Struggling with No-Shows and Sudden Exits: How Do You Handle These Hiring Challenges?

Hello All,

I am working in Ahmedabad at a software company. Below are the issues I have been facing:

1. Candidates commit to coming for interviews at their convenient times but do not show up. They also do not respond to calls or emails.
2. Candidates accept job offers after their final interviews, complete the necessary documentation, but fail to show up on their scheduled start dates.
3. Existing employees leave the company without providing a resignation or serving their notice period.

Please assist me with these issues.

Replies to your questions are as below:

1. Candidate commits to coming for the interview at their convenient time but does not turn up and does not answer calls/emails. This is happening because the job candidates approached appear to be non-serious. Needy job candidates never do this.

2. Candidate accepts the offer after their final interview, completes the documentation formalities but does not show up on the date of joining. This is happening because the candidates interviewed appear to be non-serious. They could be using the offer letter from your company to negotiate with their existing employer. When the current employer increases their salary, they refuse to join.

3. Existing employees leave the company without giving resignation or serving the notice period. This is happening because of the misalignment of employees with the company's culture. They are not mentally engaged and are so fed up that they hardly bother to inform about their exit.

Earlier, I have given replies to similar posts. You may click the following links to refer to those replies:

- https://www.citehr.com/541421-can-co...ml#post2262806

- https://www.citehr.com/433012-employ...ml#post1959617

At this stage, you need to focus on containing the problem of employee attrition. If attrition decreases, then your recruitment problem will also diminish. To contain attrition, you need to develop an Employee Engagement Plan. Please go through my following reply on this subject:

- https://www.citehr.com/562428-employ...ml#post2304902

For further clarification, feel free to contact me.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

I have a feeling that the result you have drawn is because you have not dealt with the candidates properly. Let us ask ourselves what we really looked for when we went for interviews during our younger days. I would try to list them down.

1. How the Company is as a Prospective Employer

We would look forward to the interviewer describing the company, its business, the promoters (with names), the year of establishment and progress through time, the present market for them, competitors, and surely, tidbits of their success story. Candidate's Assessment - Would the company match my dreams and ambitions?

2. Understanding the Verticals

What are the verticals and who heads them? Are they hired employees or members of the promoter's family? If the verticals are headed by hired employees, were they recruited afresh for the post or internally promoted? Candidate's Assessment - Do my aspirations match?

3. Vertical Hierarchy

What is the vertical hierarchy? Candidate's Assessment - Where does the post being interviewed for fit in and how many steps to the top? Does it match my career timeframe?

4. Career Path and Progression

Is the company sketching a career path for me? If yes, how lucrative is it? At what pace would I progress?

5. Interviewer’s Role

Who is the person interviewing me and where do they fit into the hierarchy described? What responsibilities do they hold other than conducting interviews?

6. Reporting Structure

Who am I supposed to report to? Is my reporting authority interviewing me?

7. Expectations and Caliber

What is expected of me and would their expectations do justice to my caliber?

8. Performance Expectations

What quantity/volume am I expected to deliver? Can these expectations be expressed in financial terms? Candidate's Assessment - Is the company business-intensive or employee-intensive?

9. Work-Life Balance

Are they offering leisure in between working hours for self-development and fitness practice?

I feel the interviewer should start with this for the candidate to assess and gain confidence about the prospective offer before actually being interviewed on the subject and potentially joining if selected.

Regards,

Addressing Candidate and Employee Attrition

Thank you for guiding me, Divaker Sir.

In regards to your reply, Point 1: If candidates are not serious, why are they applying for the job? Why do they not turn up on the date of joining (DOJ)? Please note that our offer letter does not contain the salary criteria. It is mentioned in the appointment letter, which is issued one month after joining.

Also, we have a bond policy in our company; however, employees still leave, breaking the bond without informing or serving the notice period.

What could be done to reduce the attrition ratio, considering all these points?

Regards,
[Username]

Addressing Employee Retention and Recruitment Challenges

There is something amiss in your company. There cannot be smoke without fire. If candidates refuse to join, and when they do join, they do not stay long, it speaks about the organization's culture or work environment. Possibly, due to a large number of exits, a lot of negative branding might have taken place. Please do not underestimate the power of social media. News about unfair treatment or maltreatment of employees goes viral.

Your top "boss" needs to introspect on why people are not sticking around. In a way, it is a failure of his leadership as well. He is not a role model to his employees. They consider working in your company as "transit employment" or a "stop-gap arrangement." As soon as they get a better opportunity, they abandon your company and quit. They are not overly concerned about the financial loss that may result from this, and for the sake of new employment, they are ready to take this loss in their stride.

If you wish, you may call me on my mobile for further discussion. However, I need to talk to the MD of your company. Unless he changes his mindset, nothing can change!

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

If such things happen, then one needs to analyze the company's policies, environment, and work nature. If the job and the management are good, then no one will leave as soon as possible.