Employee Lifecycle

The employee lifecycle consists of seven key stages through which employees progress when they engage with an organization. The lifecycle begins with a person’s awareness of a company and continues until they depart from the organization. There are seven widely recognized stages of the employee lifecycle. 

Stage 1: Attraction

The employee lifecycle begins with the attraction stage, before a person’s first day working with an organization. During the attraction stage, a potential employee identifies a company as a potential employer, has a positive experience interacting with company representatives, and considers a career with the company. In some cases, the employee may have had a prior awareness of the brand, but the employee lifecycle doesn’t begin until the person considers a role with the company. 

Stage 2: Recruitment

During the recruitment stage, the organization’s focus is on creating a job posting, identifying talent, screening and interviewing them, and selecting the most qualified candidate for the role. Job candidates enter the recruitment stage when they apply for a company’s available position. 

Stage 3: Onboarding

Once a candidate has been offered a job and accepted the offer, they enter the onboarding stage. During onboarding, new employees are integrated into an organization as they become familiar with basic workplace practices and are introduced to coworkers and management. 

Stage 4: Development

During the development stage, an organization invests in its employees through training opportunities. Training and development may include skills specific to the employee’s role, or a company can provide training in leadership development or soft skills such as communication.

Stage 5: Retention

After investing time and resources into employee development, a company’s goal shifts to retaining that employee. Failure to retain qualified and trained workers can result in the loss of top performers. Poor retention is also costly to a company. 

Stage 6: Offboarding

When an employee makes the decision to resign from an organization, they enter the offboarding stage. Offboarding begins when an employee submits their resignation and ends when they exit the company. During this stage, tasks are completed and reassigned. In some cases, a successor is identified. 

Stage 7: Exit and Advocacy

An employee’s departure from an organization isn’t necessarily the end of their relationship with an employer. A satisfied employee who leaves an organization can often act as an advocate for their former employer by sharing their positive experience with people they encounter. Effective advocacy can also open the possibility for a former employee to return to the organization in the future. 

Employee Lifecycle Example

A tech company showcases its supportive work environment and innovative projects through social media and job postings. A software engineer named Sarah sees the job posting on a job board and peruses the company’s social media accounts to get a feel for what it is like to work there. Sarah enters the recruitment stage when she applies and is hired for the role. 

Sarah goes through an effective onboarding program at her new company and integrates into the team. As she grows with the company, her employer invests in her professional development to enhance her skills. At some point, Sarah decides to accept a new career opportunity, entering the offboarding stage. Because of the positive exit stage, Sarah remains a positive advocate for her former employer.