7 Steps To Prevent Dangerous Hiring Practices

With all of the recent news about mass shootings, have you ever stopped to think about how you would respond if you had advance notice of a similar pending tragedy and had the time to avert it? Would you step in and prevent the crisis? What if this exact same danger is coming from your hiring practices?

Proverbs & Business Practices!

I have been going back through the book of Proverbs with my “business glasses” on. I have been looking for business truths that we can apply to our business. If you have never done this, I strongly recommend that you try it. If you would rather let someone else do that and tell you about it, then keep reading!

I recently posted about terminating employees in a Christian business. One of the comments I received turned the focus away from the termination process and to the hiring process. I think this was a tremendous insight and one that I would like to pursue further – with help from Proverbs!

Dangerous Hiring Practices?

Take a look at this following verse from Proverbs. Have you ever taken your hiring practices this seriously?

The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by is like an archer who wounds everyone.
Proverbs 26:10

While many of the Proverbs I read can require deep thinking, this one is simple. It basically says that your hiring practices are critical and should not be approached lightly. In the same way as a loose cannon, your hiring practices can cause serious damage to everyone around you.

Have You Experienced This?

Think about it. You have hired people in the past that created more trouble than they were worth. You have worked with people that simply could not do the job and the resulting chaos made doing your job more difficult. We have all experienced this to one degree or another.

However, have you ever compared the individual making the poor hiring decisions to someone guilty of a mass shooting like this verse in Proverbs? Have you ever really thought about how dangerous it really is to have poor hiring practices?

Potential Damages

Stop right now and think about all of the damage that can occur to your business from the hiring of just one bad employee. To help you along, I have a brief starter list of potential damages below you should consider:

• good employees/co-workers quit and leave
• good employees/co-workers quit and stay
• theft of time, money, creative assets
• overall morale drops
• overall productivity falls off
• public reputation is tainted or even ruined
• time, money, and effort is wasted on training and re-training
• relations with vendors, suppliers, financial institutions, etc. suffer
• and on and on…

Serious Damages!

If you spent some time reflecting back on your own experience, I am sure you could double or even triple the number of items on this list. If you really want to rub salt in the wound, start assigning dollar values to each damage on the list!

Unfortunately, the business practice of hiring new employees is too often undervalued and, in some cases, even ignored. If this verse from Proverbs is any indication, then your hiring practices must receive your full attention!

Preventing Dangerous Hiring Practices In 7 Steps

In an effort to give you some quick and simple steps to improve your hiring practices, I offer the following 7 steps to improving this part of your business.

1. Recognize The Importance Of Solid Hiring Practices

Read that verse from Proverbs again. If you don’t believe it is true, stop reading now. If you think it is an exaggeration, save some time and move on to another article. I don’t think anything else you will read here will be helpful.

If, on the other hand, you get it and realize you may have let your hiring practices slip from the top of your priority list, then read on. Regardless of whether you have ever hired before or not, please heed this verse. Burn this image into your mind and do not let it fade.

2. Communicate This Focus With Your Staff

Recognizing the importance of your hiring practices will not do you any good if your staff has no idea you feel this way. You must consistently remind them of the importance of hiring the RIGHT people. You must not simply tell them – they must understand what you are telling them.

3. Reinforce This Focus With Your Actions

Telling them, even consistently, is not enough. It is not enough for them to fully understand how important this is to you. They also must see the priority you place on hiring practices reinforced by your actions. You cannot tell them it is important to you and then turn around and fail to make yourself available for the final interviews you agreed to conduct.

4. Map Your Process

Put it in writing. Let everyone involved know the specific role they play in the hiring process as well as the associated expectations. Make sure every member of the team is clear on the process.

5. Evaluate Your Process

You will still make mistakes. Track your results over time and then evaluate those results alongside the process. Are you getting the results you desire? If not, is the problem with the process or the execution?

6. Improve Your Process

Don’t allow yourself or your team to get stuck in the rut that says “We’ve always done it this way.” As you note problems with the process, tweak it. If the problems are too deep, then break it and start over. The bottom line is that you must be looking for continuous improvement.

7. Don’t Forget Step #1

You are in the

people business

regardless of your industry. If you are not the only employee in your company, then your hiring practices must receive your attention. Whenever in doubt, refer back to #1.

Hopefully, you have gained a new respect for the critical nature of hiring practices in your organization. While I have always known hiring was an important part of what we do, I must admit the verse from Proverbs has caused me to step up my thinking here.

Rate the strength of your hiring practices from 1-10.

Are you satisfied with the results you are getting?

If not, what needs to change?