Mastering the Employee Lifecycle – Key Takeaways

Once we’d admired the stunning views of London’s landmarks, our founder, Roly Walter, hosted a conversation with HR practitioners who are already taking steps to actively manage the employee lifecycle: Katrina Windsor,  Emma King, and Marc Earnshaw. Thank you for joining us 💕.

Here are the key takeaways from the panel debate in case you need a recap:

🌱 How to onboard employees successfully 

• If you’re going to focus on one thing, get the basics done consistently and to a high standard. Research shows that this is still not the case for most companies, resulting in a gap between expectations and reality! 🥴
• Set out the first 90 days clearly and brief managers on what is expected of them and new hires in their team at each stage of 30, 60 and 90 days. Emphasise that the first impression that managers make on a new joiner counts. 
• To reduce the risk of eroding the enthusiasm and excitement of new starters, be clear about your induction, orientation and onboarding, and how these processes will work together. Make sure new starters aren’t waiting for access to the IT system only to be tasked with completing a load of compliance modules 🙄. 
• Document interactions during probation from the beginning so there are no surprises towards the end. Explain to managers that 6 months really flies by when it’s probation time!

Appraisd users top tip: Use the Appraisd onboarding templates to ask managers at 30, 60 and 90 days whether their new hire is on-track. HR can then intervene earlier if there are any issues or if check-ins aren’t being done. 

✅ How to flex onboarding for different types of hire

• It’s about striking a balance. Often the process is more thorough for junior hires but that means that senior hires who have a more high-touch, less process-focused, onboarding might end up with knowledge gaps about the company.
• A trend amongst our panellists was that the process of onboarding seems to be diluted and less consistent, the more senior the hire is. 
• The process needs to be as thorough, if not more, for senior hires as the investment made to bring them onboard is significant and the business impact if they leave will expose the business to risk. Supporting them in their career transition should be part of the focus of onboarding this group. 

Appraisd users top tip: Use Appraisd’s business logic tools to set up varied processes for different employee types and enrol them into the relevant onboarding process. This means you can flex your process for higher levels of seniority without risking them missing out on the essentials.  

🚀 How to make Performance Improvement Plans a positive experience  

• Realignment check-ins are generally thought to be a tricky conversation to have. But, intervening now, before things escalate means you can nip issues in the bud. But this requires manager confidence to handle it without making it a bigger ‘HR issue’. 
• A good PIP is clear and the employee must know what to do with it. Clear also includes the language that managers use to talk about performance so rather than being casual and suggesting it might be nice if someone could…. 🙈 they should clearly state the key things that need to be improved. 
• When it comes to PIPs, there is a stigma, and our panellists are working to change perceptions about them. PIPs are a chance to help give someone the best chance they can to succeed, not the last stop before exit! 
• Beware of managers that fall into the ‘ruinous empathy’ category, those who avoid giving feedback, because they don’t want to damage a relationship or risk upsetting someone. Explain that the kindest thing is to give the feedback and you can still be caring whilst being candid! 

Appraisd users top tip: There were a few fans of Radical Candour in the room. Check out our podcast episode with Emma King where we spoke about normalising candid feedback. 

👋 How to recognise flight risk and manage exit 

• Employee engagement surveys are a valuable tool for identifying flight risk. Could it be worthwhile having positive career conversations with those in low morale teams? Ask them what matters to them in the long term? And what’s important to them about where they work? 
• A stay conversation doesn’t have to be about leaving. A stay conversation also makes sure that people feel heard and that someone is listening to them and trying to improve things for them. 
• Collecting data on why people leave is useful, but just as valuable is letting those that leave for more money or more progression, know that they are welcome back. Some great boomerang hires come from this source.

Appraisd users top tip: To help managers to have the more difficult conversations, check out Appraisd’s ‘stay’ conversation and ‘exit interview’ templates in our new form library. 

And that wasn’t all…

After the panel debate, the Appraisd team introduced the new Appraisd Form Library 🥳. It includes suggested templates for every step of the employee lifecycle:

🌱 Onboarding forms that make new starters feel welcome from day one

✅ Probation review template that set clear expectations and foster open dialogue

🚀 Talent development templates that drive meaningful conversations

🔄 Performance improvement template that addresses early signs of underperformance

👋 Exit interview templates that capture meaningful information

Access the Appraisd Form Library

You can now access the full form library online here: Appraisd Form Library

If you were able to make it to the event, thanks for being part of our community! 😊 See you next time!