Ways to Prevent Employee Ghosting During the Hiring Process

Recruiters, managers, and HR teams are facing a new dilemma in today’s already challenging market: employee ghosting. If you are not already familiar with the term, “ghosting” is when someone stops all contact with another person or organization- typically without any notice that they are going to do so. For companies looking to hire, this can look like candidates not responding to emails during the hiring process, or new employees not returning after their first day.

Why Employees Ghost- and What You Can Do as an Employer 

A common reason that candidates may ghost an employer during the hiring process is they found a job elsewhere. To avoid this, examine your hiring process to see if you can make offers to candidates quicker, or speed up the hiring process.

If your hiring process is taking more time than you would like, actively communicate with candidates to let them know that you are still interested. Share with them the expected timeline, and what the next steps will look like.  

Here are some common reasons why a candidate may ghost an employer:

• Salary does not meet expectations
• Conflicting job descriptions or expectations
• Poor interview experience
• Slow hiring process or slow to make an offer

Check Your Company’s Online Reputation 

Negative reviews of your company could be sending a red flag to new hires and potential employees. It’s wise to monitor your online presence as a company, and consider responding to reviews or comments. Don’t just play defense with your reviews, create a strategy for posting positive content about your company’s culture whenever possible. Consider internally surveying your current employees to see what they recommend about your company and what they would change.

Focus on Your Onboarding Procedures 

You’ve made the offer, the candidate has accepted it, so now you are out of the woods, right? Wrong.

Don’t let your onboarding process be an experience that leaves your employees sprinting for the exit. It should be treated with the same consideration as the hiring process. You want to properly welcome employees, accommodate them to their working environment, and keep them engaged and informed.

Revise or Create a No-Call/No-Show Policy 

Having and communicating a reasonable no-call/no-show policy can make it clear to employees from the start what the expectation is. You want your policy to be balanced and to allow for emergencies and other situations where circumstances outside of the employee’s reasonable control prevent them from contacting your company prior to missing a shift. Encourage open communication with managers and clearly outline preferred methods of communication for things like sickness. You should also familiarize yourself with applicable employment laws and consult an experienced employment attorney to make sure that your policy complies with any applicable legal requirements.

Answer Questions About Pay and Benefits Early 

If you are not answering questions about pay and benefits early, you may be giving candidates a reason to move on to a company that is. If you can list the salary or salary range in the job description, you can save time. If you can’t list the salary in the job posting, address what candidates can expect for compensation in the initial interview.

Whether your business has never offered benefits, or you are looking for a more comprehensive plan, we can work with our carriers to offer you plan options. If you are looking to offer vision and dental benefits for your employees, we would be happy to discuss options with you. We have partnerships with the nation’s leading global carriers as well as regional insurers to offer a variety of plans. We also offer employer-based programs for medical, life, disability, worksite benefits, and more.

Visit our Benefits page here to learn more.

Is Employee Ghosting Here to Stay? 

For employers that invest a lot of time in the hiring and onboarding process, the thought of employee ghosting sticking around as more than a trend is a spooky thought. The job site Indeed ran a poll in 2023 that stated over 60% of job seekers stated they planned to ghost during future job searches.

What Should You Do If a Current Employee Ghosts You? 

If your employee is no-call, no-show for multiple days, it can leave you wondering what the next step should be. The first thing to do is to keep in mind that there may be an emergency or other circumstances that are preventing them from showing up to work. Review your company’s written policy on no-call/no-shows. Try to contact the employee through available channels like email or texting. If you still do not receive a response, consider sending a letter to the employee’s address documenting any days that they have missed and any company policies that would be applicable.

If you are unsuccessful in contacting the employee, try reaching out to the employee’s emergency contact. Before taking any adverse employment action, be sure to verify that you are complying with any applicable legal requirements and consult an attorney if needed.

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This article is for general informational purposes only and is not to be relied upon or used for any particular purpose. Cross Insurance shall not be held responsible in any way for, and specifically disclaims any liability arising out of or in any way connected to, reliance on or use of any of the information contained in this article. The information contained or referenced in this article is not intended to constitute and should not be considered legal, insurance, accounting or other professional advice, nor shall it serve as a substitute for the recipient obtaining such advice. The views expressed in this article are that of its author and do not necessarily represent the views of Cross Financial Corp. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (“Cross Insurance”) or Cross Insurance’s management or shareholders.