It used to be the case that when you got a new job, you were generally expected to stay on board for at least a year. But given the ubiquity of job-hopping these days, that same obligation no longer exists.
Of course, jumping ship too quickly is certainly frowned upon, which is why most workers aim to stick out bad jobs rather than leave them immediately. But a growing number of employees clearly refuse to be miserable. In a recent Jobvite survey, nearly 30% of workers say they've left a job within the first 90 days of starting. Here are the various reasons they cited for doing so:
|
Reason for Leaving Job Quickly |
Percentage of Workers Who Left for That Reason |
|---|---|
|
Day-to-day role was not what was expected |
43% |
|
Had a bad incident that drove them away |
34% |
|
Didn't like the company culture |
32% |
|
Just changed their minds |
11% |
DATA SOURCE: JOBVITE.
As an employer, you can only do so much to retain fickle employees who feel that changing their minds is a valid reason for immediately leaving a job. You can, however, take steps to address the remaining issues above to reduce your chances of losing new hires shortly after they're onboarded.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.
Retaining new employees
Losing new hires within 90 days means having to go through the hiring process all over again, and that's something that can cost your business not only time, but money. So how do you prevent those newbies from jumping ship prematurely?
For one thing, make sure the job descriptions you post accurately reflect the work at hand. It's natural to want to play up each role you advertise and make it seem exciting, but if you misrepresent the positions you're looking to fill, you're apt to wind up with a host of dissatisfied workers shortly after they're hired. If you're not certain what each role you're required to post entails, spend a little time shadowing the folks who are doing those jobs at present. Otherwise, involve the managers directly responsible for overseeing those roles.
Furthermore, while you can't necessarily take steps to prevent uncomfortable incidents from occurring that might drive new employees away, you can roll out new hire programs that pair recent employees up with seasoned one so they have an automatic support system and sounding board. Similarly, you can encourage managers to hold weekly one-on-one meetings with their new hires so that concerns can be addressed from the get-go.
Finally, take an honest look at your company culture and consider the impact it might have on new hires. Are workers expected to stay late all the time? Is their personal time valued at all? If you're not sure how well or poorly your company is doing in this regard, take an anonymous survey or read your firm's reviews online. The more insight you gain, the more steps you can take to improve and reduce your risk of losing new hires shortly after they're brought in.
Having workers leave your company within 90 days of getting hired means you're either choosing the wrong people, or aren't doing enough to make new workers feel comfortable, valued, and respected. Either way, it's time to take steps to prevent that from happening going forward so that you don't continue wasting time and money you can't afford to part with.
