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66% of Australian workers have or would be open to declining a job offer after initially accepting it
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61% of employers have experienced an increase in the number of candidates accepting and then declining a role before the start date
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51% of Australian workers have or would be open to leaving a role during the probation period
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61% of employers have experienced an increase in the number of employees leaving within the first month and 54% an increase in the number of employees leaving within the first six months
Sydney, September 2022 – As Australian employers compete for top talent in a skills-short market, new independent research by specialised recruiter Robert Half finds that a preferred candidate accepting a job offer is no longer a guarantee they will join the company with 66% of Australian workers indicating they have or would be open to declining a job offer after initially accepting it. Of those workers, more than half (54%) cite receiving a better offer as a reason to decline the role.
Building on this, 61% of employers have experienced an increase in the number of candidates accepting and then declining a role before the start date compared to pre-pandemic. More than six in 10 (61%) have also seen an increase in the number of new recruits leaving within one month of starting a role and over half (54%) of employers have experienced an increase in the number of employees leaving within the first six months, highlighting the importance of providing an engaging worker’s experience from the moment the contract is signed and a well-developed onboarding strategy.
Employers take steps to improve pre-onboarding efforts
While more than half (54%) of employers are speeding up the hiring process in a bid to secure top candidates during the recruitment process, this efficiency can come at the cost of building emotional rapport with the candidate – leaving them vulnerable to poaching from the next best offer, even after accepting a role.
To counter this, the most popular strategies employers are using to retain new recruits immediately after they’ve accepted an offer include introducing the new hire to the team in a social setting (58%), regularly corresponding with the new hire over phone or email (56%), and sharing a welcome pack (51%).
Relationship building is a top priority for successful onboarding
More than half of Australian workers are not opposed to leaving during the probation period, with 21% of them having already left a role during the probation period and a further 30% who would consider it under appropriate circumstances. Of these workers, more than half (53%) cite a poor company culture as the top reason to leave, followed by receiving a better offer (43%) and the job not being in alignment with what was advertised (40%).
As many companies embrace hybrid working models, decentralised workforces are presenting some challenges to maintaining the traditional social bonds that existed between team members pre-pandemic.
With company culture and quality relationships known to be a significant driver of retention, new hires are therefore at a higher risk of leaving early without the opportunity to form relationships and develop bonds with their colleagues. Some of the most popular bonding tactics currently being used to improve onboarding in a changed working environment include sending a company-wide email (55%), starting a welcome thread on an employee forum (51%), and organising an in-person team event (50%).
“With so much choice in the job market leading to competing job offers and counteroffers for candidates, the most in-demand employees are at a higher risk of leaving a new role within six months – or even reneging on an offer before they have started. At the same time, the current candidate market has coincided with the shift to flexible working which has made it more challenging for new recruits to feel part of a team or become engaged in company culture. Simply, employers that don’t offer an exceptional onboarding process from the job offer to probation period are at great risk of losing new employees to other opportunities before they even settle in the new role,” said Nicole Gorton, Director Robert Half Australia in announcing Robert Half’s latest survey results.
“Securing top talent doesn’t stop when they sign the contract. Once a candidate has accepted a role, it is essential to develop a strong rapport with them by maintaining communication. While not new, many companies today still allow there to be a communication gap between the moment the contract is signed and the new employee’s first day. Regular email updates, post-interview check-ins and offering more details about the role, company, and induction plan could all help to build an emotional connection and reduce the risk of candidates backing out of a job offer in favour of a competing opportunity. When the candidate joins the company, providing a clear roadmap of responsibilities, conducting regular check-ins, offering mentoring, and organising team building activities are all examples of successful onboarding tactics in the current environment,” concluded Gorton.
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Notes to editors
About the research
The study is developed by Robert Half and was conducted online in June 2022 by an independent research company, surveying 300 hiring managers, including 100 CFOs and 100 CIOs, from companies across Australia. This survey is part of the international workplace survey, a questionnaire about job trends, talent management, and trends in the workplace.
The Australian worker study is developed by Robert Half and was conducted online by an independent research firm in June 2022, surveying 1,019 office workers from across Australia.
For enquiries, please contact:
Courtney Fletcher
Courtney.Fletcher@roberthalf.com.au
+61 421 209 304