What to do if you make a bad hire

After a long search, you’ve hired someone to fill a vital position in your charity. Their CV was spot on, their interview flawless, and they had all the skills needed for the role.

And yet, a few weeks in, you can tell something’s not quite right. Maybe your new employee isn’t meshing with co-workers, or their work isn’t up to scratch and other employees are having to pick up the slack.

Instead of solving problems, your new employee is the problem.

Hiring the right person for a role is never easy, but what do you do when you realise that the person you hired isn’t the right fit for the organisation?

Here are 4 tips for dealing with a bad hire.

1. Get your facts straight

The first question to ask is whether the problems you see are just teething problems, or whether they reflect something deeper and more long-term. It’s important to speak to their team members, to get a comprehensive picture of what is going wrong, and why.

Speak to the new recruit’s direct manager and colleagues and get their take on it.

Speak to their line manager, HR, your onboarding team, and those responsible for training and discuss possible solutions.

Take the time to analyse and understand the feedback you’ve had from other team members: what are the higher-level insights, what isn’t working — and why?

2. Do some soul searching

Time for some soul searching: are you giving new recruits the support they really need? Could it be that this ‘bad hire’ is struggling because of you and not them?

Look back over your new hire’s application to help you understand where any mismatch of expectations might have come from.

3. Be honest with the new hire

“Bad hires” deserve honesty, too. No one likes surprises, so the employee needs to understand that they are not meeting expectations.

Share your concerns with them honestly but respectfully. You never know, they may be aware of the issues and be feeling the same way.

If it feels right, explore solutions that might satisfy you both.

4. Make sure you have a probation period in place

It might sound obvious, but this is exactly what probation periods are for.

Most employment contracts open with a clear period of time during which you can support your new recruit and find out whether they can succeed. Three months is a recommended trial period.

Spare yourself the cost of a bad hire by outsourcing

One of the most difficult tasks for any company is hiring new employees. Not only can it be a time-consuming process that detracts from your core focus, but it can be hard to know how to find the right candidate for your position and culture. That’s where we come in.

We can help you attract, select, and hire top candidates. We can act as an extension of your charity and handle all or part of the recruiting process.

If outsourcing your recruitment seems like the right move for your charity, give us a call on 0203 750 3111