To tangibly affect retention, employers should consider an increased focus on internal branding.
The finding is based on recent research from executive search firm Korn Ferry, which examined clients to determine why new starters quit in their first year.
According to the research, employees often feel a disconnect between what they were told during interviews and their lived experience in the job. Employees who left in their first year cited reasons like a lack of friendly or helpful co-workers, unexpected hybrid working or shift patterns, and feeling out of sync or uncomfortable with the company culture or purpose.
"Employees weren't really understanding: What is the brand of the company that I'm working for? What is the value proposition, as an employee, that's available to me?" said Jacob Zabkowicz, vice president and general manager of global recruitment process outsourcing at Korn Ferry and report coauthor, according to Fortune.
In light of the findings, Korn Ferry made a number of recommendations. These include reviewing the full job descriptions and person specifications for roles that face attrition issues as well as reviewing job advertisements and careers page content for key roles.