Happy Halloween! It's that time of the year: goblins, ghosts and spooks in the night showing their stuff. My childhood memories include bobbing for apples, scary masks and lots of peanut butter cups, candy corn, tootsie rolls and butterfingers. As an adult working in office environments, it has been clear that some co-workers didn't have to dress up as ghosts and zombies; that was their year-round persona. Any of those routinely floating around your office? I sincerely hope you are not dealing with Jekylls and Hydes.

The occasional horror movie is okay, but nothing is scarier than hiring someone who appears to be an ideal fit and then finding out straightaway that he or she is a frightening nightmare. Would you believe there are organizations that use frightening hiring practices on a daily basis? Those practices can really spook an organization. Not sure how? Well, here's a few thoughts.

Frightening employees cost real money
Turnover costs are considerable. On average, 25% of annual compensation to replace on employee. How about recruiting, interviewing, travel and onboarding costs, as well as lost time on the job, either when it was vacant or when someone had to let other tasks go to train the new employee? This is all part of the expense an organization encounters when someone leaves.

Frightening employees drive up turnover
High turnover has many origins; however, one giant gremlin is stress. It causes 40% of all job turnovers. And, what causes stress? It happens most when the individual does not fit the job, their manager, or the organization's culture.

Frightening employees dampen productivity
Everyone suffers when workers have to cover for a co-worker that can't or won't do their job properly. The competent workers become distracted and disillusioned and the incompetent workers cause havoc by making mistakes, falling behind and draining managers who don't trust them to produce.

Frightening employees cause casualties
We're talking ancillary costs to your organization. As has been noted by the experts, immensely more money goes to existing workers' compensation claims than to preventing the problems in the first place. Organizations spend billions on these claims.

So what can an organization do to prevent scary, suspenseful hiring? Best-in-class organizations employ a strategic approach to selection and hiring by putting in place a concrete policy and following the process with every candidate. Their strategic plan includes a key tactic: regularly implementing behavioral and skill assessments to provide consistent, objective information on the candidate; along with reports to help their managers better interview and select the right person.
 

• Making a job offer based only on gut instincts
• Delay in hiring after you find the best candidate
• Recruiting people just like you
• Failing to check references and other information on resume or application
• Picking the first candidate who walks in the door
• Talking too much and failing to listen
• Hiring based on your comfort zone rather than candidate's qualifications
• Searching in too small a pool
• Asking questions about marital status, number of children, religion, race
• Asking questions that require only a "yes" or "no" answer

Enjoying a good mystery is best left for the movies. At the office, you don't want to confront a mystery and deal with fear of the unknown. Understanding what your firm is facing is far more constructive and calming. 

Today's takeaway: Avert uncertainties. Don't hire blood-curdling employees who onboard as Dr. Jekyll and perform as Mr. Hyde. The success of tomorrow is dependent on the people you hire and develop today.