The Real Cost of a Bad Hire

When the wrong person gets the job, it costs more than just money.

Most businesses underestimate how expensive a bad hire really is. It's not just the salary or the recruitment spend, it's the time, the disruption, the lost productivity and the cost of starting all over again.

Hiring the wrong person doesn’t just hit your budget. It hits your team, your time, and your momentum.

So… what does a bad hire really cost your business?

1. Let’s Talk Numbers

According to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), the cost of a bad hire earning £30,000 a year can be as much as £132,000.

Yes, £132,000. Here’s where that figure comes from:

• Wasted salary & benefits

• Time spent onboarding & training

• Manager time lost to supervision or course correction

• Drop in team morale & productivity

• Delays in delivering business outcomes

• Replacement recruitment costs

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Even for lower-salaried roles, the average cost of a bad hire is estimated between £10,000–£25,000 once you factor in real-world disruptions.

2. How Bad Hires Happen

Most poor hires come down to one of two problems:

• Bad match: The role wasn’t accurately advertised or the candidate was a poor cultural/skill fit.

• Rushed process: CVs weren’t screened properly or interviews weren’t structured to catch red flags.

  
  

The truth? It often starts with a poor job advert or an unclear recruitment process.

3. Prevention > Cure

The best way to avoid the cost of a bad hire is to build a better hiring process from the start.

That’s where Better Job Adverts comes in:

✅ Professional, high-converting job adverts

✅ Advertised on targeted, relevant job boards

✅ Pre-screening tools to weed out poor fits

✅ Transparent pricing, no inflated recruiter fees

We help you attract the right candidates and filter out the ones that don’t fit, before you waste hours interviewing the wrong people.

4. Time Is Money

Hiring is one of the most expensive things your business does, even when it goes right. But when it goes wrong, you’re not just back to square one. You're behind.

Avoiding one bad hire can save you more than any recruitment budget cut ever could. And avoiding five? That’s business-critical.

5. You Don’t Need a Recruitment Agency to Get it Right

Traditional agencies charge a percentage of salary and still don’t guarantee a great hire.

With Better Job Adverts, you stay in control:

• Fixed, affordable packages

• Targeted ad distribution

• Support with screening, interview setup, and even rejections

No commission. No lock-ins. No surprises.

Bad hires cost more than you think. Make your next one count, without the recruiter markup.👉 See our pricing or talk to our team about your next hire today.