Companies now have more at stake if they make a hiring mistake, according to research released today from global staffing firm Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE: RHI). More than three-quarters of senior managers surveyed, 76%, said they recruited the wrong candidate for a role, and 64% said the negative impact is more severe now than it was a year ago.

When it comes to their most recent regrettable hire, senior managers said it took 10 weeks, on average, to realize the person was a poor match and to let them go. It took an additional six weeks to restaff the role.

The research also looked at the time it took employers in 28 major metropolitan US cities to correct a hiring mistake:

• Seattle: 26 weeks
• Minneapolis: 25 weeks
• Los Angeles: 23 weeks
• Boston: 20 weeks
• Dallas, Philadelphia and San Francisco: 19 weeks
• Miami and New York: 18 weeks
• Cleveland, Denver and San Diego: 17 weeks

“In the past year, companies have made big transitions, including the move to remote work and shifts in their hiring and onboarding practices,” said Paul McDonald, senior executive director at Robert Half. “When faced with so many changes, there can be more room for error and, unfortunately, a bad hiring decision can have a ripple effect throughout the organization.”

Senior managers reported the biggest tolls on their teams and company include time wasted hiring and training the new employee; decreased staff morale and productivity; and increased stress on the supervisor.

The online survey was developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm from Nov. 19 to Dec. 18, 2020. It includes responses from more than 2,800 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees in the US.