Losing an employee is never easy. If the employee is a high-performer, there is the obvious loss of productivity and capability in the organization. If the employee is a poor performer, there is management’s loss of effort, frustration, stress, and the negative effect on other employees. The loss of high and poor performers impacts customer service and drains bottom-line profits, but for different reasons.

Especially when the employee’s departure comes a few months after being hired, you naturally ask, “How could this have been prevented?” To answer this question, begin by carefully examining how the individual was hired. Many times mistakes are made and tough questions went unanswered. To reduce future turnover, there must be “no compromise” in hiring.

Had you clearly defined the position? Begin your examination to determine what caused this termination by making sure you clearly knew what was needed for the position. Had you clearly defined the duties, responsibilities, expected level of performance, compensation, and career growth potential of the position? Was it clear to you and to others who interviewed the individual?

Did the candidate fully understand the position before accepting it? Having a clear understanding of the position and, most

importantly, what I call a “realistic job perspective” before making the commitment to join the company is obviously important. Not everything about a job is positive and it is best if candidates understand the frustrations, difficulties, and problems they will encounter before accepting the position. Having this realistic understanding beforehand can go a long way in helping to eliminate or reduce disillusionment when inevitable problems or difficulties occur.

Did you clearly know the values, attitudes, and capabilities needed to be successful in the job? With entry-level jobs, physical capabilities such as strength, mobility, dexterity, as well as, basic knowledge and skills may be foremost. However, higher level positions, such as management or possibly sales involve working with others, which requires people and problem solving skills. Were the attributes needed for success clearly defined?

There are many attributes required for success in positions such as sales that are less easily quantified. Characteristics, such as age, education, industry experience, and even education, may not be good indications of the ability to be successful in a sales position. The invisible characteristics, such as ability to endure rejection, goal focus or a drive for results, and extroversion, are examples of characteristics that make up the attributes needed for success in certain sales positions. These attributes even vary between sales position in the same company. A person with the attributes of strong drive and competitiveness to opening new accounts may not have the patience and attention to detail needed to manage a major account

How well did the individual match attributes needed for position? Many times very capable and highly motivated individuals fail not because of a lack of effort or a lack of overall ability, but because their capability or attributes do not match the needs of the position. The better the candidate fits the position, the easier he or she will have in being successful in a position. The less an individual fits the position, the more management has to do in terms of training, development, and management for the individual to succeed. If the fit or match is poor, management may not be able to do enough.

Did you interview and examine past performance thoroughly? Past performance is the best indication of future performance because behavioral patterns tend to repeat themselves. If an individual performed poorly and did not stay long in previous positions, no matter how well he or she presents himself or herself in the interview, without a dramatic change, usually brought on by a significant life event, future performance will continue about the same.

Today, unfortunately, many applicants are becoming better at interviewing than the interviewer. To avoid being misled, use multiple interviews by multiple managers, and, if possible, on multiple days. Did this person have multiple in-depth interviews to uncover their true past performance?

It may be tempting to say, “With today’s tight labor market, we can’t afford to take this much time because they will get a job somewhere else first.” Recently, a manager for a company that just opened a

operation in my home town, related that for one position they attracted 175 applicants, most of whom were experienced, to fill 40 jobs. Those who passed the initial screening interview, came back for another interview and battery of tests. The survivors then interviewed with three different managers. A total of five interviews and a battery of tests may sound like a lot of time and effort, however, with this company it results in one of the highest levels of customer service and lowest level of turnover of servers in the restaurant industry. Every effort was made to ensure there were no compromises. The effort expended made the job and company even more attractive to the employees.

Did you verify the individual’s background and performance thoroughly? Even multiple interviews can’t uncover every potential problem. Use thorough and comprehensive reference checks to verify the performance claimed by the candidate during the interview. Get beyond the several hand-picked references which say only “good things” and never mention the real problems. Was the individual’s performance verified with supervisors at each of their previous positions. Confirm credentials, such as education and certifications by asking for or obtaining tangible proof. Conduct felony conviction checks and if required drug tests and physicals. Ensure all red flags are clarified fully to eliminate potential “negligent hiring” claims.

Did you fully complete the hiring process before making your hiring decision? Did you check to be sure everything had been done and no steps omitted, such as reference checks? Don’t allow yourself to make a decision until everything has been done. If you have

already made up your mind to hire an individual, you may overlook or rationalize problems, especially during the verification or reference checking, that may later turn out to be tell-tale indications of a situation or problem that will come back to haunt.

Did you ensure there were no compromises? When I talk to managers about why an employee was lost, especially due to poor performance, usually it is not a surprise because they had a question or concern about hiring them in the first place. If there is any question or concern, the answer to the hiring question needs to be “No.”

When you look at how much effort it takes to orient an employee, acclimate them to the organization, train and develop the specific skills needed, and manage their performance, it is not wise to compromise in hiring. To find out if you are compromising ask “Do I feel comfortable trusting the candidate to pay my salary?” If not, pass and spend time finding more candidates. In reality, those we hire, indirectly, pay our salaries and pave the way for our future with their performance.

The better job you do of hiring, the easier it will be to train and manage the employee. Learn from those who leave, even though the lesson may be painful, and apply this valuable knowledge the next time you hire. The next person you hire determines your future.