• The best way for employers to prevent being ghosted by new hires is to ensure they don’t ghost them.
• There are many ways for employers to entice new hires to stay.

Ghosting is a slang term used to describe the ending of a relationship by withdrawing from all communication without explanation. Once relegated to the dating scene, ghosting has become a problem in the workplace, adding more stress to managers and Human Resources (HR) professionals who, after spending time and resources courting a qualified job candidate, find themselves completely cut off from contact.

Workplace ghosting happens primarily during the hiring process, but employees completely cutting off communication with employers and abandoning their new positions shortly after they’ve started working is increasingly common. While there’s no way to completely prevent job ghosting, employers should do everything they can to keep their new employees coming back.

The best way for employers to prevent being ghosted by new hires is to ensure they don’t ghost them. Sometimes, employers put so much effort into hiring that they:

• Think their work is done once an employee starts, and
• Immediately go back to their regularly scheduled job duties.

Imagine how it feels for new employees to be left completely on their own to figure out the job after the flood of attention received on the first day or two. To reduce the risks of being ghosted by new hires, employers should onboard as quickly and thoroughly as possible, and:

• Don’t assume new hires are happy. This job may have been a runner up that they accepted after being rejected by their dream company.
  • Employers should make it their mission to prove that this job is a good fit for them.
• Watch for red flags. Do new hires come to work over-dressed and then mysteriously disappear for a few hours on random days? Are they stepping outside to have private phone conversations? They might still be in job-search mode.
  • While employers don’t want to invade anyone’s privacy and can’t prohibit employees from using off-time for interviews, they should make it their mission to convince new hires that this is the right job for them.
• Give lots of feedback. Everyone is nervous the first few months on the job. Frequent productive feedback can be a lifeline to new employees who are struggling, but afraid to ask for help.
• Make it okay to use perks. New hires may have been attracted to the company because of the perks offered, such as flex time, so employers should be sure to send out the message that it’s okay to use them.
  • For example, if employers bragged about the company cafeteria when they interviewed potential employees, they should encourage team members to invite new hires to eat there with them instead of alone at their desks.
• Don’t assume they know it all. Employers should assume they are just uncomfortable asking. It is better to over-inform new hires about all the nuances of the job and company than under-inform them.
  • Of course, employers shouldn’t overwhelm them on their first day, either.
• Make sure they’ve got the tools they need and are comfortable with the technology. Just because new hires are tech savvy doesn’t mean they are proficient on every type of equipment and every app on every platform. Maybe they even exaggerated their proficiency level a little on their application.
  • Rather than having them struggle on their own, reduce frustration by:
    • Providing training options, and
    • Offering information on who to contact when systems freeze, passwords are forgotten, or software needs upgrading.
• Assign a mentor, or at least a buddy. New hires may be reluctant to ask for help, especially from a supervisor. Employers should pair them up with a peer who:
  • Can point out where the office supplies are stashed,
  • Has the best candy on their desk, or
  • Has tips and tricks with the software.
• Help new hires connect to a broad range of people. If employers have assigned new hires a mentor, they shouldn’t make it an exclusive relationship. They should assign new team members to work with other individuals and groups, too, so they can observe who they click with.
  • It’s harder to abandon a job after they’ve made friends.
• Take input seriously. If employers were impressed with new hires’ ideas and experience during the interview, they shouldn’t brush off suggestions for improvement now that they are employees.
  • New employees who feel like they are being taken seriously and contributing are more likely to stay.
• Let them be themselves. Employers shouldn’t constantly compare new hires to the employees they are replacing.
  • This can make them feel like it’s impossible to fit in or live up to standards that were set.