A smiling woman in glasses and an orange sweater sits at a table with a laptop, holding papers and using a calculator—reflecting the employee engagement lifecycle in action. A blue mug and various papers are on the table in a bright, cozy room.

Employee Engagement Lifecycle: A Complete Guide

Optimizing the employee engagement lifecycle can make a significant contribution to the overall success of a business. Understanding this cycle is vital and can be a great source for monitoring organizational performance, where businesses strive to retain their employees.

Failure to implement a high-quality employee lifecycle can lead not just to high staff turnover rates, but also put off prospective employees from joining your business in the first place.

If you’re in Human Resources (HR) or any sort of leadership position that involves hiring and retaining employees, this guide will explore what the employee engagement lifecycle is and the various strategies and technologies that improve and extend the lifecycle.

What is the employee engagement lifecycle?

The employee engagement lifecycle encompasses the journey an employee takes from initial attraction to becoming a brand advocate. Aligned to the employee lifecycle, the employee engagement lifecycle emphasizes the experience and engagement of the employee, underscoring its significance in shaping organizational success.

Commonly, it consists of seven key stages, each crucial to understand when looking to nurture employee engagement, satisfaction, and commitment, thereby contributing to a positive and fulfilling work environment.

What are the 7 stages of the employee engagement lifecycle model?

1. Attraction

This is the initial stage where potential applicants are exposed to your employer brand for the first time.

With statistics revealing that 54% of companies struggle to entice top-tier candidates and that 75% of a candidate’s perception forms before they even apply, the significance of this phase cannot be overstated. It’s during this initial encounter that potential hires form their first impressions, often based on brand, reputation, and workplace culture.

2. Recruitment

Recruitment involves the process of attracting, sourcing, and selecting candidates to fill vacant positions within the organization.

Improving recruitment entails enhancing the overall employee value proposition (EVP), making vacancies more attractive to potential candidates.

Effective recruitment sets the tone for the employee journey by ensuring the right individuals are brought on board, who align with the organization’s culture, values, and goals.

3. Onboarding

This is defined as integrating new employees into your organization. Here, you are giving employees the opportunity to familiarize themselves with your business’s policies, procedures and culture. Training activities and open communication will ensure a smooth transition.

4. Development

The development stage focuses on nurturing the skills of your employees as well as their knowledge and capabilities. Over time, procedures and practices may change. Therefore, it is important to provide them with the necessary training and education to help them become familiar with those changes.

Development also focuses on an employee’s career. Whether it’s within the organization or the same industry, it’s important to implement certain initiatives that will make career advancement more of a possibility.

5. Retention

This stage is all about ensuring employees remain engaged and committed to your organization. At this point, you will need to implement the measures that recognize and reward employees’ efforts and address any needs that employees may have. The more proactive and responsive you are in addressing these needs, the more this mitigates the employee turnover rate and ensures better retention.

6. Offboarding

This is the transitional stage for employees leaving the organization by way of resignation, retirement or termination. Those responsible for HR will conduct exit interviews, maintain a positive relationship, and also facilitate knowledge transfer.

7. Advocacy

Advocacy marks the final stage of the employee engagement lifecycle, where current and former employees become ambassadors for your organization. Engaged and satisfied employees naturally become advocates, sharing positive experiences with friends, family, and professional networks.

Advocacy is a result of employees feeling satisfied, engaged, and valued within the organization, leading them to naturally promote it to others. This positive word-of-mouth can significantly enhance the organization’s reputation and attractiveness to potential candidates.

What are the benefits of optimizing engagement throughout the employee lifecycle?

The employee engagement lifecycle model helps to promote effective engagement throughout an employee’s career, boosting motivation and ultimately making the working environment a more positive place. For businesses, there are other significant benefits, including:

Lower staff turnover

This can be ensured by addressing employee needs, conducting regular performance reviews, and incentivizing their efforts and accomplishments.

Increased employee engagement

Engaging with your employees will make them feel more important. A study showed that low employee engagement can increase the employee turnover rate by 18%-43%.

By focusing on engagement, you can retain high-performing team members and help your business succeed.

Better training and development

A recent study showed that employees who receive monthly support and training are 14% happier in their jobs. As such, the employee engagement lifecycle gives you the opportunity to source training materials tailored to your organization.

In turn, the materials will play a role in the development of both the individuals and the organization as a whole.

Employer improvement

Activating your EVP will be one of the pillars of improving yourself as an employer.

Think of yourself in the shoes of an employee and ask yourself a series of questions, such as “Am I valued or appreciated?”

How to improve employee engagement at each stage of the employee lifecycle

At BI WORLDWIDE Canada, we refer to the employee lifecycle as the ‘moments that matter’, bringing these 7 stages into 5 with strategies and solutions that can support engagement and improve your overall EVP.

Decision Day

Give candidates a backstage pass to your business. Once they see your mission, values, culture, and future plan, they’ll be eager to jump in and make their mark.

Solutions include:

Employer branding
Talent acquisition campaigns and events
New talent welcome experiences (pre-First Day)

First Day

Help them own day one. Make new hires feel like they’re already making an impact with an unforgettable welcome and a clear roadmap to success.

Solutions include:

Onboarding programs
New hire kits
Early achievement recognition
New talent manager enablement
New talent welcome experience

Every Day

Some days won’t be perfect. But when you show employees their work matters, a job becomes much more.

Solutions include:

Employee recognition and rewards
Employee engagement research, analytics, and strategy
Employee and manager training
Communication strategies and campaigns
Corporate meetings and events
Employee surveys

Achievement day

Shout out the ones who bring their A-game every day. Anniversaries and big wins deserve more than a nod—they deserve the spotlight.

Solutions include:

Results-based recognition and rewards
Service anniversary awards
Individual and group travel