I think you guys are being a bit too literal. This is how people talk in colloquially, and it's a common phrase in the hedge fund world where I was working at the time.
However, I still don't see how you can back up your claims that good employees seem to recover better than bad employees. I don't see how you could know!
You'll be surprised at the number of times you encounter folk you've worked with again. I suspect you're also more likely to stay in touch or hear more about the "good" employees.