Bad hires are bad business.
The minute you decide that you are in need of a new employee is when recruitment starts, whether this is happening because of the expanding of the company, or because someone has left the company.
The whole process can be a long and time-consuming one, from creating a job description to advertising to selecting candidates for interview to the actual interview itself and much more.
It’s always a massive relief when you’ve filled a vacancy in your company. But unfortunately, not every hire turns out to be the perfect match for the company that you’d hoped for.
That’s why it’s vital to analyse your new employee and take swift action if they aren’t working out as you’d hoped.
These are 10 signs that you may have made a bad hire:
1) Not What You Are Expecting
Your new employee starts work, and for some reason, they are not quite what you were expecting. Upon reflection, it could be that a series of bad interviews made your new employee look better than they are. If you fear this could be the case, take another look at their resume.
It could be that they made a decent first impression, but you let some things slide at interview.
So, quiz them over again on their earlier roles and check whether they’re appropriate sooner rather than later.
2) A Bad Attitude From The Beginning
A bad attitude is an obvious sign of a bad hire.
Hiring someone new is a great chance to get a new outlook on how things are run. But there’s a big difference between constructive criticism and just being plain negative.
Look out for signs that the newly hired employee is getting irritable, or making lots of negative remarks about procedures or the place of work. It could be a symbol of poorer things to come if they can’t be positive and helpful in the first few weeks.
3) Being Late
Of course, there may be many understandable reasons that your new hire is late, but you don’t want it becoming a habit. Always make sure you have a conversation about any tardiness immediately so you can identify any legitimate barriers to them keeping their contracted hours. If there isn’t a legitimate reason, you need to make it clear this should not become a regular occurrence. Being late can be a clear indicator that the employee does not respect workplace rules or value their appointment.
If tardiness comes together with other signs of being disappointed with the job, it could also be an indicator that your new hire isn’t going to stick around and a resignation could be imminent.
4) Asking Too Many Questions
At first, it’s a good sign if your newly hired employee asks a lot of questions, so try to be patient. But if the questions become repetitive and they don’t seem to make a note of the answers, this can be a sign of trouble ahead.
If they need you to hold their hand through every task, it’s a sign of a bad hire and they could be more of a burden than a help.
5) Making Big Complaints About Small Things
If your new hire continuously complains about little things such as the coffee/tea, parking problems or bathroom cleanliness, then it might be time talk them personally and ask if there’s a bigger core problem.
Getting angry or irritated over the small things could suggest unhappiness, and there’s also a risk their irritations and discontent will spread to other office workers.
6) Arrogant Attitude
Confidence is a great strength, but you don’t want to work with somebody who thinks that they’re better than the rest of the team or the company.
If you’re noticing notes of superiority, it’s worth looking at how well-suited they are to their team and whether their arrogance at work is causing problems.
7) Making Mistakes Continuously
Yes, everyone makes mistakes! But it is not ideal if they are making the same mistakes repeatedly and never learning from them. If your new employee is making the same mistakes, over and over, this does not bode great things for their future at the company.
8) Old Job References
Drawing on skills and learnings from the past to do a great job is good. But constantly using phrases like ‘at my old place we used to do things like this” it isn’t helpful at all. In fact, it’s another sign of a negative attitude and resistance to change. Good employees need to be adaptable. Sure it’s good to make suggestions for improvements, but it’s a sign of a bad hire if they are stuck in the past.
9) Inflexible Approach
Is the person you hired recently reluctant to take criticism or change their bad habits? Have they already muttered the words like ‘that’s not my job’?
For smaller companies especially, it’s vital that employees are ready to be flexible and be adaptable. If they are inflexible right from the start, they are probably not going to be a good team player in the long-run. Bad hires are often those who make it clear they are only going to do the minimum right from the start.
10) Not Delivering On Time
Sometimes even the best of us can’t meet deadlines and if someone is great at their job but slip up once or twice, it’s ok to talk it through and be flexible. But if they are not delivering what and when they are supposed to from the outset, then you might have a difficult conversation on your hands.
If your new hire fails to meet deadlines without reason, it’s time to act quickly.
Bad Hires: What Do You Do Next?
You’ll need to make a choice about your new employee and their place in your company. Maybe there is another available role that they are more suited to, or maybe it’s time to simply cut your losses before the probation period is up. But either way, there’s a good chance you’ll need to resume the process of recruitment.
Reflect on what went wrong the first time around. Learn from your mistakes so you don’t repeat them going forward.
The first month of a new hire is vital in determining the suitability of a new employee. Be ready to take action if you realize you’ve made a poor decision or bad hire.
Author Bio
Karen Rolton is the Finance & Accounting manager at UK Essay Help Deal firm. In her role, she leads other employees Finance & Accounting’s global operations, including defining brand positioning, working with executive and field management across three continents to develop growth approaches and operating processes, and shaping and promoting the company’s vision. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus.