Strategies to Address Employee Attrition Among Probationary Employees

Hello!

I want to know what preventive measures an organization can take to ensure that employees do not leave the job without serving proper notice. What can an HR department do if an employee stops coming after receiving the salary and shows no interest in obtaining an experience certificate or release letter? This issue is mainly faced with employees under probation.

Kindly suggest some solutions to this problem as soon as possible, which should not demotivate the loyal employees.

Thanks and Regards,
Sudha

You need to search for solutions from within rather than looking for it in rule books or in the fine print of contracts. Find out why the employees are leaving. Conduct exit interviews impartially to find out the reasons. Some of the common reasons for leaving jobs are lack of growth and learning opportunities, inadequate compensation, lack of a well-defined career path, etc. It is said that employees do not leave organizations, but they leave managers. Find out whether the supervisors who are entrusted with the job of grooming are contributing to employee turnover. You need to research the causes and take remedial measures. There is no press-button solution for this problem, and the solution may vary with the cause and the industry.

B. Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Advisor
Mumbai

Hello Sudha,

Further to what B. Saikumar mentioned, suggest using the research facility at the top of this page - this topic was discussed quite a few times earlier. Some of the threads could lead you to inputs that could suit your specific situation.

Here are the links for a couple of earlier threads:

https://www.citehr.com/132830-preven...ng-notice.html

https://www.citehr.com/356117-what-e...ce-period.html

All the best.

Regards,
TS

Dear Sudha,

This is in addition to what previous members have said.

If employees are abandoning their employment, it goes to show the lack of engagement towards their work. Find out how many probationers left in the last year or two years. Try contacting them to determine the reasons for their departure. The reasons could include:

a) Better opportunities.

b) Mismatch in career aspirations and the job offered.

c) Wrong recruitment.

d) Maltreatment by superiors or managers.

e) Lack of role clarity; systems and processes not well-defined.

f) Lack of career planning, leading to doubts about growth.

g) Extreme cost-cutting measures.

h) Excessive workload causing inability to cope.

i) Lack of support from managers.

j) Poor brand image resulting in employees viewing the job as temporary.

k) Lack of organized training to build skills.

To enhance employee engagement, proper induction is crucial. Allow long-serving employees to interact with new hires or present the positive aspects of the company. Additionally, instill confidence in employees about their growth within the organization.

Another effective OD intervention is implementing a mentoring program, which is successful in mature organizations. Designing a Mentoring Program requires practice and may involve hiring external consultants.

Have you assessed the revenue loss due to employees abandoning their positions? Collaborate with the finance team to present the revenue leakage to top management.

Best regards,

Dinesh Divekar
+91-9900155394

I agree with Sai and want to add to have an honest review of HR function and its elements like recruitment. Is there a mismatch between industry and people recruited or is it a problem of faulty organizational culture? Answers to these will give you the sought answers...

Employees want to be heard, treated with respect, valued, and allowed to be proud of what they do. You are apparently not treating them this way, probably using a top-down command-and-control approach to managing people that, by its nature, treats people with disrespect. This approach demotivates and disengages employees.

Meeting their needs is relatively easy to do. The last time I did so, my workforce of 1300 unionized people became highly motivated, highly committed, and fully engaged, literally loving to come to work and very thankful for being employed by us.

Change your ways!

Best regards,
Ben Simonton

http://www.bensimonton.com

Before employees are employed, they must sign an agreement or contract to work for a stipulated period before leaving the organization. This helps prevent fast turnover.

This is in addition to the previous post.

The best remedy is conducting impartial exit interviews, analyzing the data from the exit interviews, and taking concrete steps based on the analysis.

Furthermore, ensure that employees are familiar with the terms of their appointment letters by circulating emails within the organization.

Please remember one basic philosophy: nothing is permanent in this world, including employee loyalty! The "other side of the meadow is always green"! During these days of hardship, it is quite natural for humans to be attracted by higher salary levels. If you can't afford to meet the employee's demands, it is quite natural that they will move on to another employer. As many learned co-professionals have opined, people leave organizations for various reasons, but money is the prime factor for a large percentage of employees. If the leak in the 'outlet' is huge, it's better to open the 'inlet' valve a little more.

Analyse the cause of attrition: which kind of employees, what cadres, what levels, which departments? You will notice a pattern if you analyze the figures from the last three years. Based on the analysis, take steps to reduce attrition. If it relates to policy measures, consult the management with your remedial suggestions.

Sometimes, the measures you propose to prevent employees from leaving the organization may not be acceptable to your management. Therefore, it will be crucial for you to engage in 'plainspeaking' with your management and address issues directly.

Best wishes

Dear Sudha,

I totally agree with what every member has said earlier. It's time for you to act and find some solutions to prevent attrition rather than focusing on catching hold of the employees who are leaving. By asking "why" five times, you will discover solutions that are suitable for your organization.

Regards, Dennis.

Dear,

I really appreciate the reply given by our fellow members, especially Sai. As Sai has rightly pointed out, only you can find out the reason for leaving your organization and take measures.

Dear Sudha,

First of all, you started exit interviews for all of your departed employees. An exit interview is designed to provide a complete picture of why the employee left the job. The primary reasons for quitting the job are:

1. The boss/supervisor lacks experience and does not know how to handle manpower effectively.
2. The organization's growth is slow due to traditional working methods.
3. The organization lacks personal policies and welfare amenities.
4. There is a lack of desired skill competency or an existing skill competency matrix, meaning there are no training and development activities.
5. There is no work breakdown structure or key result areas.

All of these aspects depend on the type of leadership provided to employees. Please take note of these points and implement them in your organization. You will definitely see some positive results.

Regards,
RAVI RANJAN
HR Manager
FENA P LTD.

Hi Sudha,

Is the probation period exceeding 90 days to 180 days?

The problem you are facing and the solution you are demanding is for probationary employees. Any policy framed for probationary employees will never affect loyal employees. Loyalty comes in when the employee has served the organization for long and has passed through several measures of the organization. You can always have a different policy of serving notice for probationary and confirmed employees which can be communicated at the time of joining.

As mentioned by Dinesh V Divekar, you can find out the reasons for disengaged employees but accept the fact mentioned by N.K. SUNDARAM.

Coming to your point, what measures can be taken for probationary employees leaving immediately after salary credit;

1. For the Junior cadre - you can ask them to keep their certificates with the company for the probationary duration with a penalty clause. (Please check with your labor law consultant, as it is not advisable or may be against labor law to keep original credentials).

2. You can have a variable component in the salary or a deposit which can be disbursed only if they stay with the company for 6 months after probation.

3. You can draft an incentive policy based on their KRA which can be disbursed after 6 months of probation.

4. You can have a salary increment upon their completion of probation, with a stipend during probation and full salary from confirmation.

But all this can be used only if your probation period is not exceeding 90 days. Beyond that, no employee will serve you under such conditions.

I hope trying a different policy for some time is the only way out as things change within the industry. If you are not in a position to offer a similar profile and package as a new employer, you may not be able to retain an employee, no matter what you do.

Regards,

Hiral

Dear Sudha,

This issue is mostly faced by many HR professionals who work primarily in the BPO and Retail sectors, as well as in lower cadre positions in the manufacturing industry. The attrition rate is higher in these sectors compared to others, and the average tenure of employees is typically less than 3 to 4 months.

Due to the unavailability of the right talent and recruitment pressure, HR professionals tend to recruit individuals who simply apply. If certain criteria are met, the candidate is hired. However, these candidates often work for a short period before seeking other job opportunities. In this scenario, the candidate is least concerned about obtaining an experience letter, as it is not typically required by the HR of the new company, who also urgently need manpower.

While we cannot completely solve the problem, adopting specific criteria can help reduce attrition among probationary staff.

Recruitment

1. Avoid recruiting individuals who have completed only up to 10th or 12th grade. These candidates often work until their results are out and then move on to pursue further education. Some exceptions may include candidates who are unable to continue their studies and can be recruited after thorough screening.

2. Select candidates based on an assessment sheet that evaluates factors such as location, family background, source of income, education, and accommodation status (rental or owned).

For instance, a candidate living 15-25 km away from the company may only stay for less than 6 months if their travel and food expenses are not covered by the company.

Training

1. Provide proper induction to new employees upon joining and assign them to their respective departments. Avoid putting them to work on the same day they join.

2. Educate employees about company policies, benefits like ESI/PF, and potential career paths within the organization.

3. Conduct monthly probationary reviews to identify and address any challenges faced by employees.

4. Introduce cross-training opportunities for underperforming employees who may excel in another department.

5. Organize cultural events, employee engagement activities, and games to boost morale.

6. Implement incentive schemes if feasible.

ABSCONDING

In case an employee leaves without notice, issue two warning letters with a two-day interval, followed by a termination letter and details of dues to be paid within six days. Additionally, display the employee's photo on the company notice board.

I disagree with conducting exit interviews as they may not always be truthful and can be influenced by monetary reasons. In today's scenario, employees are unlikely to surrender their certificates to the company.

Note: Employees do not leave for salary hikes of 30% to 50% but often for minimal increases like Rs. 1000 or 2000.

Remember, no one is bound to a company forever; both parties must be content for a harmonious work relationship to thrive.

Thank you.

For those members who are suggesting to tie employees with a knot (presumably with honey-laid ropes), please note employees look at you for a positive attitude and positive thoughts about the organization. Even if the organizational climate is positive and comfortable, such immature moves on the part of management will send wrong signals to employees. This will not only be detrimental to your career progression (as your resume will be marked with this non-achievement in this organization) but also this organization will be deprived of the loyalty of many good employees. They will never consider long-term engagement in such an environment.

Therefore, have a positive attitude towards yourself first and then deal with this problem positively by conducting an honest introspection of reasons.

Hi Sudha,

I totally agree with what every member mentioned earlier. As of now, the first step would be to review the current organization rule book and gather feedback from each employee to assess their satisfaction level. After that, there might be a possibility to reduce certain aspects, but not to eliminate them completely.

Thanks,
Vikas Chandra Dwivedi

I agree with Hetal's statement. Adding to that, we should always take care of employees in their job roles and responsibilities. Continuous motivation and support are required. Check how well they are performing in their job. Are they happy or not?

A lot of employees are resigning in a company. We need to address this issue promptly. If anyone has suggestions on how to mitigate this trend, please share your insights with me.

Hi Sudhakarmano,

It is Attrition and not ATTRACTION!

First of all, what is the size of the company and what is the attrition rate?

Have you conducted any exit interviews so far, and have any specific reasons been shared by the employees?

In general, employees tend to leave when:

1) the work hours are abnormal
2) compensation is not on par with market standards
3) there is a lack of opportunity for learning/career growth
4) the work environment is not congenial

So please ensure that primarily the work environment is pleasant, offer competitive compensation and benefits, prioritize professional growth (encourage internal promotions instead of hiring from outside), etc.

Plan for frequent one-on-one sessions. Provide opportunities for employees to share their thoughts, grievances, identify training needs - plan for training sessions, have some employee engagement activities in place, introduce employee welfare measures.

Encourage supervisors to involve their subordinates in the decision-making process, thereby creating an opportunity for colleagues to share ideas, learn from each other, and work toward a common goal.

This way, you can reduce attrition.