Effective onboarding | Why is the 'honeymoon period' for new jobs in danger

By Jake Outram, Senior EX Advisor, Qualtrics

Something strange is happening. New joiners have historically spent the first months of a role in a warm glow of excitement, a phase recruiters know as the ‘new job honeymoon period’. However, for the first time, they report being disaffected, restless, and failing to connect with you, their new employer.

That’s a big problem. It means that even after putting in all the hard work and cost to hire new joiners, you cannot guarantee they will stick around. Companies are forced back into the jobs market, repeating the expensive and time-consuming process of hiring new talent all over again, and placing continued pressure on existing team members who are working without the support they need from within the team.

The Society for Human Resource Management estimates the cost to replace a staffer is 6-9 months of their salary – an expense to avoid if possible.