Crush Toxic Hires: Your Recruiting Process Can Build a Positive Work Culture

Now that the “Big Quit” has become the “Big Stay,” companies are zeroing in on creating positive work environments where employees can grow and thrive. This is good news for HR, as a toxic workplace can hinder recruitment, retention and more.

In fact, recent iHire research shows that 71.7% of candidates believe a positive work environment is a critical aspect of their next job. At the same time, a toxic workplace was the top reason people left jobs in 2023.

Fostering a positive work environment begins with recruiting – it takes just one bad hire, poor practice or inefficient process to begin an organization’s decline into a toxic workplace. For example, suppose you hastily hire an unqualified candidate who makes numerous costly errors during their first week. This demotivates their team, who must spend additional time correcting issues.

Or suppose you rush through the onboarding process, leaving your new hire second-guessing their decision to work for you. They then approach their job with a negative attitude that makes other employees feel uneasy and unproductive, eventually impacting your work environment at large.

Let’s look at how you can support a non-toxic company culture and positive work environment during each phase of the recruiting cycle.

Recruiting Preparation

Your employer brand has the power to attract the right candidates whose values align with yours. Since your job posting is likely the first touchpoint a candidate makes with your brand, you’ll need to describe your culture concisely and compellingly.

For example, you might say: A nationally recognized top workplace, ABC Company boasts an organizational culture based on a shared mission and mutual respect. We are a growth-focused, core values-driven company, and we pride ourselves on being transparent, accountable, innovative and committed. Be sure to include an accurate job description, benefits information, a competitive salary range and an equal opportunity employer statement in your ad.

AI-powered recruiting tools can attract top candidates with prompts to write inclusive job descriptions. Some applicant tracking systems (ATS) on the market include employer branding features.

Aside from your job posting, look at how your employer brand is reflected in your social media channels, career pages and profiles on job boards. Emphasize your core values, mission and culture through testimonials from current employees, photos, videos, “Top Workplaces” award recognition, and details about your diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Sourcing and Screening

When posting your job ad, tap into reputable talent pools to increase your chances of finding a hire that will contribute to your thriving culture. For instance, industry-focused or niche job boards tend to bring in high-quality, growth-minded applicants who are invested in their careers and prospective employers, versus people who just want a paycheck.

Alternatively, referrals and internal promotions or lateral moves can yield candidates already familiar with your work environment and expectations. Also, consider underserved communities to diversify your workforce and positively enrich your culture.

When reviewing applicants with ATS, look for red flags on resumes like gaps in employment, brief bouts of employment and career progress that seems too fast or doesn’t align in a logical way with the experience laid out on the resume. However, keep in mind that job-hopping and non-traditional career trajectories have become more common, so dig deeper into the reasons behind this behavior when warranted.

As applicants roll in, deliver a positive candidate experience by communicating with everyone in a timely and courteous manner. Dragging out the recruiting process leaves a negative impression of your brand and the type of workplace you want to cultivate, which eventual hires can bring with them on day one.

Interviewing and Selection

Do your diligence to narrow your talent pool to the right person. Set expectations from the get-go by being clear about what the job entails and what it’s like to work at your company. For front-runners, always check references, and when appropriate, conduct skills assessments using real-life work scenarios.

There are several platforms on the market for conducting skills assessments. The best choice for your organization will depend on your specific needs and budget. Do your own research to find the platform that best suits your requirements.

When interviewing, ask behavioral questions to identify signs of a potentially toxic employee and determine how well the candidate upholds your values and expected behaviors. Here are a few sample behavioral interview questions to ask and the types of answers that raise red flags:

• Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a co-worker. What was causing the conflict? Did you resolve it, and were you able to establish a good working relationship in the end? Listen for blame and a lack of commitment to resolving the issues, both of which can contribute to a toxic workplace.
• Tell me about a time when you felt your workload was unreasonable. How did you approach the situation with your leadership? Was the situation resolved? Listen for finger-pointing and a lack of accountability — also harbingers of a toxic workplace.

If conducting panel interviews, invite associates from different departments to participate. This gives the candidate a glimpse into how your team interacts, brings a variety of perspectives to the table, and helps assess how the candidate fits with your culture (and adds to or enhances it).

Hiring and Onboarding

Make a fair and fast offer to your top candidate, providing details about compensation, benefits and contingencies. Address concerns, answer questions, ease any anxieties the new hire may have and maintain contact until their first day.

The cost of a bad hire can be as much as 30% of that person’s first-year salary, so ensure you and your candidate are making the right decision.

Next, move to a thorough, organized and welcoming onboarding process, as this will set the tone for how well your new hire integrates with your culture and environment. Share a detailed plan in which you lay out what the new hire will specifically achieve and learn the first day, week, weeks and even months. Provide key contacts and an organizational chart so your new hire knows where to turn for certain tasks and information, and demonstrate different communication channels to foster transparency.

To begin building trust and fostering relationships, hold a welcome lunch or coffee break with the new hire’s immediate team. Assign them a “buddy” – a mentor aside from their manager – who can help them get acclimated to day-to-day work life and answer their burning questions.

During onboarding and beyond, continue to emphasize desired behaviors, expectations, practices and values. Enable multiple feedback channels, such as anonymous surveys, focus groups and stay interviews to determine what’s working and how you can improve your recruiting process to support your culture goals.

If you provide a positive candidate experience throughout the recruiting cycle as you vet the right hire, new employees will reciprocate and carry that sentiment through their tenure with your organization. This will help create a positive work environment and rewarding culture that retains top talent for years to come.