As a hiring manager, it's frustrating to fill an opening only for the candidate to fall through after a few months on the job. But your frustration and wasted effort aren't the only costs of a bad mechanical hire — in fact, a bad hire can cost your company tens of thousands of dollars. To avoid the potential repercussions of a poor hiring decision, it's important that you take the time to find the right candidate and use helpful hiring resources to make the process as smooth as possible.

The impact of a bad mechanical hire is widespread. When a worker underperforms, it often falls to his co-workers to pick up the slack. This leads to lost productivity, increased stress and often excessive overtime. Coworkers who attempt to pitch in when they are fatigued or inadequately trained can create serious safety issues. This can result in lost-time injuries and increase your liability and workers comp costs. It's a lose-lose scenario

The Actual Costs

The costs of a bad hire can be as much as 30% of the employee's first year compensation.  And that's just the beginning. To understand the negative potential of a bad hire, it's important to examine the costs of onboarding a new employee. Initially, there are the expenses associated with the new hire paperwork, including background checks, drug screenings, and human resources costs. However, these expenses can dramatically increase once the employee begins working for your company.

This holds particularly true in mechanical occupations that often require extensive training. You'll foot the bill for the employee's training costs, which can amount to thousands of dollars during the course of their training period. Due to the specialized skills required to complete the work, mechanical employees are often highly paid compared to other entry-level occupations. Once you add the cost of their benefits and salary packages, you're looking at a five-figure bill for a bad hire.  This is before considering the costs that can be generated by safety issues. A bad mechanical hire can increase the risk of workplace injuries; an issue that costs US companies as much as $62 billion per year.

How to Avoid a Bad Hire

The first step towards mitigating this risk is rethinking your hiring process. With a candidate-driven market, many hiring managers are pressured to make a quick decision. With an effective hiring structure, you can make the most of the time you have. For instance, screen your employees with a recorded video interview, phone interview, or Skype interview. This will help cut down on your interview time overall. Additional options include:

• Creating a list of your top requirements for the position and prioritizing them according to needs/wants;
• Taking the candidates to lunch to allow them to meet their potential coworkers and supervisors; or
• Evaluating candidates for a cultural fit

If you need advice on effective hiring strategies or a partner who can identify candidates for you, contact the experts at Bear Staffing. We can screen for your required skill sets, evaluate the applicant's cultural fit, and ensure that you're presented with the best possible candidates for the position.