I hear it all the time – companies don’t want to use assessments because they fear it will cause high candidate abandonment. Or they test management positions but would never think about giving an assessment to an entry-level employee. Another common objection: “It is a tight labor market, and we just need to hire someone – anyone.” If that sounds like you, let me ask you this:
If you promised customers a high-quality product, but your supplier could only get you a similar, but lower quality one – would you still sell it? In the restaurant industry this could mean promising customers prime beef while only having access to select grade. In retail, this might mean selling a damaged product for full price, or in healthcare, organizations using equipment which compromises safety and quality care. In most cases, the answer would be “absolutely not!” So why would anyone accept hiring an employee who did not meet their standards for quality people?
Photo by Louis Hansel on Unsplash
Pre-employment assessments save manager time by screening out candidates who are unlikely to be successful; but the right assessments can do so much more for your business and culture. Assessments should be directly linked to improved business results. For restaurants, this means reduced food/product waste, re-fires, and comped meals, and increased per person check average and customer satisfaction scores. For retailers and distributors, this translates to less employee theft and damaged product, and increased order accuracy and speed. In healthcare, maintaining hiring standards translates to a consistent patient experience, greater accuracy in medical records and billing, and less medical errors.
Candidates who meet your standards earn the loyalty of your stakeholders, build commitment within your team, and have the potential for growth. This is why the right hiring assessments move you closer to reaching your intended business results.
Your people are the hearts, hands, and faces of your brand – the ones responsible for delivering your customer experience. Why risk hiring employees who do not meet your standards or are not capable of consistently delivering your intended customer experience? Poor execution not only makes customers less likely to return, but also harms the employee experience as strong performers manage higher workloads and greater stress to compensate for poor hires, increasing turnover even further. Both of these things negatively impact your ability to earn a profit. In fact, Harvard Business Review noted that 80% of turnover is caused by bad hiring decisions – and turning over an hourly employee can cost you about $1,500 (and that’s a conservative estimate). Even if your turnover rate is a low 20%, that cost adds up quickly – and it is difficult to measure all the ways a poor performer affects operations and the performance of your other team members. So, if using an assessment as part of your hiring process can improve your confidence in making the right hiring decision, reduce turnover, build work environments that make your employees excited to come to work each day, and increase business financial results – isn’t it worth it?