Strategies to optimise the employee engagement life cycle

What is the employee engagement life cycle?

The employee engagement life cycle encompasses the journey an employee takes from initial attraction to becoming a brand advocate. Aligned to the employee life cycle, the employee engagement life cycle emphasises the experience and engagement of the employee, underscoring its significance in shaping organisational success.

Commonly it consists of seven key stages, each crucial to understand when looking to nurturing employee engagement, satisfaction, and commitment, thereby contributing to a positive and fulfilling work environment.

What are the seven stages of the employee engagement life cycle model?

1- Attraction

This is the initial stage where potential applicants are exposed to your employer brand for the first time.

With statistics revealing that 54% of companies struggle to entice top-tier candidates and that 75% of a candidate's perception forms before they even apply, the significance of this phase cannot be overstated. It's during this initial encounter that potential hires form their first impressions, often based on brand, reputation, and workplace culture.

2- Recruitment

Recruitment involves the process of attracting, sourcing, and selecting candidates to fill vacant positions within the organisation.

Improving recruitment entails enhancing the overall employee value proposition (EVP), making vacancies more attractive to potential candidates.

Effective recruitment sets the tone for the employee journey by ensuring the right individuals are brought on board, who align with the organisation's culture, values, and goals.

3- Onboarding

This is defined as integrating new employees into your organisation. Here, you are giving employees the opportunity to familiarise themselves with your business's policies, procedures and culture. Training activities and open communication will ensure a smooth transition.

4- Development

The development stage focuses on nurturing the skills of your employees as well as their knowledge and capabilities. Over time, procedures and practices may change. Therefore, it is important to provide them with the necessary training and education to help them become familiar with those changes.

Development also focuses on an employee's career. Whether it’s within the organisation or the same industry, it's important to implement certain initiatives that will make career advancement more of a possibility.

5- Retention

This stage is all about ensuring employees remain engaged and committed to your organisation. At this point, you will need to implement the measures that recognise and reward employees' efforts and address any needs that employees may have. The more proactive and responsive you are to addressing these needs, the more this mitigates the turnover rate and ensures better retention.

6- Off-boarding

This is the transitional stage for employees leaving the organisation by way of resignation, retirement or termination. Those responsible for HR will conduct exit interviews, maintain a positive relationship, and also facilitate knowledge transfer.

7- Advocacy

Advocacy marks the final stage of the employee engagement life cycle, where current and former employees become ambassadors for your organisation. Engaged and satisfied employees naturally become advocates, sharing positive experiences with friends, family, and professional networks.

Advocacy is a result of employees feeling satisfied, engaged, and valued within the organisation, leading them to naturally promote it to others. This positive word-of-mouth can significantly enhance the organisation's reputation and attractiveness to potential candidates.

What are the benefits of optimising engagement throughout the employee life cycle?

The employee engagement life cycle model helps to promote effective engagement throughout an employee’s career, boosting motivation, and ultimately making the working environment a more positive place. For businesses, there are other significant benefits, including:

Lower staff turnover

This can be ensured by addressing employee needs, conducting regular performance reviews, and incentivising their efforts and accomplishments.

Increased employee engagement

Engaging with your employees will make them feel more important. A study showed that low employee engagement can increase employee turnover rate by 18%-43%. By focusing on engagement, you can retain high-performing team members and help your business succeed.

Better training and development

A recent study showed that employees in the UK who receive monthly support and training are 14% happier in their jobs. As such, the employee engagement life cycle gives you the opportunity to source training materials tailored to your organisation. In turn, the materials will play a role in the development of both the individuals and the organisation as a whole.

Employer improvement

Activating your EVP will be one of the pillars of improving yourself as an employer. Think of yourself in the shoes of an employee and ask yourself a series of questions, such as “Am I valued or appreciated?"

How to improve the employee engagement at each stage of the employee life cycle

At BI WORLDWIDE, we refer to the employee lifecycle as the 'moments that matter', bringing these 7 stages into 5 with strategies and solutions that can support engagement and your improve your overall employee value proposition.

Decision Day

Taking in both the attraction and recruitment stages of the employee lifecycle, decision day is about ensuring you have attracted and welcomed the right talent into your organisation. Considerations to improve these moments could include:

EVP Strategy and Activation

How are you presenting your EVP to prospective employees, showcasing the value and opportunities your organisation has to offer in addition to your compensation package?

Focus on crafting a compelling Employee Value Proposition (EVP) that resonates with potential candidates. Ensure your strategy covers elements, such as onboarding programmes, communication strategies, reward and recognition initiatives, service anniversary awards, employee rewards, ceremonies, and employee surveys for continuous improvement.

By clearly communicating your EVP through various channels such as your company website, social media platforms, and recruitment materials, you can effectively attract candidates who align with your organisation's values and aspirations. Moreover, leveraging employee testimonials and success stories can provide authentic insights into your workplace culture, further enhancing your attractiveness to potential candidates.

New Talent Welcome Experience (pre-first day)

When it comes to securing and welcoming new it is important to focus on effective pre-employment communications. These serve a dual purpose, firstly, they should entice and engage prospective employees who may not have previously considered your organisation. Authenticity is key here; messages grounded in reality resonate with candidates and foster genuine interest. Transparency about the company culture, job expectations, and growth opportunities ensures alignment between candidates' aspirations and organisational values.

Secondly, pre-employment communications also play a role in dissuading candidates who may not be a good fit for the company culture or job requirements. While inclusivity is essential, it's equally important to attract individuals who naturally align with the organisation's values and work style.

By clearly communicating the job's demands and expectations, recruiters can guide candidates towards roles that suit their talents and disposition.

First Day

At BI WORLDWIDE, the first day is aligned with the onboarding stage of the employee lifecycle. The success of implementation of this stage in your organisation can accelerate new talent engagement, retention and long-term performance. Strategies we advocate at this moment include:

Onboarding research, analytics and strategy

Develop a comprehensive onboarding programme that introduces new hires to the company’s culture, values and expectations. Assign mentors to the new employees to help them navigate their roles and integrate into the team. Gather feedback from new hires about their onboarding experience to identify areas for improvement and refinement.

While general company policies, procedures and culture are essential to all employees, you should tailor the onboarding to the specific role of your new starter, such as tools and technology systems they may need to perform well in their new role. Onboarding also shows new starters how to perform tasks step-by-step, giving them the confidence they need to perform well individually.

Early Achievement Recognition

Our research shows that recognition received early in an employee's tenure has a significant impact on long-term retention and employee performance. Ensure your recognition strategy and manager training processes look to embed this culture .......

Every Day

Every day asks organisations to continuously review how they can enhance their workplace culture and invigorate their people. Strategies here focus on both the development and retention stages of the employee lifecycle and can include:

Employee Recognition and Rewards Programmes

No one on your team should work hard without getting recognition. That’s why you should recognise and value those who have worked to reach their goals and achievements. Whether it’s individuals or teams, everyone who has benefited your organisation deserves recognition for their efforts.

Recognition-rich cultures are high-performing cultures as they cultivate positive behaviours, team morale and customer satisfaction.

Leadership, management, talent development and growth

Offer ongoing training and development opportunities to help employees grow and advance in their careers.

Provide regular feedback and performance reviews to recognise achievements and address areas for improvement. For example, an organisation could do quarterly performance reviews. This frequency is ideal as it regularly measures an employee’s performance and allows you to offer development suggestions.

Encourage employees to set personal and professional development goals and support them in achieving these goals. Establishing clear performance metrics and goals that align with the company’s objectives helps to coach employees in their roles. Likewise, rewarding high performers reinforces positive behaviours and motivates others.

Ultimately, you are looking to implement continuous learning opportunities that support the goals of the individual and the entire organisation. While your development as a leader is important, you still need to emphasise the development of the employees you oversee.

Employee Engagement Research, analytics and strategy

Foster a positive work environment that promotes work-life balance, inclusivity and employee wellbeing. Offer competitive compensation and benefits packages to attract and retain top talent. Conduct stay interviews to understand employees’ motivations, concerns and career aspirations while taking proactive steps to address any issues.

Achievement Day

Supporting development and retention further is 'achievement day', an essential moment in the employee lifecycle that drives results and celebrates success. Ways to improve this stage could include:

Service Awards Programmes

Other than performance, Service Award programmes are one of the most effective ways to create strong morale and a stable culture in your organisation. With average employee tenure decreasing, and appreciating the impact recognition has on retention, programme owners should review their Service Award Milestones to see if there is value in recognising tenure earlier in the employee lifecycle journey.

Sales and Performance Incentives

Sales and Performance Incentives should be differentiated from compensation and benefits. At the same time, they should not be used as a viable solution if the pay and benefits are unsuitable for an employee. Determine the pay and the appropriate benefits based on the needs of the employee.

Annual Awards and Recognition

Annual awards and recognition are a great way to spotlight and celebrate the achievements of top performers. The most effective recognition is personal so to improve the impact of your annual awards and recognition, seek ways to personalise the experience as much as feasible. Rewards choice or itinerary personalisation within incentive travel are great ways to acknowledge the achievements and demonstrate you value individuality.

Referral Day

Ideally, the employee journey should unleash the power of advocacy, where departing team members become enthusiastic promoters of your organisation. This is what BI WORLDWIDE refer to as referral day. The risk of not having effective strategies at this stage in the lifecycle is that dissatisfied departing employees may diminish your employer brand's reputation, hamper your recruitment efforts for top-tier talent, disrupt team cohesion and morale, and tarnish customer relationships. Considerations to mitigate this challenge could include:

Post-employment research

Conduct exit interviews to gather feedback from departing employees during their transition. Maintain positive relationships with alumni, and leverage their insights and experiences to improve future employee experiences.

At this stage, you should consider in-depth questions during the exit interview to gather any suggestions that could improve the organisation overall. This will give you plenty of data to make any possible changes in any area that may need improving.

Alumni Engagement and Advocacy

Ensure departing employees feel valued and appreciated by acknowledging their contributions and expressing gratitude for their service. Consider establishing a structured alumni program to facilitate ongoing networking with former employees.

New Talent and Customer Referral Programmes

Keep employees informed about company updates, new job opportunities, or referral schemes, recognising that personal recommendations are a potent and cost-effective method for recruitment and fostering collaborative relationships.