The value of moments that matter in the employee experience

The six stages of the employee lifecycle

The employee lifecycle is a six-stage process that begins with recruitment and ends when an employer and employee end their relationship.

Each stage is crucial to a worker's success at their organization. Learn more.

1. Attraction

The first stage of the employee lifecycle is attraction, or the stage when a prospective employee becomes interested in working at a company.

Components of a work environment that is attractive to candidates include opportunities for professional advancement, competitive benefits and compensation packages, and open dialogues between managers and their direct reports.

The key to attracting top talent is an employer brand that resonates with desired employees. A company with a reputation for having a great culture more easily attracts passive candidates while developing a robust pipeline of applicants. One hallmark of good company culture is current employees serving as brand ambassadors, including sharing their satisfaction with their job with their friends and family and posting about their work on professional social media sites such as LinkedIn.

2. Recruitment

Recruitment is the second stage of the employee lifecycle and is the stage at which the employee is brought into the organization.

Identifying optimal sources for candidates can help improve the recruitment process. HR staff should ask current employees for referrals, as referred candidates are often top hires and already possess a positive impression of the company through their acquaintance.

Successful recruitment includes a professional and respectful candidate experience, such as a message sent to the candidate within a reasonable amount of time stating that the company does not intend to move forward with their application. Users can automate these notifications in ATS software.

Sending those messages is extremely important, as one of the biggest mistakes a company can make is "ghosting" a candidate after the candidate has interviewed for a position. Individuals who have taken the time to interview -- potentially multiple times -- deserve to know if their candidacy is still under consideration.

3. Onboarding

Once a new employee has accepted their job offer, HR staff works with others at the company, such as the new employee's manager, to onboard the new worker.

This stage of the employee lifecycle can make or break the employee experience. New hires should receive support from HR, their managers, and their peers and will likely have questions regarding benefits enrollment, login credentials for employer platforms, and their new equipment. HR staff should preempt as many questions as possible by providing new hires with clearly written instructions in all these areas.

Making new hires feel welcome is a given, but setting clear expectations for responsibilities and performance is also a top priority. Many managers believe that a new hire who has interviewed for a position and then been hired understands all aspects of their job and how their role affects the success of the company, yet this is often not the case.

Managers should schedule regular check-ins with new team members within the first three months of the employee being hired so the employee can ask them questions one-on-one.

4. Development

The next stage of the employee lifecycle is employee development, which is crucial to the employee's future at the company.

Employees highly value opportunities for professional development. HR staff should check in with managers about whether the managers are encouraging their direct reports to pursue professional development opportunities. These opportunities often involve internal or external training at the company's expense or coursework, which is often partially or fully reimbursed by an employee's organization. Attending industry conferences can also help improve employee knowledge.

HR staff should encourage employees to communicate about employees' skill deficiencies and request ways to address those gaps.

5. Retention

Retention is the next stage of the employee lifecycle and is an important stage for companies, as organizations might lose valued workers for a variety of reasons.

Employees become more valuable with each year of tenure, as their company has invested time and effort so they can gain expertise and institutional knowledge. However, employees who are unhappy or don't feel fulfilled will move on.

Successful retention efforts focus on providing career advancement, which is highly valued by many workers, as well as challenging projects and ensuring a respectful, collegial environment.

6. Separation

The final stage in the employee lifecycle is a worker departing the company. This includes an employee leaving voluntarily, being fired or being part of a wider organizational layoff.

No matter the reason, HR staff should navigate employee departures sensitively and ensure that each stage of employee offboarding is followed so both the departing employee and the company get as much value out of the process as possible.

For example, an exit interview might provide valuable insights into the corporate culture and enable a departing employee to provide feedback that they want to share.

4 examples of moments that matter

Certain milestones during an employee's tenure at a company are particularly high-impact and can affect an employee's feelings about their organization and their time there. Neglecting these moments could lead to an employee feeling unhappy with their job and potentially deciding to depart the company.

Here are some of the most important moments.

1. Employee recognition

Employee recognition is an important initiative, as a company employee recognition program communicates to employees that their work is seen and appreciated.

Employee recognition might include initiatives like creating an Employee of the Month program or simply publicly congratulating employees and their teams on certain achievements.

Currently, many organizations are falling short in this area. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they wish they received more recognition at their jobs, according to the 2024 survey "Not Another Employee Engagement Trends Report" by Quantum Workplace.

2. Performance reviews

Many employees value receiving feedback, so managers must follow best practices when conducting performance reviews and HR staff should train managers on the latest thinking in this area.

HR staff should also consider the most valuable approach to performance reviews for their organization. For example, multidirectional feedback, or 360 reviews, involves soliciting feedback from various employees about a worker's performance instead of a manager delivering all feedback. 360 reviews can be valuable since they look beyond managers to enable a more complete picture of a worker's performance. For example, a project leader might discuss an employee's valuable contributions to the project.

3. Manager check-ins

Periodic check-ins with an employee's manager can also be moments that matter. The check-ins are an opportunity for managers to deliver more feedback, which many employees value, and can be a good time for employees to ask questions or raise concerns. HR staff should ensure all managers are conducting these check-ins regularly.

Smaller instances like a manager stopping by an employee's workspace and asking how things are going can also help employees feel supported.

4. Promotions

Giving employees promotions is one of the top ways company leaders can show workers that the workers are valued by the organization and that leaders see their contributions. Employees often rank raises, which usually accompany promotions, as one of the best ways to ensure workers feel appreciated.

Another way for companies to support employees is by offering benefits such as tuition reimbursement for employees who want to earn additional credentials that contribute to their professional development.

Lynda Spiegel is a freelance writer and former global HR executive for financial services, telecommunications and SaaS companies.