Ghosting – What Is It, and Is It Affecting Your Public Sector?
Have you ever been exposed to ghosting when hiring new employees?
Have you ever been exposed to ghosting when hiring new employees?
Initially a phenomenon on the dating scene, ‘ghosting’ has moved into the workplace over the last couple of years. There’s a recent upturn in the number of vanishing candidates – and existing employees who suddenly don’t turn up for work without giving notice.
It could be a direct result of the candidate-driven marketplace, which offers multiple options for individuals, but whatever the cause, ghosting is on the rise.
Whether it’s a likely candidate who doesn’t turn up for the interview without a word of explanation, or a new hire who leaves the office after a couple of weeks, never to return, ghosting can cost your public sector organisation in terms of time and money.
So, what can you do about it?
To understand how to prevent ghosting in your organisation, it's essential to understand precisely what it is, and what the causes can be. So, in this article, we’ll take a look at some of the leading indicators of ghosting and how you can avoid them.
When Might You Be Ghosted?
Let’s look at the facts around ghosting in the current public sector workplace and when it's most likely to occur:
During the Application Process
Potential applicants go missing during the application process more often than you might think. Recent research discovered that 48% of job seekers had ghosted the application process; an increase from 2018, indicating that ghosting is on the rise.
At Interview
Nearly half of all candidates in this report believed ghosting is reasonable behaviour when applying for a job.
And even if they show for an interview, it doesn’t mean they will respond to any further communication from you.
On The First Day
Out of 2,800 research participants, over a quarter of job seekers have backed out of a job offer, resulting in ghosting, with many citing embarrassment as the reason for failing to get in touch with the potential employer to offer any explanation.
After Just a Couple of Weeks
It’s also not uncommon for a new employee to seem fine in the role, only to suddenly not turn up for work one day. And to never be seen again.
This sort of behaviour seems to be part of the gig economy we work in but leaving a job without proper notice is still not only rude, but it also causes a great deal of extra work and money to put right for the employer. It's been suggested that Millennials are mainly responsible for this type of behaviour due to their preference for swiping instant decisions, rather than making a phone call or requesting a face to face meeting to talk things through.
It’s a Mutual Problem
Ghosting isn’t just one-sided.
It’s also known for organisations to ‘ghost’ potential employees. A Talent Board report found that half of all candidates fail to receive any form of communication from recruiters/hiring managers up to 2-3 months post-application.
It’s worth bearing in mind that this behaviour can damage your organisation’s credibility too. Ghosting by employers can ruin the organisation’s reputation, making it difficult to attract new talent to your sector.
Not responding to applications is a big turn-off for candidates looking for a job. It’s inconsiderate to not respond to an individual who has taken the time to apply for your post. If they are not suitable, it's only polite to let them know and thank them for their interest.
The same goes for interview candidates. Contacting unsuccessful candidates in a timely fashion to let them know they have been unsuccessful enables them to continue their job search without being left wondering about your opportunity. It also gives them the chance to ask for feedback – which, by the way, you should be offering.
Remember, even if a candidate wasn’t suitable for the job in hand, you thought they have useful skills and attributes – enough to interview them in the first place. So, it could be that they would be perfect for a future role with your public sector organisation. Build your talent pipeline by maintaining good relationships with candidates – starting with acknowledging them.
How Can You Avoid Being Ghosted?
It’s crucial to know precisely what you want from a candidate when advertising a public sector position. That means not just their aptitude for the role, such as qualifications and experience, but their attitude. Things to consider include their ethos, their career aspirations, their collaboration skills, and a range of soft skills such as communication, inclusion, time management, etc.
Knowing what you are looking for from the start will enable you to choose carefully at interview – structuring questions to gain the information you need to decide on who will be the best ‘fit’ into your public sector organisation. That doesn’t mean necessarily someone who thinks just like you – diverse workplaces are better for creativity and innovation, but it is crucial to get someone who will ‘gel’ with your team and work well on a collaborative level.
Keep Communication Consistent
Avoid going off-line during the application and hiring process. It’s a candidate-driven and competitive public sector marketplace, and if you leave it too long to get in touch with candidates, you will more than likely discover they have gone elsewhere.
So, keep the communication going. That means acknowledging receipt of applications and providing the day, date, time and location of interviews clearly to each candidate.
At the interview, let the candidate know when they will hear from you, and then contact the successful individual verbally to make an offer as soon as possible, being clear on the date you would like them to start. This should be backed up within a couple of days by a formal written offer, to ensure your candidate is confirmed.
Before they start, it’s a good idea to keep in touch with them to make sure they don’t go off the boil. This could be a series of emails in which you might include information about the workplace they are joining, public sector news, an in-house newsletter if you have one, and details of what they can expect on their first day.
You may also wish to invite current team members to make contact with the new employee on LinkedIn, so they already feel they know their team when they start.
This inclusive behaviour will instil a sense of belonging in the new employee even before they have set foot in the workplace and will consequently foster a sense of loyalty in them, making it less likely they will ghost you on the first day.
Develop a Comprehensive Onboarding Programme
On the first day, your new employee should have an initial orientation meeting to get their bearings and an introduction to the team. It is an added benefit to have senior members of staff introduce themselves as it creates a sense of welcome and value for the new starter.
It's crucial to make your new employee feel part of the team straight away. From making sure they have a desk, pc and parking permit to buddying them up with a colleague for the first few days – don’t underestimate the impression your first day will make. It might seem obvious, but an associate of mine once stated a new role only to find no one had thought to even provide a desk for her to sit at! Not a great bonding experience.
In addition to the first day events, it’s wise to have a structured onboarding plan that includes a three, six and nine-month progress plan. This can include training and development opportunities, overall goals and milestone achievements for your new team member. Having this plan will enable both you and the employee to keep track of progress, and regularly reviewing it will give scope for making additions or changes as you go along, the opportunity for the employee to ask questions or clarify queries, and for you to check everything is going as planned.
A successful onboarding process can be the difference between developing your new starter into a confident, engaged and productive employee – and seeing them disappear.
Westwood Harris Burns are specialists in Executive Search and Senior Finance appointments within the Public Sector; with particular expertise in NHS, Housing and Charity Sectors. With over 60 years combined experience, we have extensive knowledge of the market, proven track records and established networks, allowing us to provide a wide range of services to both clients and candidates alike.
To learn more about how we can support you to either build your team or career, visit our Get In Touch page.
