You probably already know that hiring the right people for your business is crucial to getting the job done, but did you know that hiring the wrong candidate can be detrimental in ways other than day-to-day operations? A bad hire can not only cause a loss in productivity, but he or she can also lead to a bevy of additional problems, many of which are unforeseen until they make themselves known.

The Potential for a Lawsuit

A bad hire can cause legal trouble. The sad fact is, there are people out there who look for any potential opportunity to sue. These people then apply for jobs, gets jobs, and then either intent ally cause incidents that can be litigated or they may even seek out employment with the sole purpose of finding problems over which they can sue. When these incidents happen, they can cost your business thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions of dollars.

Late Employees Cost Money

Everyone runs late from time to time. Traffic, sick children, and other factors can cause lateness, and for most employers, this is understood and not a big deal; however, some employees are perpetually late, leading to lost productivity and increased costs for employers. A potential sign that a candidate is the wrong match is if he or she is late to the initial interview. Yes, things happen, but one would think that being on time to the first interview would lead a candidate to go out of his or her way to show up early enough that tardiness would not occur. The bottom line? If candidates or employees are late on a regular basis, it’s going to affect sales.

Check Out a Candidate’s Background

One major problem that employers face when hiring is dishonesty about a candidate’s skills or experience. Many job seekers try to trump up their skills on a resume in order to obtain employment, but once hired, it becomes obvious that those skills are not present. In order to weed out unqualified candidates, discuss specifics about skills and experience in the interview to see if a candidate really knows what he or she is talking about. Also, do a background check with prior employers and institutions of higher learning to see if a candidate really has the credentials that he or she has provided.

Becoming Lazy

Another concern is that many employees become complacent, and even lazy, after being hired. A candidate who seems like the right choice might start slacking off once he or she becomes comfortable with the job. In order to combat this, have employees take part in routine performance evaluations. Check to see where productivity is, has been, and is expected to go. An employee who has experienced a major decline in productivity may be getting lazy. Of course, he or she may also have other issues going on that are causing a decline in productivity, so make sure to address and ongoing concerns in order to resolve them quickly. This may mean a change in the employee’s schedule or workload, or it may mean getting rid of the employee altogether.