Quitting Before the First Day: Understanding the Phenomenon of Ghosting

Recruitment goes smoothly, the candidate progresses through each stage, the prospect of starting the job is close, and… suddenly, there's silence. Contact breaks off, and it's as if the candidate vanished into thin air. This is what ghosting looks like—when a candidate "disappears" without any explanation. In this article, we explain why some employees decide to abandon a job early and offer advice on how to prevent such situations.

What types of ghosting are there, and is it always the employee's fault? What consequences does the employer face when a candidate or new hire abandons their job, broken down into both material and immaterial impacts? What are the common reasons behind employment termination during or shortly after the probation period? How can you retain a promising candidate or employee with proper onboarding? We explain!

Ghosting: The Bane of Today's Employers

First, it's worth clarifying that ghosting does not refer to a well-known issue where an employee abruptly abandons their post without explanation, potentially facing serious consequences like disciplinary dismissal or a negative entry in their employment record for severe contract violations. This article exclusively examines the perspective of future employers who experience ghosting before the employment contract is even signed or cases where the hire quickly resigns, ending the employment by mutual agreement.

After this important distinction, let's get to the core. The phenomenon of ghosting originated on dating platforms, where one party suddenly cuts off contact after a few messages or dates. Surprisingly, this practice has also found its way into the world of employment.

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The term "ghosting" aptly describes a situation in which an employee decides to quickly terminate a contract or disappear without signing one, leaving the employer disappointed and frustrated.

When applying ghosting to a work context, we see three scenarios:

• The Disappearing Recruiter doesn't provide feedback to the candidate. The job seeker doesn't know if they have moved to the next stage or been rejected—here, the roles are reversed from the typical job abandonment scenario.
• The Disappearing Candidate stops responding to messages or calls from the recruiter.
• The Disappearing Employee quits before their first day or within the initial months on the job. This third group is our focus today, as leaving at this stage incurs high material and immaterial costs for employers.

Statistics show that employee ghosting early in the employment journey is becoming a significant problem for many organizations. Let's look at the data.

Disappearing employees are a growing issue for organizations. According to Indeed data, 28% of respondents admitted to ghosting employers—up from 18% in 2019. A Visier survey found that, among 1,000 U.S. employees, 84% had ghosted an employer at least once in the past 18 months, and 76% in the UK did the same.

Who Ghosts Employers?

Before discussing the reasons for ghosting, let's build a profile of candidates and employees who choose to ghost. Employers especially feel the consequences of ghosting among specific groups of employees—often those with strong positions in the job market, who are more likely to accept competitive offers.

According to Spiceworks data:

• Women are less likely to ghost than men (68% vs. 90%).
• Senior-level employees (managers, directors) use this tactic more frequently (91%).
• Top executives are highly prone to ghosting (96%).

However, Spiceworks notes that these figures may vary depending on the organization. It’s important for employers to monitor turnover statistics within their company, draw insights from them, and implement solutions.

Why Do Employees Ghost Employers Before the Start Date?

The main culprit is silence from the employer. The employee accepts the offer, resigns from their current job, and waits eagerly… but no call, no email from the new company, and time passes. With each passing day, their enthusiasm wanes, replaced by growing doubts and questions. They wonder what to expect in the coming period and what their first days will look like. Ultimately, they feel less committed to the new employer and are more easily tempted by other offers. They may also feel disappointed if there's a disconnect between promises made during the recruitment process and the reality of post-offer acceptance. This scenario can easily lead to job abandonment.

Beyond other ghosting-related factors, it's hard not to see that an employer's mistake is often at play. In such a competitive job market, a lack of communication makes the candidate question whether the company values their arrival.

Why Employees Ghost After the First Few Months?

Ghosting in the first six months of employment, especially during the probation or onboarding period, is the second most common variant of ghosting. In this case, the consequences are often even costlier, and it's linked to employees' rising expectations and a generational shift in the workforce.

Frequent reasons for early resignation:

• 80% of Millennials and Gen Z say they would change jobs within the first six months if expectations weren't met.
• Global consulting firm Robert Half surveyed 9,000 newly hired people in 11 countries. Almost all (91%) said they would quit within 30 days if the job didn't meet their expectations or if they didn't fit the organizational culture. 93% would leave within 90 days.

What's the Problem?

The first three months are typically the probation period, which, unfortunately, doesn't always align with the onboarding period. In Poland, our study on onboarding length found that 56% of employees only have about a week to settle in, and only 16% have onboarding lasting longer than a month.

Such a short onboarding period leaves little time for proper integration. A rushed onboarding followed by high expectations from supervisors often prompts new hires to quit, especially those with strong market positions who feel no need to stay long-term with the organization.

Onboarding Challenges

A lack of a comprehensive onboarding process creates many challenges for newcomers, such as:

• Organizational Chaos – From arranging HR formalities, retrieving equipment, and a lack of structured onboarding schedules to a general absence of support, a chaotic environment can lead to early frustration.
• Poor Training Process – An overwhelming amount of material in a short time can discourage new hires. Microlearning and gamification are solutions we discuss on our blog, showing how they raise employee satisfaction during onboarding and reduce the risk of ghosting.
• "I Don't Know What to Do" – Lack of a clear role orientation makes it difficult to adapt to new responsibilities.
• No Onboarding or Probation Goals – Unclear expectations and responsibilities during the first weeks can demotivate the employee.
• Feeling Left Alone – Inadequate onboarding oversight leaves the employee to navigate the role alone, leading some to quit rather than manage in a confusing environment.
• Weak Team Bonds – Lack of support from a buddy or friendly colleague can leave new hires isolated, a feeling that sometimes leads them to terminate employment.

Remote Onboarding Challenges

In remote work, these challenges may intensify. To reduce the risk of remote hires quickly quitting, employers can use online onboarding tools like microlearning apps, simplifying formalities, and online training platforms that help employees integrate into company culture.

Costs of Ghosting for Employers

Preventing job abandonment early is essential to retain top candidates. Ghosting, however, can be extremely costly, affecting employers both materially and immaterially.

The cost of hiring and onboarding a new employee can amount to up to 7 times their salary. If onboarding takes three months, hiring someone at an average national salary can cost over 10.000 EUR, doubling with re-onboarding. Additional recruitment costs also add up.

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Intangible Consequences of Job Abandonment:

• Decrease in Productivity – When a new employee leaves, the team and manager must redistribute the additional workload. Employees may feel overwhelmed, leading to frustration and lowered productivity.
• Negative Impact on Employer Branding – Employees who leave quickly are usually motivated by negative experiences. They leave because something bothered them or they struggled to adapt. It’s difficult to have a positive view of an employer who didn’t properly support them. Some former employees may share their experiences online, spreading a negative impression of the company.
• Increased Employee Turnover – If an employer cannot retain new hires (e.g., due to inadequate onboarding), employee turnover will unfortunately continue to rise.

Preventing Ghosting and High Employee Turnover

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When Job Abandonment Occurs Before the First Day

Utilize the potential of preboarding and start building employee engagement even before their formal start date. Make the new hire feel like a part of the team right after the recruitment process ends. Allow them to immerse themselves in the organization's culture and team routines. Preboarding communication is an excellent way to build commitment and loyalty before their first day. A preboarding checklist will help ensure this includes essentials like:

• a welcome message,
• sending a welcome pack,
• sharing the company handbook,
• manager contact,
• providing work equipment and access to necessary tools/programs,
• a day or week plan shared and discussed with the employee,
• access to a training platform so they can begin learning about the organization’s culture and structure in advance.

Read more on making the most of preboarding >>

When Job Abandonment Occurs After the First Day

After a fruitful preboarding, it’s time for effective onboarding. An effective onboarding is the best remedy for ghosting and reducing turnover. Why? Because it’s a process that considers both the employer’s and the employee’s needs. This collaborative approach values not just business goals but also employee satisfaction and relationship-building. And without strong relationships and mutual communication, loyalty is hard to achieve.

How to balance all of this within the onboarding process? The legendary 4C model, created by Professor Talya N. Bauer of Portland State University, offers a solution.

According to this model, ideal onboarding should address four areas:

• Culture – immersing in the organization’s culture,
• Connections – fostering relationships,
• Clarification – defining and discussing the employee’s role and position,
• Compliance – formalities and legal matters.

These four pillars respond to the main onboarding challenges, both from the employee's and the employer's perspectives. Using these, the process is easier to organize and structure.

A comprehensive onboarding process ensures that:

• the employee understands the onboarding plan and related goals,
• they receive regular feedback from their manager,
• there’s room for feedback both to and from the employee,
• the employer stays attuned and regularly gauges the new hire’s satisfaction,
• the newcomer has the mental support of a buddy to help establish team connections,
• onboarding roles (HR, manager, buddy, IT, HR department, etc.) are clearly defined and assigned to specific stages,
• the employee doesn’t see the “onboarding kitchen,” only a seamless process.

If you want an onboarding process that will retain candidates and employees in your organization for the long term, try Gamfi Onboarding. Our app guides you through the entire onboarding process and allows real-time monitoring of its progress.