There are a lot of terms being thrown around these days about the workplace – “The Great Resignation” being a popular one. And while there are some daunting statistics that show the increase in people leaving the workforce, you’ve probably read enough about that.
Today I want to address another issue plaguing employers and hiring managers – “The Great Turnover”.
According to recent statistics, nearly 40% of new hires quit within 6 months on the job. To the average employee, this may not have much shock value. However, if you are someone running a payroll, or have been tasked with hiring or training new employees, you know that this is exhaustive to a company’s time, money, and resources.
Let’s be honest, 6 months is hardly enough time to become fully comfortable or confident with your new job description. So why is this premature departure so common?
Most like to point the finger at money when it comes to people quitting jobs. And while it can certainly be a large factor, when it comes to those leaving shortly after accepting an offer, that theory doesn’t hold much weight.
A LinkedIn survey, highlighting general reasons people leave their job, tells us that work/life balance remains in the lead. Frankly, this shouldn’t surprise anyone anymore. If you are an employer and haven’t made significant adjustments to improve flexibility in some way, you are going to find yourself in a constant state of job-filling!
(A lack of advancement opportunities, and poor culture or bosses were the runners-up.)
But when it comes to new hires, another statistic tells us all we need to know: 72% of hiring managers believe they provide clear job descriptions, while only 36% of candidates say they received a job description that clearly matched their actual role.
It’s common knowledge that “embellishing” on your resume is a major job-search faux pas. It’s one thing, of course, to manipulate the language a bit when describing your role as a cashier to highlight your professional responsibilities. But it is another to call yourself a Director of Finance for collecting customer money. Lying on a resume is essentially tricking an employer into hiring you, which leads to frustration over wasted time and money.
So are you inadvertently ‘tricking’ candidates into accepting a role?
These types of embellishments on a job description are no different. Whether it be the success of the company, the size of the team, the demands of the role, or the growth opportunities available, it won’t be too long before your new hire realizes they aren’t where they thought they were going. And then it’s back to the drawing board – or job board in this case.
In all fairness, this is very rarely intentional or malicious! As we see from the statistic, 72% of hiring managers believe their job description is clear. But much like job seekers hire experts to help them craft a resume, job fillers need expert help as well.
Outsourcing your hiring needs is more than a matter of convenience — it’s insurance for the process. An experienced staffing expert has a deep understanding of a hiring manager’s needs based on the conversations they have about a role, and can draft an appropriate job description to attract the right candidates. In addition, they have worked with such a multitude of candidates across industries, they can spot a mismatch just as well as they can spot a match.
It might seem like a great tactic to spruce up the job description in order to attract more applicants, but getting 5 of the right people to apply will always be better than 50 who would likely leave within 6 months!
If you’ve found yourself in this turnover cycle – before you blame the younger generation, or the changes in the workplace – consider making some adjustments to how and who you are hiring.
And of course, we are happy to help! Learn more