The Bad Hire Podcast

The best stories about the worst employees. Hosted by Ken Monroe, CEO of Bchex, The Bad Hire Podcast unpacks the funniest, strangest, and most shocking hiring stories from offices, job sites, and teams everywhere. From outrageous résumé lies to first-day meltdowns, these tales will make you laugh, cringe, and say, 'there's no way that's true.' Not just for HR or recruiters — it's for anyone who's worked with that coworker or made a hire they'll never forget.

The Bad Hire Podcast is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 51 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts The Bad Hire Podcast, a business show with 51 episodes published.

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  Episode #50

  Fired on Day One for Going Home on Time

  Sep 23, 202653 minS1

  She worked a nine-hour first day for $28. Not $28 an hour. $28 for the whole day. She stayed until 6:30, a half hour past quitting time, and went home. At 7:30 that night, one of the partners called and told her to come back to the office. No emergency. No crisis. When she said she couldn’t make it back, he fired her over the phone. In Episode 50 of The Bad Hire, Ken, Morgan, and first-time co-host Trey break down another round of unbelievable workplace stories involving disastrous first days, bold demands, no-shows, leaked secrets, and a few new hires the hosts actually defend. You’ll hear: • An intern get fired on day one for going home on time • A fired employee demand $50,000 on his way out the door • A networking hire keep disappearing from networking events • A security guard insist he couldn’t be fired because he never technically started • A new hire insult the owner’s wife and brother in his first two hours • A development director spend three months on coffee and bring in zero new donors • A new hire present a five-year promotion plan on day two • A new hire time his start date around a medical procedure • A product manager leak the company roadmap on LinkedIn before her first day Key Takeaways: • First impressions start before day one. • A good answer about a résumé gap still needs to be verified. • Ambition is great. Timing and delivery matter. • If you share something confidential in an interview, say it’s confidential. • Low pay doesn’t make the experience worthless. Think you’ve heard worse? Submit your Bad Hire story at TheBadHire.com for a chance to win $10,000. ⸻ Connect with Us: Website: TheBadHire.com Email: team@thebadhire.com Instagram: @thebadhirepod Facebook: facebook.com/thebadhirepod TikTok: @thebadhirepod LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/thebadhire — Sponsored by BChex: Need better background checks? BChex makes hiring safer, faster, and simpler. From visitor management to employee monitoring—BChex has you covered. www.bchex.io — ️ Submit your own bad hire story for a chance to win $10,000 at TheBadHire.com

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  Episode #49

  She Took the Job Just to Meet Men

  Sep 16, 202646 minS1

  She interviewed well, got the job, showed up for her first day… and then asked one very important question: Where are all the men? Turns out, she had taken the job expecting a large company to be the perfect place to meet someone. There was just one problem: her department was almost entirely women. So she left. In Episode 49 of The Bad Hire, Ken, Emma, and Kyrie break down another round of unbelievable workplace stories involving bizarre motivations, expensive mistakes, open mic disasters, employee theft, fake credentials, and some truly unforgettable first days. You’ll hear: • A receptionist go on an office supply spending spree • A woman take a job because she wanted to meet men • An employee trash the boss without realizing everyone could hear • A booking agent redirect a client deposit into his own bank account • A forklift driver somehow get worse every single hour • A new hire completely fabricate his college education • An employee accidentally reveal a restraining order HR didn’t know existed • A call center employee take the job to sell products to coworkers • A technician insult a client while standing inside her bathroom Key Takeaways: • People don’t always take jobs for the reasons you think they do. • A great interview doesn’t guarantee a great employee. • Skipping normal hiring procedures can become expensive fast. • Résumés and credentials still need to be verified. • When someone starts showing red flags, pay attention to the pattern. Think you’ve heard worse? Submit your Bad Hire story at TheBadHire.com for a chance to win $10,000. ⸻ Connect with Us: Website: TheBadHire.com Email: team@thebadhire.com Instagram: @thebadhirepod Facebook: facebook.com/thebadhirepod TikTok: @thebadhirepod LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/thebadhire — Sponsored by BChex: Need better background checks? BChex makes hiring safer, faster, and simpler. From visitor management to employee monitoring—BChex has you covered. www.bchex.io — ️ Submit your own bad hire story for a chance to win $10,000 at TheBadHire.com

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  Episode #48

  She Faked Her Child’s Death for Money

  Sep 9, 202638 minS1

  What do you do when an employee tells everyone she adopted a child, lost everything in a house fire, and then tragically lost the child — only for HR to discover that none of it ever happened? In Episode 48 of The Bad Hire, Ken, Nathan, and Kylie break down another round of unbelievable workplace stories — from a new employee lighting a cigarette next to 10,000 liters of acetone to a worker who leads police on a high-speed chase and decides the best place to hide is his own office. But one story takes things to another level. A well-liked warehouse employee convinces her coworkers to donate money after a supposed house fire. Weeks later, she tells them her adopted child has died, and they rally around her again. Then HR uncovers the truth: there was no adoption, no fire, and no child. You’ll hear: – A new hire who lights a cigarette next to 10,000 liters of acetone – An employee who publicly trashes his new company on his first day – Jason Bivins on a high-performing recruiter who becomes toxic to everyone around her – A Subway manager who catches two employees stealing in two completely different ways – A new hire who ignores safety policy and sends a semi-trailer sliding off the dock – An employee who fabricates an adoption, house fire, and child’s death to collect money from coworkers – A drunk new hire who shows up 12 hours early for his first shift – An employee who leads police on a high-speed chase straight back to work – A workplace situation where red flag after red flag eventually leads to an uninvited cross-country trip Key Takeaways: • Safety training only works when employees actually follow it. • A high performer can still be destructive to the culture around them. • Early red flags can become much bigger problems when they form a pattern. • Trust and compassion can unfortunately be exploited. • Past experience doesn’t give someone permission to ignore company policy. Think you’ve heard worse? Submit your Bad Hire story at TheBadHire.com for a chance to win $10,000. ⸻ Connect with Us: Website: TheBadHire.com Email: team@thebadhire.com Instagram: @thebadhirepod Facebook: facebook.com/thebadhirepod TikTok: @thebadhirepod LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/thebadhire — Sponsored by BChex: Need better background checks? BChex makes hiring safer, faster, and simpler. From visitor management to employee monitoring—BChex has you covered. www.bchex.io — ️ Submit your own bad hire story for a chance to win $10,000 at TheBadHire.com

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  Episode #47

  She Faked a Carjacking to Get Out of Work

  Sep 2, 202633 minS1

  What do you do when an employee calls in claiming she was just carjacked and needs the entire week off… only for her boss to call her actual phone 30 seconds later and hear, “Hey, I’m driving. Who’s this?” In Episode 47 of The Bad Hire, Ken, Morgan, and Nathan break down another round of unbelievable workplace stories — from an employee who intentionally shot himself with a nail gun because of a wasp to a senior developer caught downloading five years of company source code onto his personal USB drive. The Bad Hire - Episode 47 - Video .txt This episode has fake emergencies, terrible judgment, security disasters, and hiring lessons that prove sometimes the truth is stranger than anything you could make up. You’ll hear: – A production worker who shot himself in the hand with a nail gun trying to kill a wasp – A client referral who conveniently left out a serious felony conviction – An employee who faked an entire carjacking to get a week off – Alexandra’s perspective on why broken hiring processes create bad hires – A Sonic employee who handed a customer’s used drink directly to a health inspector – An IT employee who dropped a monitor, then cursed out his manager before the manager could even react – Judith’s reminder of why you should never skip that final reference check – A senior developer caught copying five years of proprietary source code onto a personal USB drive – Why background checks can uncover information an interview never will From ridiculous split-second decisions to potential threats to an entire company’s intellectual property, Episode 47 is a reminder that hiring is about much more than finding someone who interviews well. Think you’ve heard worse? Submit your story at TheBadHire.com for a chance to win $10,000. Key Takeaways: • A great interview can’t reveal everything about a candidate. • Reference checks are worth finishing — even when the first two are perfect. • Security policies only work when employees actually follow them. • How someone reacts to a mistake can reveal more than the mistake itself. • Strong hiring processes require both HR expertise and department-level knowledge. ⸻ Connect with Us: Website: TheBadHire.com Email: team@thebadhire.com Instagram: @thebadhirepod Facebook: facebook.com/thebadhirepod TikTok: @thebadhirepod LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/thebadhire — Sponsored by BChex: Need better background checks? BChex makes hiring safer, faster, and simpler. From visitor management to employee monitoring—BChex has you covered. www.bchex.io — ️ Submit your own bad hire story for a chance to win $10,000 at TheBadHire.com

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  Episode #46

  He Blew $4,000 on the Company Card His First Day

  Aug 26, 202636 minS1

  What do you do when a brand-new employee gets a company credit card on his first day… disappears at lunch… and comes back with $4,000 worth of suits, ties, and shoes? In Episode 46 of The Bad Hire, Ken, Emma, and Kylie break down another round of unbelievable workplace stories — from an employee with an impossible streak of family emergencies to a seven-figure executive who simply never showed up for his first day. This episode proves bad hires can happen at every level. You’ll hear: – A new manager hit with one unbelievable excuse after another – A recruiter’s experience inside an incredibly toxic staffing company – An employee who accidentally exposed confidential company work on social media – A new hire who spent $4,000 on clothes using his company card – A seven-figure executive who ghosted his own welcome event – An employee who went to lunch, went home, and casually returned days later – A publishing employee who stole more than 1,000 unpublished manuscripts – Two retail employees accused of stealing nearly $44,000 in merchandise – And an employee who paid to run a background check on his own manager From ridiculous first-day decisions to sophisticated schemes that lasted years, these stories show just how unpredictable hiring can get. Think you’ve heard worse? Submit your story at TheBadHire.com for a chance to win $10,000. Key Takeaways: • A great interview doesn’t guarantee a great employee. • Clear policies mean nothing if employees choose to ignore them. • Bad hires can create security risks far beyond poor performance. • Senior-level hires can flame out just as spectacularly as entry-level ones. • Sometimes the biggest red flags appear immediately. ⸻ Connect with Us: Website: TheBadHire.com Email: team@thebadhire.com Instagram: @thebadhirepod Facebook: facebook.com/thebadhirepod TikTok: @thebadhirepod LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/thebadhire — Sponsored by BChex: Need better background checks? BChex makes hiring safer, faster, and simpler. From visitor management to employee monitoring—BChex has you covered. www.bchex.io — ️ Submit your own bad hire story for a chance to win $10,000 at TheBadHire.com

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