Something that we see a lot of businesses struggling with is “burning” through their new hires. A revolving door of team members. And there are CEOs feeling like they need to be prepared to constantly hire {and fire} people. I think this happens mainly to employers that don’t have a great track record of retaining contractors/employees. And on a subconscious level, these employers anticipate that the new hire is going to underperform and essentially set the relationship up so it’s Dead On Arrival. Truthfully though, it’s not supposed to be like this– the contestant hiring and firing and the aforementioned revolving door of people. (Does that sound exhausting? It is!)

And if you’re reading this thinking “yikes is she talking about me?”– know that I’m not here to shame you, but rather to invite you to take real accountability not just to your team, but for your own peace of mind! You don’t want to be the “turner and burner” or whatever expression is appropriate here.

What causes the rapid-fire turnover:

It comes from a) lack of clarity of your needs b) lack of hiring strategy c) weak or nonexistent onboarding and leadership practices. We see many very successful business owners who are so strong at so many aspects of their business– but this part is really holding them back from the next level. Luckily, there are folks, like us at Meg K & Co, who can help you focus in on your hiring strategy.

Here’s why shaping up here matters:

– While it may feel easier to quickly hire and then fire people when it doesn’t feel 100%, it’s not ethical. And whenever we have the opportunity to set folks up for success, we should do it.

– Poor hiring/retention is hurting your bottom line- big time (especially if you are a smaller business with a lean team)! The time and money spent on onboarding new people and the cost of delaying getting actual work done.

– And from a culture standpoint, it’s depressing. And you’ll burn out from not having the *consistent* support you need.

Here’s what to do to stop burning through new hires

– Get really intentional about your hiring plan– create roles within your org chart (starting with what’s most urgent and build from there). Avoid the urge to hire multiple people at once– at least at first with brand new roles (or if you’re restructuring)

– Do an intentional, strategic, and ethical hiring process (shameless plug: our agency builds the roles with you and does the heavy lifting of screening and interviewing- getting you the best and most aligned candidates for your company and the role that the market has to offer– check us out here + schedule a free consult call with moi)

– Sharpen your leadership and management skills. Give candidates at least 90 days and have a PLAN to support them, with metrics, conversations, and all that (shameless plug 2: for ongoing management support, check out Set to Scale- I’m a coach in there!)

– I also recommend getting set up with strong company policies and new employee orientations to set the tone from DAY 1- (I’m a big fan of The Paradigm’s 90 Day Intensive to get your policies written by a pro and so much more! My clients who do this intensive are set up well– there’s something really powerful about doing employee onboarding and policies right the first time instead of doubling back and correcting everything) The team over at Employ and Relate does great work, too.

Sometimes our intentions don’t matter if our impact is harmful

I don’t want to believe that employers are swapping people in and out of roles on purpose (because it’s not kind to the employees and causes turmoil for companies). I want (or maybe choose) to believe that employers mean well but don’t have the skills or strategy to shape up and have a productive hiring/onboarding/retention experience. (Please tell me y’all are trying your best, okay?) But even if you’re trying your best, you can’t continue like this. It’s not serving you and it’s certainly not serving the recruits. BUT here’s the truth of it, if you are bringing people into your company, you are responsible for their experience and the impact (good or bad) you have on them as their employer. If you’re causing harm, sometimes the intent doesn’t really matter.

And all of this to say, that with a strong hiring and onboarding plan, if you go through the motions after 60-90 days doing the appropriate management steps, if by *then* it’s not working out, you can be so confident that you did what you were supposed to do as a business owner and leader. And this is the best way that you can get consistent support without burning through candidates and burning yourself out.

So my advice is to slow down, take a breath, and build your team infrastructure. And you build from there. If feels hard, get help from the specialists. You are great at many things– and it’s normal to need support here. Go get it and set yourself up for the most success for you and your team. You can learn more about our Done For You Hiring + our Hiring course here.