It happens – you thought you’d found the perfect candidate for the job and they passed through the screening process with flying colours but, now that they’re in the office, things don’t feel quite right. Sometimes, despite your best efforts and a good interview process, you’ll make the wrong hire. Wondering if this is the case with your latest employee? Have a look at our list of tell-tale signs below.
Six signs you’ve made a bad hire:
1. They have a bad attitude. Employees who spend lots of time complaining about things big and small or finding fault with every process and procedure can end up being a liability. Attitude is linked to performance. Getting visibly annoyed can be a sign of an underlying unhappiness and can also affect the attitude and environment of other employees. Everyone is entitled to a bad day now and then but if an employee starts off with a poor attitude, it indicates a lack of openness to the new and that’s not a great sign for their future behaviour or performance.
2. They repeat their mistakes over and over again. Any new employee is bound to make mistakes when they start in a new role – that is to be expected. But when they make the same mistakes repeatedly, despite being corrected or assisted, this is a cause for concern. Perhaps they don’t actually have the skills they say they do or are not as qualified or experienced as they need to be to do the job at hand? Or maybe they lack focus, attention, or interest?
3. They constantly compare their current role with their old one. While drawing on past experience can be a valuable tool when it comes to getting the job done better than before, simply comparing two positions or organisations isn’t helpful. If your newest team member spends more time telling everyone how much better things were in their old organisation than they do trying to fit into their new place, you could have a problem on your hands. Negative comparisons can affect team morale as well as prevent the individual from truly engaging with a new environment and work process.
4. They’re simply not there. Whether your new employee is always late for work, often calls in sick, or spends ages away from their work station, it’s never a good sign. Absence indicates a lack of professionalism, work ethic, and commitment to the job. And, if this is the case in the first little while, how will this individual behave a few years down the line?
5. They spend more time on social media than on work projects. Controlling the extent to which employees spend time on social media channels like Facebook or Instagram can be challenging. However, most good employees limit their social time to lunch breaks or times relative to their roles. If your new employee is immediately comfortable ‘playing around’ on social media when they should be working or learning about the company and their position, it’s worth taking note. They might not take their new position seriously or have no issue with taking work time to conduct social activities.
6. They don’t interact with their colleagues. This can be a tough one as integrating well with colleagues is not always a must for getting a job done but it is preferable. Organisational culture goes a long way to ensuring that work is completed correctly and that employees perform happily and, therefore, more productively. If your new recruit just doesn’t fit in, this could quickly lead to job dissatisfaction, problems working on team projects, and even a short stay..
It’s important to be able to identify if an employee is a bad hire as soon as possible as this will give you the opportunity to take action – re-train the employee, develop the skills they already have, move them into a new role or, if necessary parting ways with them. At Lee Botti and Associates, we use our experience and expertise to ensure we look for the perfect (as possible) fit for your organisation. Specialising in supply chain, logistics, and travel recruitment, our expert team has been trained to identify the right employees for the right positions, ensuring happy clients and happy candidates. Looking to hire? Use us – you won’t be disappointed.
*Image Source: http://www.s-sa.co.uk/uploads/images/552/BadHire.jpg
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