc. should not be a factor in hiring.
Somer
December 13th, 2012
3:49 pm
People kill me blaming racial quotas on everything. If you’re white & don’te have it together in a country that was built & made for you to succeed please don’t blame it on color people……IT’S U!!!! THE WHITE MAN IN THE MIRROR
Blain
December 13th, 2012
3:49 pm
The majority of them are probably democrats looking to get something for nothing.
Reality guy
December 13th, 2012
3:50 pm
Work ethics, irresponsibility,poor upbringing, poor education (APS graduates), etc. You have to hire them (otherwise you are a “racist”). Just look at these kids. On cell phone all day long (where is you at, what is you doing)…Disattached.When you ask them what day it is, they don’t know. Big companies struggling with poor services they provide. You name them: Cable TV, Telephone (ATT=#1), Home alarm companies, appliance technicians, plumbers, etc. Inability to do any job. Going from the bottom all way up to the governement.(Inability again – debt ceiling, fiscal cliff, etc). “The picture of American presence”.
Tell it like it is.
December 13th, 2012
3:53 pm
This is sad as a race of people all these comments are literally pointing fingers at each other. Some of you guys are critic of each other. History has never shown to have built a monument to a critic. For those who do hiring, this is a challenge to be more thorough in the process. To some critical employees, this article is most likely talking about YOU!
atllaw191
December 13th, 2012
3:53 pm
“stupid” really IS!
Don't Tread
December 13th, 2012
3:59 pm
Oh, wait…I forgot my personal favorite “quality” of a bad hire: Inability to read and follow simple written directions!!!
Horrible Co-Worker
December 13th, 2012
4:14 pm
The place where I work hired a female and she is horrible. I mean when she was in her probationary period this girl would take off time as soon as she earned it. Sick and vacation time. I spoke to the Manager and told him that she is obviously abusing the time, but he chose to ignore it. Now she is still here and out of her probationary period. She lies all the time. She steals her co-workers supplies and she tries to blame other people for what she has done. Nobody trust her and don’t believe hardly anything she says to any of us. My supervisor will feel it when everybody else resign from her and he is just stuck with her.
NotSoFast
December 13th, 2012
4:17 pm
@Chilly Willy. Several of my cohorts worked fast food or retail while finishing our degrees and were often looked down upon and belittled, probably by the likes of you. A person’s education level has nothing to do with his/her work ethic, attitude or ability to get along with other people.
sethook
December 13th, 2012
4:28 pm
So much for another article about politicians.
Univ of Common Sense
December 13th, 2012
4:28 pm
Very interesting comments on here. Shows that ALL of us are HUMANS. I am a 60 yr old who has worked well over 40 yrs and I resent the fact of someone saying that I may NEED to RETIRE. I worked to leave when I GET READY. Yes I am ancient when it comes to high tech, but I am learning and when folks do help me, I say “THANKS” and I have bought lunch, coffee, donuts whatever, point is: Everybody need to learn to work with each other and help one another. We all spend most of our lives AT WORK..I chose to stay, until I AM READY… Thank you…
Busy as a bee
December 13th, 2012
4:29 pm
Employers are no picnic either!
While not as well educated as you, I am not your average bear either,Sadly,I must agree.You are quite accurate in your assessment.Communication is a lost art that most people below 35 have either disregarded or don’t understand. Email is very passive aggressive but courtesy has been traded for disrespect in too many cases.I am seeking a course change at present and have more grit & tenacity that most but it’s pretty discouraging out there.I am staying busy around my place and doing volunteer work during the holiday season. “patience & determination alone are omnipotent.”
crankyoldman
December 13th, 2012
4:32 pm
I work for a company that offers a decent salary and great benefits for entry level positions. Even if you never get promoted out of the entry level position, you will top out (currently) at around $4,200 per month. These positions don’t require anything beyond a high school diploma. And we STILL have problems with lazy slugs that don’t want to come to work, and don’t work when they do bother to show up.
At least we finally started hiring them as temporary part time first. When a full-time position opens up, we already have a few months of work history to base our decisions on when deciding who gets it. So we can avoid being permanently saddled with the slugs most of the time. Although some of them still manage to slip through. The professional malingerers read our HR and benefits manuals thoroughly, and know exactly how many hours they have to work to qualify for disability, family leave, etc. And, sure as Old Faithful, the minute they have the required hours, out they go. If they don’t qualify for anything else in time to be out for Christmas, summer vacation, or Spring break, they will somehow manage to get an OJI. And this is in an office/call center! No fork lifts, cranes, or heavy lifting anywhere in sight.
And they don’t even try to hide it. We had one idiot who really wanted to be a full-time preacher, but stayed with us for the benefits. He managed to get family leave for “depression.” His regular off-days were Sunday and Monday. Want to guess when he was depressed every week? That’s right – Saturday. Every Saturday. Plus the two days before his vacation started, and the day after it ended.
Swoot
December 13th, 2012
4:37 pm
When we stop being PC and tell people how they REALLY perform, maybe we can make some traction. As for now, we tiptoe around poor production for the sake of being sued. The death of us all will be the continual movement toward a PC nation. If you cannot do your job, you should not keep it. There are plenty of people out there dying to work, who can’t get hired because dead weight is still being held onto. Sad sad sad. No one will want to work for anything if they know they are safe regardless of their production. It is basic psychology. No consequences, no changes.
Jake
December 13th, 2012
4:46 pm
“Tom
December 13th, 2012
11:58 am
@Chilly Willy The hell it does! I find it next to impossible to find good people. Most don’t have work ethic worth a crap. They don’t produce or they are lazy and stubborn. This comes from a guy that will do anything if you are willing to try.”
Agreed. I have worked in the IT profession for over 20 years and I have found that most people are just lazy and don’t follow protocol. With the increase of smart phones, they are even more distracted. Most can’t do a damn thing without a phone app. Most don’t have common sense and too many are just lazy. None take pride in anything that they do.
Gee $
December 13th, 2012
4:52 pm
Somer , sounds like you work for the phone company. Good luck.
Roekest
December 13th, 2012
4:55 pm
The Protestant Work Ethic in this country has become non-existent. It’s sad.
Barackeisha
December 13th, 2012
4:58 pm
Swoot
December 13th, 2012
4:37 pm
“The death of us all will be the continual movement toward a PC nation.”
amen
Ben
December 13th, 2012
4:58 pm
What really sucks is when these bad hires who are basically completely lazy or completely incompetent, then end up supported by our tax dollars for the remainder of their lives.
Somer
December 13th, 2012
4:59 pm
Univ of Common Sense….please retire! I have no problem when older people who worked in my field transfer into my dept after their dept close. They are productive and not calling in every time their baby sneeze. Sadly most of seniors that were dumped into my dept came from depts of unskilled labor. People who filed papers or put in new orders for service. If a nurse get laid off, a hospital is not going to give them a job cause their is an opening for a doctor. That is exactly what is going on with these union jobs. These seniors are getting placed in jobs over their head & the dept goes overseas to solve the problem. That’s when we all hurt. The unemployed Americans, their family, the small business owners where the union workers go for lunch or happy hour…..all because people don’t know when to retire but worse, companys stand up to the unions and take control of their job placements.
Working with them
December 13th, 2012
5:33 pm
I work with bad hires who got the job simply for being “cute” – and they get all the awards for being good workers when all they do is talk on the phone all day on personal business and leave early for no reason, come in late, and they get employees of the year from management simply because they are cute. The rest of us are doing all the work and get nothing, not even “good job.” Bad hires are made for more reasons than not checking into backgrounds. They get made because some bosses think with an organ other than their brains.
You are a joke
December 13th, 2012
5:44 pm
Looking at most of these jokes, I would say you ALL are bad hires IF you are employed somewhere. You are trying to be negative and CAN’T spell simple words I am sure you may use in an email at work.
It has nothing to do with the President or political parties. The Hiring Managers need have a brain and use common sense. I work for a very large company that employs over 70,000 worldwide. I can say first hand most of the hiring managers hire based on some of the idiotic reasons you all have named. Yet the people they bring are LAZY, lying, uneducated people. Regardless of what some of you say you use as a way to “rid” the bad hires out, I am sure you STILL hire a bad employee.
RGB
December 13th, 2012
6:10 pm
There are many managers who have no idea what they are doing. Often the smart, committed employees are stifled from helping the company make progress in the marketplace in which they participate and some of these employees are incorrectly labeled “troublemakers”.
Historically, the most important thing to employees is the feeling that they are able to apply their skills and talents and that in doing so they make a difference. When employees feel they cannot make a difference, they sometimes express themselves in ways that aren’t organizationally acceptable.
Employees who “retire in place” and don’t cause trouble are often rewarded for being “good employees”. Remember that most managers receive no training in managing people, so some of these companies need to scrutinize their managers of people a bit more before tossing those troublemakers overboard.
And I agree with First: HR people ARE idiots. In fact, most are Nazis. And I don’t even call Nazis Nazis. Seriously.
Truth
December 13th, 2012
6:29 pm
@RGB- Your post is on the money. “companies need to scrutinize their managers of people a bit more before tossing those troublemakers overboard.”
When you have a clickish staff that rejects change and Managers that have been promoted based on friendship, their is seldom room for one who comes in to actually do the work. What happened to the time when being competent was more important than “who likes you”. Unfortuantely, that is the reality of most dying organizations. I doubt anyone who has been in a job for 20 plus years should still be there if they have not re-educated themselves. I’m not saying that there are not bad hires, but you better look at the internal state of the organization before you start labeling or firing.
@Judge Smails – that expecially goes for you. More than likely, you too have sat too long.
Moe Gibsmedats
December 13th, 2012
6:39 pm
Affirmitive Action hires NEVER work out.
yeahright
December 13th, 2012
7:16 pm
Whatever.
The real Truth
December 13th, 2012
7:18 pm
Everyone bashing HR is hilarious. They don’t make the hiring decision.
The only influence HR has is simply screening the inferior applicants, but only according to the hiring manager’s directions.
For example: Let’s say a job posting is for an Accountant with 3 years of public accounting experience.
The hiring manager told HR they only wanted Big 4 (for those of you who know who the big 4 are…doubtful many of you bafoons do) and a degree from a major US college.
So, if you have a degree from a weak school, 3+ yrs of public accounting experience, but it was for a regional firm and not Big 4…guess what? your resume goes into the round file!
Just because you know the hiring manager and he told you HR was the reason, chances are he lacks the spine to tell you that he didn’t want you.
Khga
December 13th, 2012
7:27 pm
I am with you reality guy….most of the ppl who work in the city and county government are Atlanta natives..(.APS graduates )and are dumb…and lazy as heck….most of these ppl natives go to forprofit or sub par colleges to earn a degree and get a job because of who they know. People have no concern for their jobs and it shows…on the 91 st day 1st day out of probation they are asking for a week off! And don’t get me started on those single moms calling in because they have to take their baby to the doctor!!! I know I’m coming off rude but it is the truth…I am sick of picking up their slack and work because they can’t perform and they have the nerve to complain about not getting a raise…
yeahright
December 13th, 2012
7:48 pm
Right. It couldn’t possibly be bad management….
ww
December 13th, 2012
8:09 pm
HR teams that test their applicants like Merrill Lynch, Genuine Auto Parts(NAPA), Randstad Corporate Office, and others have a much better chance of hiring a good candidate, based on IQ and other scores.
Additinally, some companies run themes, such as “we only want to hire good looking people.” These people do not have the best interest of their company in mind, when they hire candidates.
Finally, I think America is confused in understanding the difference between a real “go getter”, and total ass-hole….there is a difference.
ww
December 13th, 2012
8:13 pm
That should be “Additionally.”
cj
December 13th, 2012
8:33 pm
I took an entry level job I was overqualified for when I returned to Atlanta because I needed a job fast, they took a chance on me since their hiring model was fresh out of college kids, and their model was churn and burn, they asked me if I could “keep up” I asked if the kids could keep up with me. i have been there 7 months and have been promoted. I am one of their top reps. They are now hiring some older workers, Try taking a chance on some of us older folks, you may be pleasantly surprised.
vuduchld
December 13th, 2012
8:47 pm
No need for any of you idiots to worry, you pilgrims are too dumb and stupid to get, hold and grow in any job, so don’t fret about things you can’t control
32 YEAR RETAIL WORKER
December 13th, 2012
9:01 pm
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