Is Firing Sometimes the Answer for a Bad Hire?

While doing some reading today, I ran across a phrase that I have not heard in several years. The phrase goes like this. “Hire slow, fire fast.” I believe I understand the conventional wisdom that underscores this phrase. But, I have to be honest and say that last part of the phrase troubles me. I believe supervisors and managers sometimes resort to firing an employee to cover what was a poor hiring decision. And when that happens, it demonstrates another kind of failure that I hope to speak more to in future posts.

Interestingly enough, as I was reading, I ran across someone who used this very phrase to suggest that firing could be used for “fixing” bad hiring decisions. So. I am taking a poll. What’s your best guess as to the percentage of fired employees who are really fired because of a poor hiring process or decision by the employer?  Also, if you have any research links on this, I would love to see them. Here’s a second question for you. Under what conditions might an employee termination be the correct step to take for addressing a bad hire?