Honeymoon Period for Employees Shrinking…What does this mean?

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Scott Spayd

A growing company is a happy company:
TNS finds that new employees can boost company engagement levels.  Research suggests that the honeymoon period for new employees is shrinking to under 1 year and is confirmed by Human Resource Executive’s ”Extending the Honeymoon” by author Michael O’Brien.  High performing companies keep that honeymoon period lasting longer and keep the typical drop in scores for mid tenured employees from dipping too low.

“Honeymoon Period” of new employees can increase overall engagement:
TNS normative data from over 1 million employees clearly shows that new employees, with less than 1 year with the company, are consistently 10 to 15% more satisfied in several key engagement areas.

How much more engaged are new employees?
TNS data shows increased engagement for new employees in the following categories:

•  Overall Engagement:  + 9%
• Manager/Supervisor:  +11%
• Senior Leaders:  +13%
• Pay:  +12%
• Recognition:  +14%

Engage Top Talent early to keep engagement levels high:
High Performing companies quickly identify new, engaged, top talent employees and work hard to maintain their level of engagement well beyond the early years through job training, experiential learning, recognition, etc. They work hard at creating a positive view of the future even during more difficult turbulent times.  TNS consultants suggest a variety of targeted programs to clients that are specifically designed to keep engagement levels high throughout an employee’s tenure.  Managers can focus on maintaining engagement levels of new employees by getting them involved in key projects earlier in their training and encouraging taking ownership in their work.