Why Do New Hires Quit So Soon? Seeking Insights on Early Resignation Challenges

Hello All,

Recently, we hired a college graduate for the HR team in a recruitment profile. The lady was confident and skillful, having worked as an intern for 9 months in recruitment, being well aware of all the processes and challenges of the role. During the interview, she demonstrated good practical knowledge about the profile, supporting her claim of understanding the position.

However, after joining the organization, she did not come to the office from the next day onwards. When the team tried to reach out to her, initially, she did not answer the calls. On the third day, she responded, citing medical issues and her family advising her against taking the job due to travel requirements, leading to her discontinuation. Notably, during the interview, we had discussed the commuting aspect, and she had stated she was accustomed to it.

We tried to review her first-day experiences for any negative responses or demotivating interactions, but feedback indicated everything was positive. One team member even mentioned she appeared happy when leaving the organization.

Candidate Discontinuation Concerns

This kind of behavior has been observed with a few other candidates as well, where they join but then discontinue shortly afterward citing personal or medical reasons without further communication. Despite open discussions during interviews regarding continuity concerns and their agreement, these situations persist.

Request for Insights and Solutions

I kindly request everyone to share their experiences with such cases and any identified causes for this candidate attitude. Additionally, I invite the esteemed members of the Cite HR community to share their opinions and possible remedies to address and prevent such occurrences.

Thanks & Regards,
Deepak Pawar

Induction Training for New Graduates

If you are hiring directly from educational institutes, you should be aware that they are not exposed to the organizational atmosphere and are still in the academic culture. You have to change this first. A thoroughly planned induction training program, consisting of 5 days or a week, will help a lot. A sudden or one-day program will not be sufficient for this transition.

Initially, you have to take the help of a trainer who can impart such induction training. After the completion of such a program, new joiners may be asked to spend 2-3 days in all departments/sections so that they can familiarize themselves with the activities and the key personnel in such departments. It is only after that the new joiners may be called back to their respective home department.

Identifying Internal Issues

It seems that the problem might be within the organization itself. Someone could be harassing or demotivating newcomers. To identify the reasons for their departure, you should meet with the individuals involved and have a very friendly conversation. Then, find out what might be wrong within your organization. If you do not take the initiative, this could potentially harm your organization's reputation.

Of late, it has become very common in all industries. The sad reality is that the current younger generation, though not all but the majority of them, is not very serious about their career and also not giving importance to moral principles, just exhibiting the "I don't care" attitude. The probable reason could be that the candidate might have received a better offer and she might have preferred it, or even long distance could be the reason which she somehow managed during the internship for the sake of completion of the intern period.

Harassment or demotivation cannot be the reason, I feel. If so, she shouldn't have joined your organization after the 9-month intern period.

Agree with Madhu.T.K.

Look inside your own organization first. If this has happened more than once, as you appear to indicate, then there is possibly a problem that you need to fix quickly.

One-off we can understand, but if it is happening regularly, then there is a systemic problem that needs closer investigation.

Addressing Early Employee Attrition

We are trying to cure a new illness with an old prescription. This phenomenon of leaving the organization within a few days of joining or not joining at all after accepting the offer is becoming more widespread now. We are trying to cure it with old methods.

We need to keep in continuous touch with the new joinee right from the day of posting the appointment. Some successful organizations maintain daily contact and have a dedicated team to exchange pleasantries and gauge the mood of the employee. Many inputs are given about the organization even before the employee joins so that the candidate starts identifying with the organization and is actively engaged. I have seen that this approach works.

Thank you to all the members for your valuable feedback, suggestions, and contributions.

Hiring Practices and Candidate Experience

I would like to add some more information based on your feedback. We are not hiring directly from institutes. Typically, we hire candidates who have either completed internships for 6 to 8 months or have graduated but lack experience.

Internal Environment Assessment

Additionally, we have investigated the internal environment for any loopholes or negative impressions from colleagues, but we have not identified any such issues. However, we will continue to investigate further, as Mr. Madhu mentioned, "the thief is in the ship."

Structured Induction Plan

We are also working on developing a structured induction plan to familiarize new hires with the organizational environment before they start their roles.

Once again, a big thank you to all the members for your contributions.

Campus to Corporate Transition

Campus to corporate is a vital transition process for all. There needs to be a proper orientation program both in college and during the corporate induction process. A mentor and hand-holding are essential in the corporate environment. It is too simplistic to blame the youth of today for a lack of maturity or seriousness. Competency may exist, but aptitude must be inculcated and indoctrinated. Frankly, there is a pervasive "have no time" attitude from both campuses and corporations. I am not absolving the youth; we must first put our house in order.

Corporate Induction Programs

How many corporations have proper induction programs? How many have taken the time to set the ground rules correctly? Is there any serious hand-holding, or is it a matter of learning on the ground, getting knocked and battered? Many placement officers are not clear about the organizational culture of the corporations where placements occur; it's almost a leap of faith joining a job. Attrition will be present. Thank the IT sector for throwing money around indiscriminately. There must be a gradual, performance-based salary enhancement.

Recruitment Process Loopholes

Relying solely on an impressive CV and interview is insufficient. Sweet talk has been mastered by most job seekers. There are many loopholes in our recruitment process. Let's address them first.