Attachment Feature Driver

"The perceived difference between the way a position was represented at interview/selection compared to the first hand experience of the role (measured at the 90th day of employment)."

Though a number of factors can influence this result, there are 2 primary reasons that cause a low or moderate level of Attachment on this driver:

• Discrepancy in the proportion of duties
• Discrepancy in the actual duties

Discrepancy in the Proportion of Duties

Because at interview, the focus for the employer is on the role that will be performed when the employee has achieved competency and the position is being performed at a sustainable and balanced level. This is often related to how the position has been performed by predecessors. As is common to almost every position, the first 3 months of any new job is a very different experience to they way the position ultimately ends up being performed. Some factors that influence this are - the steep learning curve for new skills and responsibilities and the duties required to get up and running are out of proportion to the balance that will ultimately be achieved. Look at the first 3 months for a Recruitment Consultant for example and the proportion of marketing activity vs other duties compared to a competent recruiter who has balance between a range of marketing and other duties at the 6 month mark.

The fact that the critical Attachment period, which once expired means perceptions are set, only exists for the first 120 days (measured at the 90th day) will usually not provide enough opportunity for the employee to achieve normalcy in the role & will lead to Low/Moderate Attachment on this driver. Because of this there the impact is an increased risk of attrition and a suppression of discretionary effort and performance.

So how do you overcome this risk?

The most important thing for you to do is to make sure at interview/selection, discuss both the position as it will be once they are through the learning and start-up phase of the role as well as what they should expect on the way to achieving this. Setting realistic expectations of both the journey and the destination will ensure the employee is not disappointed or feels that you were not honest or accurate in your representation of the position. Other things you should do include checking in regularly with the new employee during the first 120 days to ensure that they are on track with their learning and they are still on target to achieving competency and balance within the desired time frame. Ensure they talk to other employees who are achieving success in their role and provide reassurance about what will happen if they “stay the course” through the start up phase. Importantly provide the support and training required to help them through this period.

Discrepancy in the Actual Duties

There are usually 2 reasons that this occurs.

Firstly because the job has not been reviewed for a significant period of time and the manager just goes down the pathway of recruiting for the position they thought was there (replacement). This happens quite often in many businesses and an opportunity to review the true requirements of the business and the potential changes that can be made to the position are lost.

Secondly and again all too common with managers who have experienced high levels of attrition with a particular role (but is not limited to these situations) is deliberate censoring of the true nature of the position. The nature of most roles is that there are duties that are - if not undesirable then less desirable. It is rare that I come across a person who says they love all aspects of their job at a high level and in equal proportion. The average job has its highs and its lows. For those achieving high levels of Attachment either the lows are acceptable to them or they were informed of the true nature of the role when accepting the position. For those only achieving moderate or low Attachment then either the true nature of the lows were “fudged” or deliberately omitted at interview/selection.

Though it is understandable for a manager to want to have someone accept a position and commence in the role, it is a false reality to think that they will avoid being back recruiting again once the new employee experiences the true nature of the role and the lows are unacceptable. Many managers do this just to get someone to start in the job, hoping that the lows will be acceptable to them – but this rarely happens. Instead a perception of being mislead is created and trust is eroded almost immediately.

This strategy for a manager leads to frustration and disappointment for all parties including the manager themselves and the cost to the business is significant when considering the cost of recruitment, training, resourcing and the impact on colleagues and potentially clients. It is just not worth the risk to hope that once the employee discovers the true nature of the role that the lows are acceptable enough to stay on.

So how do you overcome this risk?

Do a full review of the business needs and make a determination of the position duties and responsibilities based on this. In preparing for the recruitment and selection process ensure you create a balanced representation of the position to discuss at interview. Do not go the other extreme and play up the low’s but ensure that you make applicants aware of the elements within the role which could be considered low’s – don’t gloss or fudge.

It is far better for you and for them if they make the decision not to pursue the position in the interview/selection phase than doing so 6 months in. It may be though that the nature of the position is that it needs to be considered a short-term role. You may want to consider identifying progression opportunities within a shorter time frame elsewhere within the business rather than holding the employee in the role until they get fed-up and decide to leave. By doing this you can sell the merits of the job as the first step on a career journey with the organization, you get acceptable tenure in the position and the ability to be a gateway of skilled and culturally indoctrinated employees into other positions in the business.

By improving the Attachment level achieved on this driver, you will directly reduce the risk of attrition, increase the level of discretionary effort and performance for every new employee which converts to bottom line results.

This is 1 of 20 drivers - conscious and subconscious criteria common to and assessed by new employees during their first 120 days of employment as identified by Sork known as the Attachment Period.