This is part three in a continuing story – based on true facts – how one company used “Moneyball for HR!” to cut turnover by 50% in combination with Performance-based Hiring. In Part 1 of the story Johan and Alice discovered that the company’s job board advertising was its most expensive sourcing channel when turnover and candidate quality were considered. In Part 2 they started doing something about it. Their efforts to reduce turnover and develop a new talent acquisition strategy continues in part 3. Claude AI conducted a separate objective assessment of the whole idea and thought the numbers were conservative.
After attending a Performance-based Hiring workshop learning how to use AI to conduct an in-depth job analysis and write performance-based job descriptions Johan began studying Gallup’s Q12 research since he noticed a big overlap. He was particularly interested in understanding why some hiring managers consistently achieved high engagement scores and quality hires, regardless of the sourcing channel.
Hiring Managers Have the Hardest Job of All
“Alice, I think I’ve found something interesting,” Johan said, spreading out a detailed table he’d created. “I’ve been talking with our top hiring managers in accounting, logistics, and marketing, plus analyzing Q12 scores and exit interviews. Look at this breakdown of how hiring managers influence employee engagement.”
Embedding Gallup’s Q12 Into the Pre-Hire Process to Cut Turnover
The table Johan had prepared was eye-opening. It mapped out the twelve critical Gallup engagement factors showing how hiring managers directly impacted everything from role clarity to professional development. What struck Alice immediately was how the first item – “I know what is expected of me at work” – seemed to influence nearly every other engagement factor.
“You know what’s fascinating?” Johan pointed out. “Role clarity is consistently the top predictor of high Q12 scores, yet we don’t systematically address this during our hiring process. Some managers do it naturally, and others who’ve been through the Performance-based Hiring training use it effectively, but it’s not standard practice companywide.”
This One Question Will Virtually Eliminate Turnover
Then Johan shared his breakthrough idea. “What if we asked every candidate one simple question before making an offer:”
Forget the compensation for a moment. Are you fully aware of the major performance objectives for this role and if so why do they represent a good career move for you?
Alice’s eyes lit up. “Johan, that’s brilliant! And we could take it a step further. Before hiring managers can even request an offer from compensation, they should have to answer: “Is the candidate fully aware of the performance objectives for the role and if so why is the person qualified to handle it?”
“Exactly!” Johan replied. “If either the candidate or hiring manager gives vague or superficial answers, it’s a red flag. We could require additional clarity before moving forward with an offer.”
The idea aligned perfectly with their upcoming A/B test comparing Performance-based Hiring to their traditional approach. Alice had been working with the data analytics team to establish metrics for tracking success, and this new screening question could be incorporated into the test.
When Alice presented the concept to their CHRO, she received enthusiastic but measured support. “This could be transformative,” the CHRO acknowledged, “but it also highlights a bigger challenge. If hiring managers are truly the key to both hiring decisions and post-hire success, we need to completely rethink how we select, train, and develop our managers. That might be an even bigger undertaking than reimagining our job posting process.”
“You’re right,” Alice agreed, “but we have to start somewhere. Let’s gather the data from our A/B test first. If we can prove this approach reduces turnover and improves engagement, we’ll have a strong case for broader changes.”
Johan left the meeting energized to begin working with the hiring managers, while Alice focused on finalizing the test parameters with the recruiting team. Both felt they were on the verge of something significant – not just a fix for their turnover problem, but a fundamental shift in how they approached hiring.
The story of how AI, data analytics, “Moneyball for HR!” and Performance-based Hiring would transform their talent acquisition process was just beginning. But with each new insight and innovation, they were getting closer to achieving truly Win-Win hiring outcomes.