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When your world of work includes a lot of interviewing, hiring and firing, there is something you don’t see too often. That something is what we can call “the perfect storm.”

The perfect storm is when you find a candidate whose mix of skills, tenure and experience align perfectly with the position you need to fill. And then you bring the candidate in for an interview, and he or she does a fantastic job and nails it. This is what we live for – right?

In some senses, it is; it gives us great relief when we are able to find the talent our company is looking for. Sometimes, though, in the back of our mind we wonder: Are we setting this new person up to fail? Have we really been upfront with the candidate about what he or she can expect in terms of culture, supervision, expectations and duties? I think more times than not we are more concerned with landing the plane than with what will happen during boarding.

The sad thing about this is that turnover is very expensive. It’s an unavoidable reality, but it is more controllable than most companies think. One of the major discussions companies want to have when I talk with them is: How can you help with retention? A lot of times I turn that question right back to them and say: What are you doing to retain? You see, it is as much about the company as it is about the provider. Top talent is only as good as the company is motivating and exciting to work for. Top talent is not afraid to make a lateral move to find a better culture fit.

A recent study by Kronos Inc. found that about 20 percent of hiring decisions made for salaried jobs end in failure. Failure rates for hourly jobs are even worse, frequently hitting levels of 50 percent or more, according to this research. These numbers are quite sobering when you think of all the hiring that goes on in Iowa. And let me make an observation: There is something we refer to as the disgruntled work force. These are people who are just biding their time, waiting for the right job to pop into their in-box, and then they are gone. Some people have automatic agents set up on Monster or CareerBuilder and get e-mails every day with new openings that match their interest.

Though I do know that not every job is right for every person, it seems most people really do believe the grass is greener somewhere else. The thing is, most people are sold turf in the interview process and end up with crabgrass when the job starts. They begin their first day and other employees give them the “dirt” on the job and the boss, who to watch out for, etc.

This can be stopped if a company takes the right steps and focuses on culture and employee wants and needs that are reasonable. I believe by doing this managers can reinvigorate their work force. With an engaged and focused work force, people don’t leave; they stay and work hard. They don’t gossip; they compliment and seek to make things better for themselves and others around them.

Perfect the interview process and the boarding of new employees, and you will save yourself headaches and your company money. Now, that’s a job well done.

Nick Reddin is the business development manager at Manpower Inc.’s Des Moines office.