The Three Year Itch

We’ve all heard about the seven-year itch, right? I’ve noticed a trend with several employee engagement surveys I’ve recently reviewed, where the itch starts a bit earlier.

What I’ve often noticed is that employee engagement is solid for new employees and is good once employees have been with the organization for five or more years. But there is a dip in the two to four year tenure, where employees appear to be getting the “itch”, less engaged and committed to their employer.

With one company the “itch” started because many employees in that tenure group didn’t see career opportunities. In another employer the dip was related to less support received after the first year filled with lots of training and support. In another the problem was an internal posting process that made it difficult for employees to move across company “stove pipes”.

Consider:

• Do our 2-4 year tenure employees shows signs of the “itch”?
• If so, what we can do to re-engage them?
• Are there internal obstacles we must address that will help us maintain high levels of engagement with this group?

Tags: Best Places to Work, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Employee Survey, Great Workplaces