The Hidden Costs of a Bad Hire: When Job Fit Goes Wrong - 21 September 2026

Unfair dismissal accounts for a significant share of referrals to the CCMA, raising important questions about recruitment, job fit and workplace management. In this conversation, Industrial Psychologist Ashleigh Nel, Head of Research and Development at Job Jack, explores how a poor job fit can contribute to absenteeism, disciplinary action, staff turnover and repeated hiring. The discussion looks at the hidden costs of a bad hire, including the impact on productivity, workplace relationships and business operations. Ashleigh also unpacks the role of pay, working hours, transport, workplace safety and management in employee retention, and explains why even a well-matched employee may leave when workplace expectations and management practices fall short.