Most hiring managers know instinctively when a hire hasn’t worked out. What they’re often less aware of is just how much that failure truly costs the business. Beyond the salary paid during employment, a bad hire drains productivity, damages team morale, delays critical projects, and triggers the cost of an entirely new recruitment cycle. Research consistently shows that a single mis-hire at a mid-level position can be extraordinarily expensive when all factors are accounted for. So what can organisations do differently? Here are five evidence-backed strategies.