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Grant Robinson
Managment / Personnel Consultant
Renton, Washington
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The 6 Reasons 84% of Employees Can’t Do the Job You’ve Hired Them to do

84% of new hires will "disappoint" in the first year on the job. Here are the six reasons why...
Written Jul 18, 2011, read 3170 times since then.
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Studies have shown that 84% of new hires will “disappoint” their employers in the first year on the job.  That’s six out of seven employees. 

When you consider that the Department of Labor estimates the minimum cost of a “mis-hire” is $11,713, the wrong people are surely the greatest liability to your productivity, profitability and continued success.  And that figure of $11K only tells half of the story. 

When you factor in the personnel issues that stem from the wrong people on your team like conflict, apathy, poor work-ethic, theft, etc., you can double that figure. 

Then, when you factor in the lost sales, opportunities and customers that stem from errors and poor service, triple that figure.  Anybody that has actually measured what a mis-hire has cost them, will say this figure is more accurate. 

But don’t forget, there is cost in replacing the employee also.  Running ads, phone screening, interviewing and background checks can all add up to literally eliminate your revenues and cause your business to fail.  

This is why it is so important to assure that your new hires have “Job Fit” before hiring them.  And yes, it is possible to do this…

The 6 Reasons Employees Fail (& what to do about it)

If an employee fails to “fit” just one of the following five areas, they will not reach your productivity expectations.  The more areas they fail to fit, the bigger the disaster to your productivity, teamwork and bottom-line they will be. 

#1.  No Culture Fit

Culture has to do with integrity, reliability and work-ethic.  Another word for this is attitude.  If a new hire doesn’t have the same internal vision or mission as the company, they will fail to show up for work on time, give you a full days work for your full days pay and will not respect the property of the company, their co-workers or your clients. 

#2.  No Team Fit

To maintain teamwork, unity and alignment, employees must fit the dynamics of your team.  If you want a stress, conflict and drama free atmosphere, you must hire employees that can get along with others, follow rules and respect their leaders.  But you’d be surprised, not every company wants this.  There are some companies where questioning the status quo and challenging others is appreciated; and when this is the case, you need to hire people who are comfortable doing so.  Either way, in business, opposites usually don’t attract.   

#3.  No Skill Fit

Skill here has to do with the natural competencies of the employee.  In other words, their competency to communicate effectively, learn at the pace required, continue to process new information and be accurate.  Everybody has hired someone with the training, experience and education to do the job, but they’ve later failed in your organization.  This is because they didn’t have the natural competencies, or skills required to succeed in the job YOU hired them to do. 

#4.  No Interest Fit 

Almost as important as skill fit, is interest fit.  Having similar interests to the job leads to job satisfaction.  This is imperative for it then leads to internal motivation, natural productivity and profitability for the company.  If someone is most interested in mechanical and administrative duties, but you’ve hired them to service your clients, lead others or create systems, it will take on-going multi-managing, external motivation and coaching to get this person to succeed.  Don’t you have more important things to do?

#5.  No Behavior Fit

This is the most important area in deciding success or failure in the job.  Natural behaviors, or traits and comfort level, have such a huge effect that failing to fit just one of the required behaviors of the job can lead to failure.  You have surely seen this in an employee that was just about perfect but by not being able to multi-task, work independently or make decisions for example, they never met your expectations. 

& the #6th Reason 84% of Employees Fail to Succeed…  YOU!

If you still haven’t created a proven system to attract the most productive employees in your industry without using antiquated classified ads, expensive web boards or overpriced headhunters… you’ll continue recruiting the wrong people.  

If you still haven’t created a proven system to select people that match candidates to your unique culture and team; and more importantly assure skill, interest and behavior fit in your finalists to assure you only hire TOP Performers… you’ll continue hiring the wrong people.

And when you recruit and hire the wrong people, it doesn’t matter how great your reputation, location, marketing, products or service is… because the wrong people will cause your business to underperform.

So if you are struggling with underperformance from the “wrong” employees right now, can you really blame them for failing in the job? No, you can’t!

Without a system to find and hire only TOP Performers… you have to start blaming yourself. 

Learn more about the author, Grant Robinson.

Comment on this article

  • Director of Sales 
Beaumont, Texas 
Jay Willis
    Posted by Jay Willis, Beaumont, Texas | Jul 20, 2011

    Great article!

    Leading by example and open communication seem to help the most when developing a new team member.

    If you are telling them to do things you would never do yourself, you lose credibility and their respect. You basically establish yourself as a dictator and not as a leader.

    If you never communicate to an employee what they are doing well and what they need to improve, they have no idea how they're doing. Too many good employees have been "let go" prematurely when all they needed was a little constructive feedback. It's more convenient for us to take the easy route of not saying anything, but letting them go instead of just being honest. That is a terrible disservice to the employee. Even if your feedback does not help them with your company, it will likely benefit them long-term.

  • Business Adviser, Coach, Consulting 
Kissimmee, Florida 
Bruce LaFramboise
    Posted by Bruce LaFramboise, Kissimmee, Florida | Jul 21, 2011

    Excellent information Grant and good article. One of my associates is a natioanl partner in a firm that specializes in developing assured, high retention and fit hiring systems for all types of firms. He advised on studies done by the department of labor and one sponsored with NFIB that showed the combined average costs to employers for lost employees, from all the issues you speak of, is over $78,000 for mid level employees and more than double that for manager or supervisory levels. Careful and thoughtful attention to this area of a business is most definitely of serious value and concern for businesses!

    Good Article Grant!

  • Speaker and Career Assessments 
Petaluma, California 
Naomi Tickle
    Posted by Naomi Tickle, Petaluma, California | Jul 21, 2011

    Yes Grant, that is a huge issue about companies hiring the wrong person for the job. Face Pattern Recognition, which is my speciality, is another tool that helps employers match up the right person for the job. For example, if people have close set eyes they are very good with details. So if the position the candidate is applying for is a very detailed, such as accounting or any detailed work, then the close set eyes would indicate this ability. It takes more than one trait to qualify for the job. However that is one trait that would be helpful to know about the candidate.

  • Living learning experiences faciltator 
Vancouver, British Columbia Canada 
Perry Moore
    Posted by Perry Moore, Vancouver, British Columbia Canada | Jul 21, 2011

    Great information for Businesses and if we flip it around great information for the productive employee looking for the right company to give their all to. In interviews the focus by both the company and potential employeee is usually on the Resume and the stuff that can be measurered, where success for both parties is in the human emotional stuff; a breakdown 1. Culture fit: Micromanagement or empowerment, bottom line or best for world, flexible and innovative or intrangent and backward looking. 2. Team fit: Diversity or same, forward or apathetic, flexible or hierarchy, paper or inperson, sharing or isolated. 3. Skill fit: Imposed structure or new adaptions, Hardskill or softskill focus, viewed as Clog or individual. Rigid or open how things get done, hard work or smart work, use some or all skills. 4. Interest fit: lowest or highest 5. Behaviour fit: Rules or support, Actions matching promotion. open communication or closed communication, stricly business or some life sharing allowed 6. Selection fit: Work situation not matching the hype during hiring. Or human resources manager/hirer not knowing what the other managers are like to work with/for.

    companies need to be a company that attracts the right people, has them working in the position that best utilizes their hard and soft skills plus emotions and can be a company that keeps these employees, especially when the ecomomy is good and people have options.

  • CEO 
Blairsville, Georgia 
Elizabeth Dyer
    Posted by Elizabeth Dyer, Blairsville, Georgia | Jul 21, 2011

    Great article. This is something I will keep on file when looking for new recruits.

    It also puts me in mind of one of my clients. This man wants someone to come in and do everything but hires person after person to fill a job that they don't have the skills for....He went through 4 secretaries in 2 months. They all quit b/c he didn't have the time or knowledge to train them. He's running his company in the ground and he wants to blame everyone else.

    I myself hope to lose him as a client. Imagine that, hoping to lose a client in a bad economy.

  • Speaker and Career Assessments 
Petaluma, California 
Naomi Tickle
    Posted by Naomi Tickle, Petaluma, California | Jul 21, 2011

    If your client is hiring people who have a narrow face and close set eyes, they will be over whelmed by taking on too many tasks at once. Plus the narrow faced individual gains their confidence through know, so they need the support to help them get through those anxious moments. Whereas wide faced individuals and wide set eyes, are the multitaskers and fake it til they make it.

  • Managment / Personnel Consultant 
Renton, Washington 
Grant Robinson
    Posted by Grant Robinson, Renton, Washington | Jul 22, 2011

    Thank you all for the feedback. I appreciate it. Great comments.

    Especially Bruce. You are right on the cost of a bad sales or management hire. Studies have shown it is 1.5 to 2.5 times the person's salary.

  • business consultant 
phoenix, Arizona 
kevin kemper
    Posted by kevin kemper, phoenix, Arizona | Sep 12, 2011

    Sorry; I don't buy your stats; plz give the source.

    I claim the opposite.

  • Managment / Personnel Consultant 
Renton, Washington 
Grant Robinson
    Posted by Grant Robinson, Renton, Washington | Sep 13, 2011

    Kevin:

    I'm not sure what stats you disagree with but they are all sourced in my "7 Secrets of Building Your Most Productive & Profitable Staff Ever" Free Online Video.

    You can watch the video at www.HowToHireTheRightPeople.com.

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