General
Hire Slow Fire Fast
In this article, we will be covering...
Nearly 3 in 4 employers say they’ve hired the wrong person for a position
Slow To Hire, Quick To Fire
- Once a year, Amazon fulfillment centers offer full-time employees up to $5,000 to quit
- One caveat: Those who quit can never work at Amazon again
- “We want people working at Amazon who want to be here” – Melanie Etches, Amazon spokesperson
- In December 2021, Better.com fired 900 employees on a zoom call
- The move was called harsh by many on social media
- “Today, we acknowledge that we overhired and hired the wrong people, and in doing that, we failed.” – Vishal Garg, CEO of Better.com
What Does Hire Slow, Fire Fast Really Mean?
- Hire Slow
- Don’t just replace the last person that left. Give yourself time and try to:
- Carefully consider you needs and expectations
- Draft a new job description based on business goals
- Describe the skills and attributes needed for long-term success
- Consider how well candidates will compliment team dynamics
- Don’t just replace the last person that left. Give yourself time and try to:
- Fire Fast
- Firing doesn’t have to be extreme. Sometimes you just hire the wrong person
- Try to:
- Do forgive mistakes, but don’t keep an employee who’s a bad fit
- Think of firing as hiring mistake and confront it head-on
- Focus on the long-term benefits, not immediate needs
- Approach employees with compassion and aid their transition
- Hire Slow, Fire Fast Doesn’t Mean
- Hiring the right person when you find them
- Take time to consider, don’t just hire them because they were early to apply
- Expecting the perfect hire to drop into your lap
- Most employees that fit your criteria can be trained to be excellent in their role
- Firing employees on a whim
- Fire fast is not a replacement training, coaching, or changing roles to better suit a good employee
- Having overly exacting expectations
- Selective hiring is a luxury, you still need to build a company where people want to work
- Hiring the right person when you find them
Hiring And Firing At The Right Speed:
- Why It Works
- Maintains positivity and corporate culture
- Build teams that naturally work well together
- Find employees who happily meet your requirements
- Ensure company success
- Minimize bureaucracy and bloat
- Keeps company agile
- Better long-term success for all
- If an employee is a bad fit, they won’t be happy staying
- Don’t make the team suffer for 1 employee
- Maintains positivity and corporate culture
In November 2021, 4.5 million people voluntarily left their jobs
Hiring slowly is more important than ever
Sources:
- https://www.talentlyft.com/en/blog/article/364/top-50-hiring-and-recruitment-statistics-for-2020
- https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/21/why-amazon-pays-employees-5000-to-quit.html
- https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59554585
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/04/14/hire-slow-and-fire-fast-why-leaders-should-heed-this-advice/?sh=5d7c3854573c
- https://medium.com/intangible-agile/fire-fast-hire-slow-is-pure-garbage-come-at-me-62eb485a22ee
- https://hbr.org/2014/03/hire-slow-fire-fast
- https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/01/14/the-great-resignation-data-and-analysis-show-its-not-as-great-as-screaming-headlines-suggest/
