If your company has an employee engagement strategy in place, that’s a solid start. According to Gallup, companies in the top quartile of employee engagement outperform those in the bottom by wide margins: 22% more profitability, 21% higher productivity, and fewer safety incidents, quality defects, and missed days.
But here’s the real question: when should employee engagement begin?
Most would say after a person is hired. But in reality, that’s too late. If you’re serious about building a long-term employee engagement plan, you need to start much earlier—before the hire. That means including the early stage engagement phase in your overall approach.
Rethinking the Timeline: Start Before Day One
Candidate engagement strategies are no longer optional. Recruiting has changed. What used to be a quick, transactional process is now a long-term, relationship-driven approach. You’re no longer just filling jobs. You’re building talent communities and nurturing relationships with candidates who might not even apply for six months—or more.
If you don’t include this group in your engagement strategy, you’re leaving a huge gap. Why wait until someone is hired to care about how they feel?
This early stage of engagement matters. Candidates form opinions about your company long before they join. The way you treat them during recruitment sets the tone for the rest of their experience.
Engagement Is a Lifecycle, Not a Moment
Think of engagement as a journey, not a one-time event. This journey includes:
- Pre-hire (early stage)
- Post-interview and offer
- Onboarding (post hiring stage)
- Active employment
- Exit and alumni phase
Each of these stages of employee engagement brings different challenges and opportunities. And each stage plays a role in keeping employees connected, committed, and productive.
If you’re only measuring engagement after someone’s been on the team for months, you’re missing key insights from earlier phases.
Why Early Stage Engagement Matters
Let’s focus on the early stage engagement—before someone even accepts the job.
When candidates feel heard, respected, and informed, they’re more likely to:
- Accept your offer
- Join with a positive attitude
- Stay longer
And when they don’t feel valued? They ghost, they decline, or they leave within the first 90 days. That’s expensive. Some reports say up to 20% of new hires leave in their first three months. You can lower this number by starting your employee engagement measurement strategy earlier.
Don’t Forget the Onboarding Stage
The post hiring stage is critical. This is where new employees decide whether they made the right choice. If onboarding is rushed, confusing, or cold, your shiny new hire might already be looking elsewhere.
At this point, use short pulse surveys to check in:
- Do they feel welcome?
- Are they clear on expectations?
- Are they getting the support they need?
This employee feedback helps fix issues early—and shows the new hire that your company listens.
Engagement Doesn’t Stop at Exit
Here’s a stage many forget: exit and alumni. Employees who leave on good terms often return later or refer others. Treating this group as part of your colleague engagement strategy keeps the door open for future hires.
It also gives you insight into why people leave—and what could have kept them.
Map Your Employee Engagement Pyramid
A useful way to think about engagement is by building a simple employee engagement pyramid. At the base, you have basic needs—things like fair pay and a safe workspace. Higher up the pyramid, you have growth, recognition, and purpose.
Your engagement strategy should aim to move employees up the pyramid over time. But it starts with addressing the basics—clear communication, feedback, and respect from day one.
Use the Right Tools to Measure Engagement
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. That’s where employee engagement technology companies like Survale come in. With real-time data tied to every stage of the employee lifecycle, you can track:
- Candidate satisfaction before the hire
- Engagement during onboarding
- Manager feedback
- Trends at exit
This full-lifecycle view gives you better insight than yearly surveys ever could. With the right tech, you turn engagement into action.
FAQs
What are the 4 pillars of employee engagement?
- Communication
- Recognition
- Growth opportunities
- Trust in leadership
What are the 7 factors of employee engagement?
- Purpose
- Autonomy
- Connection to team
- Recognition
- Development
- Feedback
- Wellbeing
How do you measure employee engagement?
Use surveys at each stage—pre-hire, onboarding, active employment, and exit. Track satisfaction, Net Promoter Scores (NPS), and manager performance.
What is employee engagement strategies?
It’s a plan to build and maintain a motivated, committed workforce. It includes actions and tools that improve how employees feel about their work and workplace.
Start Small, Then Grow
If this all feels like a lot, don’t worry. You don’t have to launch a full engagement strategy overnight.
Start with one area:
- Add a short survey after interviews
- Check in during week one of onboarding
- Ask for feedback when someone declines an offer
Then grow from there. The goal is simple: treat engagement as a process, not a phase.
Final Thoughts
Your employee engagement strategy should start before the first day and continue long after the last. By viewing engagement as a full journey—from candidate to alum—you gain a deeper understanding of what works and what doesn’t.
You’ll reduce turnover, increase job satisfaction, and build a better workplace for everyone.
It’s not just about filling jobs anymore. It’s about building trust at every stage.
Let Survale help you measure what matters—and act on what you learn.
