[ThrowawayR2]

> ...assumption that firing the wrong person is more costly than not hiring the right person.

I take it you've never had to hire or fire anyone. At mid-sized and large companies, it's a cumbersome process and, unless they're complete sociopaths, firing is also unpleasant for the firing manager and the team. It also means taking on the work and cost of doing a new candidate search and another new hire ramp-up.

If easy-hire/easy-fire worked, everybody would be doing it.

[organsnyder]

Oh, the assumption is definitely warranted in many/most situations. Though there are often alternatives (such as contract-to-hire) to mitigate the risks.