The Front Lines of Employee Engagement

8 Do's to Upgrade Recruiting and On-Boarding

By Catherine Eberlein Pfister

8. Do look at on-boarding as an ongoing process.

There are fairly definable patterns in an employee's lifecycle, and there are times when the risk of an employee leaving is at its highest. Most talent experts say these patterns generally are found in three phases: the first 30 to 60 days; at 12 to 18 months; and at about three years. Some resources find that these lifecycles are becoming shorter, particularly within the younger generation of talent. They look to learn and move up quickly, staying at a job for possibly two to three years.

By the 12-to-18-month mark, an employee has become a part of the system. Individual productivity is up, and growing with the company becomes a real possibility. It's in this period that an employee's expectations begin to increase, and he or she begins to look for more responsibility. "Growing with the organization" becomes a real possibility.

After about three years, expectations of career growth emerge again, prompting self-assessment weighed against organizational realities. For many workers, it's a time to recommit or move on.

As an employee's experience grows, so does the cost of losing that employee. These costs may be less tangible but are more critical. Product knowledge, an understanding of the company's systems and processes, the application of methods and protocols, sales and service skills, and countless other details become part of the employee's corporate memory and skill set. Research proves that this cumulative knowledge and experience manifests itself in higher productivity, more sales, greater customer satisfaction and loyalty, fewer errors and injuries, and less absenteeism.

By taking careful consideration of all that your company does to recruit the best and brightest, get them up to speed, and then keep them for the long haul, you can ensure peak performance from all levels of your workforce. Make a note of areas where you can improve, and then take steps to make the necessary changes. Ignoring these critical processes is detrimental to your company culture—and its ultimate success.