How to Solve the “Ghosting” Issue in the Workplace

Imagine spending months conducting interviews and finding the perfect candidate. How frustrated and disappointed would you feel if this highly qualified individual failed to show up on their first day with zero notice, leaving you to scramble to fill the position?  

In this episode of the Winning the Battle for Talent Podcast series, our J.D. Power experts examine this phenomenon of “ghosting” in the workplace, and what steps you can take to address it within your organization.  

What is Ghosting?

There are some similarities between candidate drop-off and ghosting, so it's important to understand the differences between them. Candidate drop-off occurs when individuals start the application process and disappear before they have their first interview, or in some cases vanish after that initial interview.

Ghosting refers to candidates who do not show up for work once they’ve been offered a position. This term can also apply to individuals who will come in for their first day and then disappear.

Why is Ghosting Becoming So Prevalent?

Many incorrectly assume that there is a correlation between age and ghosting. However, this trend is happening at every generational level and has been around for a while. With the Pandemic dramatically impacting the recruiting and onboarding process, ghosting only increased in frequency, and has impacted most organizations.

In 2019, Indeed did a deep dive to uncover why these trends were so rampant and found that most candidates were dropping off due to poor communication. Meaning, individuals went through the application process, interviewed, but never heard back from the organization. This lack of communication steered them to seek out other opportunities.

This past year, Robert Half reached out to those candidates who shared that they had ghosted a company and discovered three main reasons why this occurred:

1. Experiencing a poor interview process. Going through a poorly conducted interview led candidates to decide this was not a company they wanted to work for. 
2. Receiving another job offer. 
3. Researching their new position. After receiving an offer, the candidate learned that the job was going to be drastically different than what was described during the interview or hiring process.
   

Is Ghosting Occurring in Multiple Industries?

Unfortunately, no industry is safe from ghosting. We asked Jonathan Sutter, Senior Director of Travel & Hospitality at J.D. Power about ghosting within his industry. He revealed, “one major carrier reported 15% to 20% of candidates don't show up for the first day. This is after the process of presumably signing an offer letter and providing feedback and guidance to the company that they will be showing up.” He continued to share that some HR officers in his field have seen no-show rates as high as 30%.

Mark Miller, Customer Service Advisory Practice Leader at J.D. Power revealed that this trend has been extremely widespread in the customer service space and is now becoming even more common. He explained, “These days, you have situations where folks are going for multiple jobs, accepting multiple offers, and will pick one at the last second. And then even if they do pick it, it is because they have experienced how easy it is to get a job.”

What Can Managers do to Prevent or Limit Ghosting? 

Ask yourself, if a candidate received an offer from your company as well as a competitor with the same pay rate, why would they choose you? The secret to helping organizations acquire great talent from the market is engaging applicants early and often throughout the recruiting process. What steps can you take?

1. Never stop informing, and never stop selling. Are you building interest in the company during the interview? Candidates need to be excited about the prospect of joining a new team.
2. Re-evaluate the onboarding experience. It’s important to understand the journey of a new hire from the application to the first 90-120 days into their new role.

Final Thoughts

Ghosting isn’t going away, but there are steps that organizations can take to engage applicants from day one to reduce this trend and attract the best talent. Click the link to listen to the podcast below to learn more about ghosting from our customer service team.