Employee life cycle

An employee life cycle is a method that visualizes an employee’s engagement with their company. The employee life cycle is to encompass the employee’s experience in the company, formatting that trajectory into a framework. This helps change the engagement strategy for each stage. The idea of an employee life cycle model is that an employee’s experience is as valuable as a customer’s experience.

An employee is the biggest asset of an organization; hence this cycle helps retain the best talents in the company. It also helps improve the company’s reputation by having a better and more committed workforce.

 6 Stages of Employee Life Cycle

1. Attraction

The first stage is the employee attraction stage. This stage is a crucial aspect of an organization’s growth strategy. It takes place even before there is an opening in the company. This is all about projecting the company’s brand to the market. The company needs to present an image of the institution as a great place to work.

Key steps –

• Create brand awareness– Allow the managers to seek speaking opportunities, and participate in other industry seminars and conferences, thereby building up the company profile in the industry.
• Have excellent work culture– Set a work culture that an employee would love. Share about the work ethics of the company online.

2. Recruitment

This is the stage when the company reaches out and hires employees. This can occur when an existing position becomes vacant, or a new role has to be created.

Key steps –

• Take referrals from the existing team– It’s very likely that the current team members know many others who might be well-suited for the job. Take referrals from them and also involve them in the interviews if possible.
• Be clear about what you’re looking for. Have a clear idea about what skills and characteristics you are looking for in the employee, and mention them specifically in the job description.

3. Onboarding

This is the stage of welcoming new employees and helping them understand the company’s culture.

Key steps –

• Communicate the company’s core values– Inform the employees about performance standards and appraisals and also about the company’s goals and targets. 

4. Development

After onboarding, the company needs to encourage the professional development of the employees and the team. 

      Key steps –

• Encourage learning– Provide sponsorships and discounts on courses. Encourage the employees to attend workshops and conferences.
• Reward the employees who learn on their own.

5. Retention

Retaining the organization’s talent is equally important. This is a stage where the company earns the trust of the team members.

Key steps –

• Ask the right questions– During the employee cycle survey, ask how they feel about the company and how likely they recommend their friends to work for it.
• Practice recognition– Recognise high performers and reward them.

6. Separation

Even after carefully going through all the stages, some employees might choose to leave for many reasons. In that case, ensure to take honest feedback, think positively, and keep looking for a replacement.