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R0007/2026-03-19/C007 — Assessment

BLUF

Confirmed. Housman and Minor (HBS Working Paper 16-057) studied over 50,000 workers across 11 firms. Avoiding a toxic worker saves approximately $12,489 (from turnover costs), while a top-1% superstar adds approximately $5,303. The 2x+ differential is the paper's headline finding.

Probability

Rating: Almost certain (95-99%)

Confidence in assessment: High

Confidence rationale: Assessment based on web search evidence from multiple independent sources confirming or challenging the claim.

Reasoning Chain

  1. Web search conducted for the specific study and findings cited in the claim.
  2. Multiple independent sources confirm the key findings [SRC01-E01, High, High].
  3. $12,489 and $5,303 figures confirmed across Fortune, Chicago Tribune, Harvard sources.
  4. JUDGMENT: Confirmed. Housman and Minor (HBS Working Paper 16-057) studied over 50,000 workers across 11 firms....

Evidence Base Summary

Source Description Reliability Relevance Key Finding
SRC01 Housman & Minor (2015) HBS Working Paper 16-057 High High $12,489 and $5,303 figures confirmed across Fortune, Chicago Tribune, Harvard so

Collection Synthesis

Dimension Assessment
Evidence quality Robust
Source agreement High
Source independence Medium — sources reference same primary study
Outliers None significant

Detail

$12,489 and $5,303 figures confirmed across Fortune, Chicago Tribune, Harvard sources

Gaps

Missing Evidence Impact on Assessment
Full text of primary paper Minor — secondary sources provide sufficient detail

Researcher Bias Check

Declared biases: None declared.

Influence assessment: No significant bias concerns identified.

Cross-References

Entity ID File
Hypotheses H1, H2, H3 hypotheses/
Sources SRC01 sources/
ACH Matrix ach-matrix.md
Self-Audit self-audit.md