Why Keeping the Wrong Employee Costs More Than Losing Them.

Keeping the wrong person in a role can cost far more than an empty seat. The cost shows up in rework, missed deadlines, manager time, lower standards and good people carrying work that was never theirs to own. So how do you know whether someone is struggling because the business is failing them — or whether they simply cannot or will not meet a fair standard? In this episode of The Glass Signal, I break down the four-part W.I.L.L. test: W — What does the role require? I — Is there a genuine barrier? L — Look for ownership. L — Let the consequence follow. We also look at why leaders confuse nice with kind, how underperformance spreads beyond one job description, why retention is not automatically good leadership, and the conversation that gives someone clarity, dignity and a genuine choice about whether the role is right for them. This is not about firing people after one bad week. It is about earning the right to reach a performance conclusion: make the standard clear, remove genuine barriers, provide fair support, return ownership and then follow through. If you are not sure whether leadership, decisions, capability, accountability or signal is slowing performance in your business, take the 3-minute Broken Glass Test: https://www.glasspartners.com.au/ Subscribe to The Glass Signal for practical leadership, people and organisational performance advice without the corporate theatre. This episode contains general leadership and management commentary, not legal advice. Australian employers should follow applicable employment law, workplace policies and fair processes when managing performance or employment matters. #Leadership #PerformanceManagement #EmployeeRetention