In the last YES! Your Human Resources Solution blog, we talked about whether you’re meeting your new hires’ expectations. While turnover happens everywhere, it’s most commonly due to a mismatch in expectations, although a bad hire can be to blame. Here, we’ll explain how to spot the bad hire from the good but mismatched hire.

We work in Human Resources, and guess what—we’re human too. That’s why three-quarters of employers admit they’ve made a bad hire. And the reasons for making a bad hire are many: the candidate lied, the applicant pool was small, the timeline was short, the search for technical skills overshadowed attitude and personality. It’s tough to admit a new employee is not the star you’d hoped for. But when you see the signs of a bad hire, you’ll need to act fast; no one benefits from keeping a poorly suited employee.

You may have made a bad hire if the employee:

• Lacks the expected skills. Sometimes candidates embellish their skills or experience, and sometimes the other candidates are so bad that they make this one look unusually good. If a new hire’s skills aren’t measuring up, pull out their resume and review their previous roles with them. If everything checks out, they should be able to deliver what and when they are supposed to.
• Is already inflexible. Inflexibility takes many forms: resistance to change, reluctance to take criticism. You might see this through constant references to the employee’s old job (stuck in the past), or early renditions of “that’s not my job” (lack of adaptability). Inflexibility from the get-go is a sign of a bad team player and an employee who is unwilling to grow, change, or go the extra mile.
• Has a bad or arrogant attitude. Most new hires are positive and excited for the opportunity ahead, and don’t want to make unnecessary waves. But if your new hire begins with negativity, irritability, superiority, and complaints about little things such as coffee or parking, you’re in for a rough ride.
• Has early attendance issues. Without a legitimate barrier to reporting for work, tardiness and early absenteeism can be a sign of a bad habit or job disappointment. It also shows the employee doesn’t respect the workplace or value their role in it enough to follow the rules.
• Doesn’t learn from their mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, and new hires are given a wider berth. But a new hire who makes the same mistakes over and over, or who asks the same questions without applying the answers, does not necessarily have a bright future with the company.

It’s humbling to admit you made a bad hire. But once you recognize and accept that you made a mistake (remember, we all make them!), you can figure out how to fix the situation. Learn some ideas in our next blog!