What happens when the new hire who seemed perfect on paper turns out to be a total disaster? In this episode of The Bad Hire, Ken Monroe sits down with Emma and Morgan to unpack some of the most unbelievable workplace stories you will ever hear. From imposters who show up pretending to be the candidate who interviewed, to a “six-hour hire” who derailed an entire office on his very first day, these stories show just how unpredictable hiring can be.
The team reads through wild submissions from Reddit and personal experiences, including a creepy IT guy who crossed every line, a remote worker who thought shirtless Zoom calls were acceptable, and an arrogant “secret CEO” who tried to run projects nobody asked for. Some of these tales are funny, others are unsettling, but all of them remind us that one bad hire can ripple through an entire workplace.
If you’ve ever made a hire you regretted, you’ll laugh, cringe, and nod along with this episode—and maybe even feel inspired to share your own story for a shot at $10,000.
Key Takeaways
Bad hires drain time, money, and morale.
Red flags can appear even before day one.
“Perfect” resumes don’t always mean perfect employees.
Remote work brings new categories of bad hire behavior.
Submitting your story could win you $10,000 in The Bad Hire contest.
In This Episode
[00:04] Introduction to the show with Ken, Emma, and Morgan
[01:00] Reading Reddit’s craziest bad hire stories
[02:13] Fake candidate gets caught before the end of day one
[05:31] The employee who turned toxic the day after probation ended
[08:00] The six-hour hire: ranting, disrupting, and walking out
[09:04] Shirtless on Zoom: remote work gone off the rails
[13:00] Arrogant “secret CEO” hijacks projects and meetings
[16:30] Emma shares her nightmare IT story that went too far
[21:05] Ken recalls a sales hire who mixed bourbon with the office parking lot
[25:00] Wrap-up, sponsor thanks, and how to submit your own story
Notable Quotes
[02:40] “We hired someone who wasn’t even the person we interviewed. By the end of day one, he was gone.” – Ken Monroe
[08:30] “He lasted six hours on the job. Four working, two on his ‘decompression lunch.’” – Emma
[09:26] “He joined client calls shirtless, lying in bed, nuzzling his cat. That was the last straw.” – Morgan
[16:50] “Next thing I know, his nose is literally on my neck. That was the moment I realized we had a really bad hire.” – Emma
[21:20] “I walked past his car and saw him passed out with a bottle of bourbon in his lap. It was 2:30 in the afternoon.” – Ken Monroe
Our Host
Ken Monroe is the founder of The Bad Hire, a show built from the trenches of business leadership and team building. After making a disastrous hire that cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars, Ken shifted his focus to helping businesses avoid similar mistakes. Today, he runs companies that have screened over 40 million candidates, helping organizations make smarter, safer hiring decisions.
Submit your story – thebadhire.com
Website – thebadhire.com
Email – ken@thebadhire.com
LinkedIn – Ken Monroe
Podcast Platforms – Available on Apple, Spotify, and all major podcast apps