What is the employee lifecycle? Fundamentals and phases

In the current world of Human Resources, employees are one of the most important resources of any organization. After all, they are the ones who give the business the boost it needs to meet its goals. In consequence, the Human Resources area must pay attention to experience workers have in the company. This is where the concept of employee lifecycle enters the picture. 

If you want to know more about this interesting concept, in this article we’ll delve into the employee life cycle, its importance and its different phases. Let’s begin! 

What is the employee life cycle? 

Since the moment the work relationship begins until they leave the organization, all employees follow a process comprised of six different stages. That process is known as the employee life cycle and it is comprised of all the interactions workers have with the company.  

Why is this process so important? Well, its main objective is to promote the development and permanence of employees in the company. This is why all the phases it in the cycle are aligned with the responsibilities Human Resources managers have towards the workers.  

It’s necessary to understand the way employees interact with the organization. This allow us to have a better relationship with them and get better result for both company and workers. We should also notice that the employee lifecycle model is inspired by the customer journey and its different stages.  

Stages of the employee lifecycle 

1. Attraction 

The first stage of the cycle is talent attraction. It’s important to notice that this stage takes place before the organization announces the vacant position. Why does this happen? This is because you need to work in your brand image if you really want to be attractive for possible candidates and reduce the effort put in the recruitment process. 

How can you have a successful attraction stage? Well, it’s important to have a good employer brand. This optimizes the image your organization projects outwards. As a consequence, it has influence in the perception current candidates and professionals who are not looking for a job yet have about you. Additionally, this also defines the number of people that will apply after seeing your job ad. 

2. Recruitment 

This stage begins when the organization starts looking for professionals for a position. Here the priority for recruiters is reaching the highest number of candidates that fit the profile. This is why, initially, you can start asking for referrals to trustworthy employees. There is a possibility that through their professional network you can find people who fit your organizational culture and have a good profile for the position. 

On the other hand, you must use all job platforms available. Don’t hesitate to use social networks to reach more people. Also, if we are talking about very specific positions, such as IT profiles, make sure to use niche networks such as GitHub or StackOverflow. 

In regards to the vacant position ad, you have to be very specific with the characteristics of the professional you are looking for. That helps you avoiding candidates who don’t really fit the position or the organization. If the position has additional perks and benefits, make sure to highlight them in the ad. 

Be clear and direct about the responsibilities and difficulties of the position. Otherwise, people might come with a defined idea of the job in mind, but find something completely different in reality. That could increase the turnover rate. Keep always in mind that the honesty you show during the recruitment process will help you build a good work relationship. 

3. Onboarding 

The previous stage focused on finding and recruiting the right talent for the organization. Now is moment to have your first contact with the new employees. Your priority here will be to help newcomers to integrate quickly into the company. Don’t forget that adapting to a new job can be a difficult and stressful process. 

After all, new employees will have a different way of working and have to adapt to new rules, tools and people. There is a lot to memorize and learn. The best you can do is to turn integration into a simpler process and you can achieve that with a good onboarding process. 

First, introduce the news employees and let them get to know their new coworkers. Offer the training necessary to perform all the tasks of the position. Also, offer an organization chart with the company’s structure, the different positions and people inside it to fully understand the company. These steps will help you provide a simpler onboarding process. 

4. Development 

Once the employees have adapted, the company must encourage their professional development. Why is that important for the business? Workers who are constantly learning and developing their skills are more likely to have a better performance in the organization.  

There are some actions organizations can take to develop their employees’ potential. First, encourage the culture of feedback is a simple action that can offer positive results. Internal training is another useful tool. Likewise, offering seminars in external educational institutions can give you great results.  

5. Retention 

Now you have employees who are adapted to the way or working in the organization and they have continued developing their skills and knowledge. The last thing you want is to lose those valuable professionals. This is especially important when it comes to workers in top positions who are difficult to replace. 

How can you retain that talent? Well, you have to develop a genuine concern about the personal development and wellbeing of your employees. This is the best way to make them feel valued and increase their motivation at work. To achieve that, you can implement wellness programs and policies. These have to focus on personal and family wellness, as well as helping them to find balance between professional life and personal life. 

6. Separation 

Eventually, every work relationship must come to an end. There are may by different reasons for this to happen. However, your priority here must be to conclude it in the best way possible. That way, the former employees won’t hesitate to recommend or do business with their former organization.  

Additionally, this event can give you important information. Why do they leave? What do they think must change in the organization? What could have been done to make them stay? All these questions can be answered and help you improve the organization through exit surveys. 

At Talent2Win, we strive to align your company’s business objectives with the best Talent Acquisition strategies available. If you want to learn more about the services we offer, do not hesitate to contact us.