For decades, companies have created initiatives around the employee life cycle: They start by attracting employees, then recruiting and onboarding them to the company. Once employees are settled, they move to the development stage. Companies then try to retain employees and transition them into a new role, where the cycle starts over again.
This has been the basis for countless development programs, onboardings, and performance reviews.
What’s the problem with the typical employee life cycle? It’s not how employees live their lives!
Employees don’t think about their time with an organization in these buckets. They may measure their time based on the life events that happen in those years or on the things they learn.
The typical life cycle is one-sided and doesn’t consider what employees want in their careers or the other things happening in their lives. Organizations try to create neat little buckets for their employees instead of creating systems and initiatives that reflect employees’ lives and desires and actually help them grow and improve.
What about employees who don’t want to climb the corporate ladder? Or someone who changes their career?
The typical employee life cycle is outdated and doesn’t match the changing demands and expectations of modern employees.
Instead, companies need to take a more personalized approach and get to know employees as individuals. Leaders need to focus on each employee’s goals and growth plans and the moments that matter–the milestones and events that happen outside of work and affect who they are as a person, not just an employee.
Today’s employees don’t fit into molds. So don’t try to move them through the typical molded life cycle.
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Companies with better employee experiences have more engaged and productive workers, higher profits, and the ability to attract and retain talent. In today’s competitive talent landscape, companies can’t afford not to invest in employee experience. Download your copy and start creating better experiences for your employees and customers today!
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