How to hire the most reliable workers in your area
Finding dependable help isn't just about posting a job listing. It's knowing where to look and what to look for.
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Updated on: August 6, 2026 / 1:00 PM EDT / CBS News
As a business owner, the most expensive hire you'll ever make probably isn't the one with the highest salary. It's the one who doesn't show up, either literally or figuratively. Unreliable workers generally cost businesses far more than a vacant role due to missed deadlines, burned-out teammates and customers who notice the chaos before you do. And yet, most hiring processes are still built around resumes and gut feelings, which are tools that have almost nothing to do with whether someone will be there when you need them.
The labor market has also shifted in ways that make this problem harder to ignore. Turnover rates remain elevated across industries and workers today generally have more options and less loyalty to any single employer than they did a decade ago. That doesn't mean reliable workers don't exist, though. What it actually means is that the old hiring playbook , the one that relies on a phone screen and a handshake, is no longer enough to find them.
So how do you actually identify, attract and retain workers who will follow through — not just in the interview, but on the job? The answer lies in being more deliberate at every stage of the hiring process, from where you source candidates to what you ask them and what you offer in return.
How to hire the most reliable workers in your area