DANIEL PATTERSON: Okay. Let's get going here. Again, today is the final installment in the 2025 GCR series, the four key factors that lead to a transformative job transition experience.
And before we dive into the content, just a few housekeeping items for us to take care of. Today's presentation is both SHRM and HRCI certified for one hour of general credit. We'll be sharing the program IDs at the end of today's session, and this presentation is being recorded and will be sent out to all registered attendees by the end of the week.
And before we get too much further along, we'd like to take a moment to introduce ourselves for those who may not know us. I'm Daniel Patterson, and joining me today is Cristen Dalessandro.
Cristen is one of our top senior researchers and sociologists at the O.C. Tanner Institute.
Cristen works on and she specializes in the study of social inequalities as well as qualitative and quantitative research methods.
As part of the O.C. Tanner Institute, Cristen works on researching workplace culture and the employee experience using a social science lens. She has a PhD from the University of Colorado Boulder and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Utah. She has published over thirty articles in peer reviewed journals, and her book, Intimate Inequalities, Millennials' Romantic Relationships in Contemporary Times, explores how millennials navigate social and identity differences in their relationships.
So welcome, Cristen.
CRISTEN DALESSANDRO: Thanks, Daniel. So, of course, I'm here with Daniel Patterson. And Daniel is a research manager here at the O.C. Tanner Institute who specializes in the psychology that shapes the employee experience.
In addition to his research, he regularly leads client assessment projects as well as tailored client initiatives that analyze business impact and ROI specifically with an eye to helping organizations improve their workplace cultures. He specializes in mixed method research and holds a master's degree from the University of Utah with advanced studies in research and theory. So, again, welcome, Daniel.
DANIEL: Thank you very much.
CRISTEN: Okay. So now that you know a little bit about us, let's take you through our agenda for today.
Okay. So first up, we're gonna talk a little bit about what we call the trouble with transitions. And by trouble, we really mean, what are some potentially untapped issues and, more importantly, opportunities with employee job transitions that your organization might not be leveraging yet.
So next, more specifically, we're gonna get into the four factors that make for a transformative job transition experience for employees.
Once we recognize the opportunities available during transitions, what can we do to enhance these transition experiences for employees?
Third, we'll discuss practical strategies that you can employ to help employees have a positive job transition experience.
And then last but not least, we'll review our recommendations and wrap everything up. But, Daniel, you know, first things first. Would you mind telling our listeners about the Global Culture Report, which is where we source all of our information for the presentation today?
DANIEL: Absolutely. Well, the Global Culture Report is O.C. Tanner's annual report that provides industry leaders with a rigorous look at the evolving shape of work.
Every year, our Institute team tracks, analyzes, and chronicles the latest trends and insights in the workplace using both qualitative and quantitative data to develop a framework of a thriving workplace culture from the employee perspective.
Through interviews, focus groups, and surveys, this year's report engaged more than thirty eight thousand employees, leaders, and HR practitioners across twenty four countries to better understand the state of workplace cultures around the world.
A key theme that emerged from this exploration was the idea of generative care. That is the principles and practices that empower both leaders and employees to care for others in ways that both benefit and transcend the organization.
So with that background, Cristen, can you tell us a little bit more about the trouble with transitions?
CRISTEN: Of course.
Okay, folks. So let's talk about the trouble with transitions.
So while the word trouble might sound kind of scary, as I mentioned, just now, you know, the trouble we're really referring to is those untapped strategies when it comes to transitions.
So for example, when most people think of the phrase employee job transition, they think about transitioning to a new job at a new company or, you know, that traditional onboarding experience.
So this is part of you know, this is a key employee transition, but our research has found that job transitions are actually bigger than this.
You know, instead, we found that really every professional move, whether that's lateral, promotional, external, this is an important event that's worthy of attention. So for example, changes such as becoming a leader or joining a new team, these are also job transitions that can be celebrated.
And we found that taking an insightful, delivered approach to job transitions can mitigate the risks of change as well as encourage above average levels of engagement, loyalty, fulfillment, and all sorts of good things, really.
Alright. So now what I wanna do, you know, I guess, looking at this slide here, there's just a couple of examples of job transitions that aren't that "new job onboarding" I mentioned.
You know, going along with this point, I'd actually like to lead the audience in a little bit of an exercise.
So if you will, think about your own careers. You know, how many different companies have you worked for? How many different leadership positions have you had?
You know, how many times have you changed roles or expanded your areas of responsibility?
How many times have you joined a new team? You know, in other words, how many job transitions have you personally experienced?
Now consider in any given week, month, year, how many of your people are experiencing a job transition?
You know, when employees are transitioning from one opportunity to the next, whether it's entering a new organization, accepting a job promotion or a leadership position, shifting roles and responsibilities, joining a new team, these are critical times that can either stall or accelerate success.
So what we advocate for is that employees experience each of these transitions as transformative in a positive way. So in other words, they're transitions that fundamentally shape employees' experiences of work for the better.
DANIEL: Well, you know, Cristen, this is why onboarding isn't just for new hires.
Really, it should be for any employee entering a new experience.
Because regardless of the opportunity, all job transitions require an onboarding period of sorts for welcoming employees to their roles, training them, development, and really building those meaningful connections.
CRISTEN: Exactly, Daniel. You know, being mindful of the essential onboarding needs is critical because research shows that a bad transition experience can really impact mental health, you know, and a bunch of other, we've a bunch of other negative outcomes that we don't wanna see. You know?
For example, a bad transition experience increases the odds of anxiety by two times. It also increases burnout by three times. So what should be a time to thrive and relish in a new journey could easily become a lackluster or even a negative experience if we're really not careful.
So, you know, that being said, I wanna give you an example of one organization that's doing a great job when it comes to harnessing those job transition opportunities. You know, I think this will really sort of illuminate for the audience what this can look like on the ground and what we're, what we're really saying here with our research.
So leading the way in helping employees thrive across job transitions is Norton Healthcare. So they actively encourage employee mobility and support and recognize new opportunities at every turn.
You know, for example, new hires receive a welcome gift that comes to their home. And this gift includes branded swag, meaningful symbols of appreciation, and a note from leaders welcoming them to the company. And you can see an example on the slide here of what what a box looks, for Norton Healthcare looks like. Right?
So you can kinda see some of the branded, the branded swag that's in the box. And, again, you know, this comes from with a personalized note, which we've also found is really important.
DANIEL: Well and I love the fact too that this is I mean, they're actually receiving this at home before they even begin. I mean, that's really pretty amazing, and I know you're gonna talk more about that.
CRISTEN: Mhmm. Yeah. And just because as an aside too, I know we wanted to mention this somewhere.
You know, in our last webinar, we talked about that sort of personalization experience being really important, a really important component of recognition. And that was for our new state of recognition report, and we're actually happy to report that it has dropped on the website today. So if you were here or even if you weren't here a couple of weeks ago for that, the report is officially out now, so go check that out.
But okay. Back to the webinar.
So in addition to all of the things that they do that I just mentioned, across the first eighteen months, new employees at Norton go through a three part onboarding process focused on culture, safety, and employee development.
Norton also provides frequent check ins and supports recognition experiences from peers and leaders to ensure that employees are thriving in their new roles.
And last but not least, employees make plans for future career opportunities, which, as we're actually gonna see in a little bit, is a key component when we're considering how employees will perceive their job transitions.
And then on the other end of the employee journey, this is really interesting to me as well because it goes to show that, you know, that relationship doesn't have to end upon retirement or, you know, an employee retiring from the organization.
Norton stays connected with former employees through their alumni network. You know, they try to be as flexible as possible with employees who have left the organization, and staying connected provides a pathway for employees to return when the time is right or, you know, even become a Norton alumni advocate after retirement. You know, when they do return, Norton makes it a big deal, ensuring that they're recognized with symbolic pins to wear on their badges. So what do you think of this example, Daniel?
DANIEL: I mean, what can you say? I mean, this is just it's an amazing example of exactly what we're talking about, and it really demonstrates how an organization can step in at multiple touch points across an employee's journey with the company to really make the most of that employee experience. And, again, you know, it starts, it doesn't just start day one when they walk through the door, but even before they, you know, they get to the company, and all the way through to, you know, the end and, you know, potentially after they retire, part of that alumni experience. So it's it really just is a remarkable example of how to capitalize and really leverage those transition experiences.
CRISTEN: Exactly. And, you know, as we kinda go through the four factors, which is sort of next on our agenda, you can, keeping this example in mind, I think you'll be able to see some links between the factors we've identified and the way that Norton has structured their program.
So in addition to this example, you know, here's just a couple of stats that illustrate the real impact of paying attention to those transition experiences.
You know, when done well, job transitions have the potential to create transformative experiences that people often describe as uplifting or even life changing. You know, when employees feel their transition experience was transformative, the odds of thriving at work, the desire to stay, and employee sense of fulfillment all dramatically increase. And you can see these these stats on the slide here.
You know, when employees feel their job transition experiences were transformative, they had seven times increased odds of feeling like they're thriving at work, five times increased odds of staying with the organization, and six times increased odds that they will feel that sense of fulfillment.
DANIEL: I really love this data, Cristen, and it really goes to show that the ROI on prioritizing employees' job transition experiences is really just crystal clear.
CRISTEN: Right. It's definitely clear from this slide here, I think. But, you know, that being said, we still need to ask, which factors in particular go into making job transition experiences really memorable for employees? So, Daniel, would you mind introducing us to the four main factors that go into making transition experiences transformative?
DANIEL: Absolutely.
Well, as we've been discussing, and I think, you know, we all hopefully can relate to this now at this point. Transitions in the workplace can take a variety of shapes. Again, kind of as we discussed, it can be a new job role. It could be a leadership opportunity or joining a new team.
So while the nature of a given transition might vary, our research found that there are four key factors that make any transition transformative.
So what we'd like to do now is take a closer look at what goes into a truly transformative transition.
And I gotta say that's just the tongue twister of the day, is the truly transformative transition.
CRISTEN: You did a great job, though, Daniel.
DANIEL: Thank you. We'll see how we hold up.
So when it comes to experiencing the transformative job transition, we found that four things really matter most. So first, there's connection.
Building strong relationships with teams and leaders around common purpose and goals.
Next, there's community.
And that is when employees are part of an environment where they feel safe to be themselves, trust their coworkers, and feel a strong sense of belonging.
Now this is followed by development or creating an environment of continual learning and growth.
And then finally, flexibility or providing time and space for employees to develop the skills they need for their new role.
Now, if you take a look here at the numbers there in red, actually, what you'll see here is that each of these four key elements significantly increase the odds of having a transformative experience.
So for example, fostering connection and community increased the odds of a job transition being transformative by fourteen times and eleven times respectively.
But when all four elements are present, the odds that employees will have a transformative experience increases by a whopping sixty times.
CRISTEN: Wow. You know, Daniel, not to get too nerdy here, but I love the fact that when all of these elements are part of a transition experience, the impact is greater than just the sum of its parts.
DANIEL: Right? I mean, on their own, each element helps move that transformative needle. But taken altogether, the positive impact is explosive. Okay. Now, let's take a closer look at each of these elements and how they contribute to a transformative job transition.
Okay. So the first factor as we mentioned is connection. Now not surprisingly, a transition experience is amplified when, from the beginning, an employee actively develops relationships with teams and leaders.
These connections not only help individuals navigate change, but they also help position their work around a shared purpose and a common set of goals. Now, again, as shown here in red, when that sense of connection is present, we see a fourteen times increase odds that the employee will experience a positive transition.
So, you know, something I think will be helpful kind of as we go along and talk about these four factors., reflect back on kind of that example with Norton Healthcare, because I think they really do a remarkable job of of exemplifying these practices in kind of their approach to engaging employees along those that transition journey.
So even something as simple as that pre onboarding package that they received. Before they even set foot in the door, the personalized note, the personalized swag connected to company vision and purpose, all of those things are starting to create those meaningful connections, again, before the employee even sets foot in the office.
So, I think, again, something to kind of reflect back on as we kind of move through, the these different factors.
Now we also know that having strong connections to teams, leaders, and organizations has a powerful impact on key outcomes.
So for example, when employees feel a strong sense of connection with their team, we see a three times increased odds that the employee will stay with the organization. We see a five times increased odds that the employee will have a strong sense of purpose and a seven times increased odds the employee will feel a sense of fulfillment.
Now we know that strong connections play an important part in the overall employee experience. This is, again, something that we've kind of covered in previous research as well. But in addition to the Norton story, I'd like to give you another example of what creating those strong connections look like when it's applied in an organization.
Well, as a community bank in the Pacific Northwest, Heritage Bank understands the importance of having a strong workplace community for its employees.
It regularly uses e cards, awards, milestone and anniversary celebrations, and retirement gifts to connect employees and highlight the great work they do.
The bank's recognition program called Celebrate Great enables real time recognition in personal ways, and the program's wall of fame ensures everyone can see the great work happening throughout the organization.
Executives also frequently promote recognition and share stories of success in town hall meetings. Plus monthly emails and new hire training ensure recognition is part of the culture from day one.
So this level of integrated recognition has actually led to over ninety one percent of employees feeling accepted by immediate coworkers and has built both culture and community at the bank.
So, again, another example of how creating those connections, early and frequently, really kind of helps solidify those, that strong culture aspect within an organization.
Okay. Second factor here.
It is community. And like connection, having a strong sense of community signals to newly transition employees that they are in a space that is safe, respectful, and trusted.
I mean, I think we've all experienced this, Cristen, I certainly know I have in jobs and changes over the years. Transitions can be stressful.
You have new responsibilities and expectations to manage. So it's really critically important that individuals feel they are part of a shared experience where everyone is welcome and everyone belongs.
But when a strong sense of community is present, we see eleven times increased odds that employees will experience a positive transition.
Now in addition, our research found that when employees feel a strong sense of community in the workplace, we see a six times increased odds that the employee's gonna feel a sense of belonging, seven times increased odds in this, that the employee will feel a strong sense of opportunity, and nine times increased odds of above average engagement.
CRISTEN: I love these stats, Daniel. And, you know, I particularly like the fact that we see big increases, not only in a sense of belonging, but also in outcomes like opportunity and engagement. You know, I feel like it's easy for people to think of community and how it impacts outcomes like belonging or inclusion.
But feeling like you're part of a community has real impact on measures that directly tie to an employee's growth and success too.
DANIEL: It's a great point, Cristen. And it's actually a perfect segue to our next factor.
Cristen, can you tell us, a little bit more about development?
CRISTEN: Of course. So the third factor on our model is development. And by development, we're really referring to those learning and growth opportunities that are available to employees. So when employees believe they have these opportunities, we see five times better odds that they will experience a positive transition.
So let me give you some stats to dig a little bit deeper here. So, you know, for example, when employees perceive that their leaders advocate for their development, we see eight times increased odds of engagement, ten times increased odds they feel a sense of success, and a whopping eighty three percent decreased odds that employees will feel burned out.
DANIEL: I mean, these are really amazing, Cristen. And I think that it's clear from the data that development really is important to employees, and it's a key part of making that transition experience a positive one.
CRISTEN: For sure, Daniel. And, you know, I think too, similar to sort of the other factors on our model, I think an interesting thing to point out here is that when employees are doing well, it also has a positive impact on organizational outcomes too. Right?
So, you know, for example, just looking at that second stat there, increased odds of success.
You know, what we're saying with this stat is that employees have ten times increased odds of feeling like they're having that sense of success, that they're on a successful team. And just that mindset is really important, as opposed to the opposite, which is feeling a lack of success. You know, that's not gonna make, that doesn't portend well for the organization. Right?
You want employees to feel like they're successful, that they're feeling that, you know, they're on the right track, that their team is really doing great. That's gonna lead to positive outcomes for the organization overall. Right?
Being said, I wanna talk about a real world example of what supporting employee, the employee development can look like on the ground.
So CEAT, a global tire manufacturer, understands its employees' personal aspirations are important. So the company provides opportunities to explore various departments and participate in extracurricular activities.
And what sets it apart is the encouragement it gives its people to do these things. So for example, you know, adjusting shifts to accommodate things like dance classes or creative writing workshops, this inspires workers to follow their passions, and the support is extremely impactful. You know, employees describe it as, quote, heart touching and, quote, overwhelming just because they're so not used to this treatment.
Arjun Singh, VP of of human resources, explains the company perspective.
"To ensure that our belief and trust in employees convert into practice and ultimately culture, we have contemporary policies that provide a guiding framework so people can get the benefits of these policies."
DANIEL: Well, this is a great example, Cristen, and it's always great to see how organizations are implementing some of these ideas in practice. And in ways that are new and innovative, you know, you don't always think that, you know, accommodating, you know, kind of some of the extracurricular type of activities are going to have that are necessary to an organization.
But, you know, what's demonstrated here and actually what we've seen in some of our previous research as well is that, you know, creating that kind of environment where, you know, the organization is communicating that they care about the whole person actually has a really powerful impact on their experience and how they perform in work.
CRISTEN: Exactly. And, you know, like Daniel just mentioned, you know, we've done some research on this in the past, and development can look a lot of different ways. Right? You know, the ways that employees want to grow and build their skills, this really depends on the employee.
And it's really about the organization kind of having space for employees to do that. Right? Both inside and outside of transitions, by the way. But, you know, I always think it helps to see these real world examples just to really kind of hone in on what organizations are doing that takes us, you know, from the the stats that we can generate to, you know, on the ground actions that organizations are taking.
And so with that, you know, last but not least, we have flexibility.
Flexibility gives employees the time to develop the skills they need for their new roles and the ability to adjust to the many changes that come with their new roles.
Now as you can see here, the essence of flexibility, such as providing autonomy to manage day to day work, allowing adequate time off for personal matters, for example, this can increase the odds of a positive transition experience by five times.
Then, you know, just to kind of add to that, when employees perceive they have flexibility at work, we see a whole range of positive outcomes. You know, for example, with a sense of flexibility comes a four times increase in the odds that employees will feel confident, motivated, and empowered in their work.
DANIEL: Well, this is great, Cristen. And, you know, it really illustrates the ever increasing importance of flexibility. And it isn't just an important part of the employee's experience on the job, but, it's also as, you know, kind of we've been discussing, it's a really important part of an employee's experience as they're transitioning to a new job or a new role.
CRISTEN: Yes. Exactly. And, you know, we've written about flexibility in itself in the past as well. And, you know, it is important, as you mentioned, on its own, but it's also an important component too, specifically, to the job transition experience.
So to just kinda give you all a real world example of flexibility, we can look at the Neiman Marcus Group.
NMG, Neiman Marcus Group, the luxury retailer, integrates workplace flexibility into their culture through their philosophy, NMG way of working. So with robust technology in place, associates can work and serve customers from home, in stores, and at distribution centers. The company allows its associates to exercise agency over their time and choose their shifts and locations.
Eric Severson, chief people and belonging officer says, quote, "our way of working philosophy empowers our associates to work whenever, however, and wherever to achieve their best results. So integrating workplace flexibility has led to strong business performance, more productivity, and satisfaction among associates, and twenty percent less turnover in a challenging talent market."
So, you know, there you, we kinda see that tie in as well that, you know, supporting employees also has positive returns for the organization.
Okay, Daniel. So all this talk of real world examples makes me think it's about time that we got more specifically into practical strategies. So what practical strategies can listeners use in their own companies?
DANIEL: Absolutely, Cristen. Well, as Cristen alluded to and as we've said before, when it comes to transforming your workplace, data is only as good as it is actionable.
So we have three practical strategies that we'd love to share with you here, for transformative transitions that you can actually implement in your organizations now.
So our first strategy is to start transformative experiences early. This means throughout the hiring process. And, again, we can look to the example of Norton and some of the others that we've kind of highlighted today.
But maybe to even take a step back and to give a little bit more context for why this is so critical.
You know, in today's job market, too many people are frequently left feeling frustrated and cynical about the application and hiring process.
I'm sure everybody has either experienced or heard stories where they've run into issues like, you know, impersonal AI resume filtering or employer ghosting or excessive rounds of interviews, all of which can leave employees feeling deflated and, frankly, really dehumanized. And this is all happening before an employee even starts with an organization.
In fact, one of the things that we found in our research, over forty percent of our survey respondents found the hiring process to be disorganized, inefficient, humiliating, or complicated.
And this kind of disillusionment can make the new hire transition extremely challenging.
And I think it's really interesting. Ben Peterson, who's the CEO of BambooHR, made this comment, quote, "if we don't worry about onboarding before the employee starts, then we're already way behind."
So, it is definitely a challenge. And one of the reasons why starting this process early is so important for creating that kind of connection and employee experience that organizations really want. And as we've seen, hopefully, from some of the data and what we've been presenting here, that this kind of, sort of negative experience doesn't have to be the way it works.
Organizations have a chance to create a candidate-centered hiring process from the very first contact by simple things like responding to applications promptly, treating candidates with respect, and providing transparent communication about the position and company culture. So it doesn't need to be, you know, at one, you know, end, there's definitely the ideal, you know, Norton pre-welcome, a pre-onboarding package.
The other end of kind of ghosting and sort of just the long drawn out process. And it doesn't have to be either/or, but really just some practical immediate steps, as I mentioned, of treating candidates with respect during that initial process.
In fact, we found that when employers show respect for candidates throughout the hiring process, and, again, this is things like quick responses to applications, transparency in interviews, real time feedback, the odds of employees feeling like they had a positive onboarding experience increased by sixty five percent.
And they're feeling an immediate sense of belonging increases by a hundred and twenty six percent.
CRISTEN: Yeah. I think these stats are really important, Daniel, because even though job transitions aren't just about onboarding, onboarding is still a job transition. Right? It's kind of the classic example that we all think of. And having a bad experience right off the bat doesn't set employees up for success.
DANIEL: Exactly. And, Cristen, this really brings me to my next point and some additional data that we've found. We also found that for employees who had been in their jobs two years or less, so we're talking about those who have clear recollections and memories of kind of their application and interview experience, a candidate-centered hiring process increased the likelihood of positive key cultural measures.
So, if you look at that that first column there, candidate-centered hiring process, we saw a five hundred and forty percent increase in the odds that they're gonna thrive at work, twenty eight percent increase in the employee planning to stay another year, eighty percent decrease in burnout, and a whopping seven hundred and thirty percent increase in the employee feeling like they're supported by their leader.
So kind of the key takeaway here is that organizations want their onboarding to be a transformative transition for their people. Start before the employee ever walks through the door.
Okay. So with that said, Cristen, can you tell us about our next strategy?
CRISTEN: Absolutely. So our next strategy is to remember the importance of frequent touch points. Connect early and often.
So for example, you know, during a transition experience, if leaders connect with employees once a day during the first month of onboarding, we found that the odds that an employee will have high satisfaction with their onboarding experience increased by three times, but that's not all.
We also found that sort of one reliable way to keep in touch with employees is through regular recognition.
So I want you all to to look at this, this slide. It's really interesting.
You know, we showed you earlier the impact of each of these, each of these four factors on whether or not employees are gonna perceive that their transition experience is a positive one. But when we add recognition as part of each transition factor, the odds that employees will feel positive about their career transitions really soar.
So on this slide, you know, we again see the four factors that make for a positive transition experience.
However, this time, what we're looking at is the impact of each factor when it's coupled with integrated recognition or recognition that's an everyday part of the culture of an organization.
So as you can see, integrated recognition significantly enhances employees' connections to peers, leaders, and the community. It also magnifies employees' positive feelings about their growth and development.
And just as kind of a reminder, you know, thinking about those numbers we just saw, you know, here's that slide again looking at the impact of elements on their own. You know, on their own, there's there's definitely a big impact, but the impact is even greater when we add integrated recognition into the mix.
So, you know, in addition, when recognition is a frequent occurrence, it increases the odds that employees will perceive their job transition experiences as transformative.
You know, for example, looking at this table here, there's a pretty clear relationship between frequency and the odds of perceiving that experience was transformative in a positive way.
You know, the most impact comes from employees who say that they've received recognition on the day that they took our survey. Although there is some impact as long as the employee received recognition at some point in the last year.
So to answer the question of how frequently do employees need to be recognized during their job transitions, we discovered that sentiments significantly increase when employees receive recognition daily or weekly. Then as frequency drops, so do the chances of having a transformative experience.
DANIEL: You know, Cristen, I appreciate this table not only because it shows the impact of frequency at a lot of different points, but also because it shows that there can still be impact as long as the recognition is received within the last year. Granted, less frequent recognition isn't as impactful, but it's certainly better than no recognition at all.
CRISTEN: Right, Daniel. And, you know, to kind of echo a point that you made earlier, I think, you know, it's important to remind that organizations, I think, you know, the best you can do is the best you can do. Right? You know, give that recognition when you can, but try to make it as frequent as possible, and definitely don't forego it altogether.
And this conversation actually brings me to my next point because our research, both, you know, for this year and past years, has found that leaders are really key to the process of giving recognition and really setting the tone for giving recognition on their teams, which is why we need to equip leaders with the tools that they need to succeed.
When it comes to recognition, it often flows from leader to individual contributor. And because of this, we really need to make sure that leaders feel they're in a place where they can give recognition.
Besides recognition, leaders need to be supported more generally as well through their job transition experiences.
So here's a quote that really exemplifies this idea. And this is from Sharlyn Lauby, author and president of the ITM Group. So Sharlyn said, quote, "the worst thing you can do is hire or promote somebody into a managerial position and not give them the tools to be successful.
Often, organizations take an uber smart, technically competent person and promote him to being a manager and assume he knows what he needs to know about managing a department."
But, you know, what's unsaid here is that that's not always the case. Right? So this quote really fits what we're talking about because it shows that being a manager involves a whole set of specialized skills that aren't necessarily the same as the skills that employees might be using in their individual contributor roles.
And because of this, we need to make sure that those folks who are promoted to manager, for example, or some other leadership position or even another type of position, that they're getting the support and the tools they need to be successful in their new roles. You know, the more support that they have, the greater likelihood that they will have a positive transition experience and be able to help others too.
You know, we need to make sure that people feel like they have the the tools that they need to succeed.
DANIEL: I gotta say I really like this because I think often in a lot of organizations I mean, I've personally seen this. I know, Cristen, you've probably seen this as well. Often, the people who are best at doing their jobs, you know, whatever role or capacity that is, are natural candidates for promotion into leadership.
And while it's important that leaders, you know, have a base expertise in, you know, whatever it is that they do, just being an expert as the individual contributor doesn't mean you've also got the skill set to you know, that it takes to be a really good effective leader.
And so, I love the fact that, know, the research really highlights that, you know, part of making that transition experience really impactful and transformative is to ensure that those leaders, new leaders, get that kind of support that they need to really thrive.
CRISTEN: Exactly. And, you know, going back to our model, you know, thinking about things like flexibility and development. You know, employees who are promoted need the flexibility to ease into their new role. Right?
They need opportunities for development to learn things that might help them in skills gaps that might be there. Right? And so, you know, you can kinda see how it all connects. But, you know, here, to kinda move on, here are some stats from our research this year that also support this point.
You know, for example, when new leaders feel they have a high sense of connection to their teams, leaders, and organization, they just you know, so they're getting that camaraderie, that social support in their roles. We found that they have eighteen times increased odds of having a positive transition experience.
You know, in terms of actions, when new leaders had support regarding their growth and development, we saw six times increased odds that they will report a positive transition experience.
And this also applies when new leaders receive flexibility again. You know, in this case, there are five times increased odds that they're gonna be having a positive transition experience.
DANIEL: And this is really great, Cristen. And this table really goes to show that support can really take a lot of different forms. We've got concrete examples of resource support up here, but also social support, including connection and community, which is equally as important.
Okay. So now that we've gone through all this information, I think it's time we moved on to our recommendations.
CRISTEN: Right. And just to kind of add to that too, Daniel, you know, to your point, support isn't a one size fits all situation. Right? As we say, definitely check-in with your people, understand what kind of support they need, to have success in their roles.
Okay. So moving on to recommendations.
DANIEL: Okay. Well, once again, we've come to that time where Cristen and I will try to distill all of this information down into a few key recommendations.
Always a fun trick.
Alright. First, organizations should develop a job transition strategy that prioritizes all four transition impact elements.
Whether an employee is a new hire, an existing worker who changes teams, or a newly promoted leader, the data shows the importance of an onboarding experience.
And, again, onboarding can happen in lots of different ways, but, it's the importance of that onboarding experience that is really transformative.
This means leaders should actively ensure employees have ways to connect with their leader often and build community with their new teams, particularly in that first month of their new role.
Leaders should also look for opportunities for employees to develop their skills and grow in their roles, all while providing clear expectations with enough leeway that employees can adjust and find the balance that allows them to thrive.
Now before we go on, I wanna go back to something that Cristen touched on and I think I've kind of touched on as well.
You know, we're, obviously, we're setting out an ideal model for that transformative experience with all four of these elements. But if you think back to that original model, each of those factors, we saw that there, if one of those is present, it has an increased odds that that experience is going to be transformative.
Now if they're all together, again, you're seeing that sixty times increase, but it doesn't mean that, you know, if you don't feel like your organization is at a place where you can implement all of them, don't, you know, don't let that hold you back. Start where you can, implement what you can, and grow in ways that are gonna make sense for your people in your organization.
Okay. And as mentioned, when all four transition impact elements are present in a transition experience, again, this is the the gold standard that we're shooting for, there is a significantly dramatic increase in both cultural and business outcomes. So here we can see things like thriving at work, being a promoter of the organization, having a strong sense of engagement, fulfillment, feeling that the organization cares about people.
And, of course, we always love to see when employees have, you know, when they have plans or desires to stay with the organization for two years or more. All of these factors go up dramatically when all of those transformative transition elements are in place.
CRISTEN: Yeah. Sounds great, Daniel. So our second recommendation, probably not going to come as a big surprise considering some of the data that we've already shared, but it is to recognize frequently.
And just to add some more stats around recognition to those I already shared earlier, when new leaders experience a positive transition that includes integrated recognition, the odds of several outcomes improve.
So for example, as you can see on the slide here, we see eight times increased odds that employees will be organizational promoters, seven times increased odds that they will have a sense of fulfillment, and five times increased odds that these leaders intend to stay with the organization.
DANIEL: Thank you, Cristen.
And last but not least, final strategy, start the transition experience early and make onboarding a universal practice across the employee experience.
Now for many employees, the job transition experience begins during the hiring process. So organizations should treat all candidates with respect regardless of how few may actually get an offer.
This sets an important cultural tone for prospective employees and begins a transformative job experience for those you do hire.
Be especially thoughtful about communicating job opportunities, using technology to filter resumes, contacting applicants, and conducting interviews.
And I would say, you know, if you go back to, if you had a chance to watch our previous webinar on the state of recognition, we got into a big part of that conversation and big part of that research is around the role of AI and the real, the growing need for keeping the experience in the organization people centric, human centric, and personalized. And this applies here, now more than ever, in that kind of onboarding experience.
Equally important, leaders should also ensure that every employee who changes jobs receives a robust onboarding experience that focuses on connection and growth as much as any job learning activities.
And when people move into leadership roles, as we mentioned, we wanna create experiences to support and empower them. Remember that very few leaders are born with leadership skills, and new titles don't magically bestow any of those skills either. Leadership training and development plans are critical for long term employee success.
Alright. Now let's now that we distilled down to some strategies, let's leave you with a few key takeaways.
Okay. First, every job transition can be a transformative experience with positive outcomes for both employees and the organization.
Next, connection, community, development, and flexibility are the keys to making transitions transformative.
Again, you wanna do what you can to incorporate each of these practices into a transition experience, and that will significantly increase positive cultural and business outcomes both for the employee and the organization.
Third, integrated recognition amplifies the impact of all four transition elements.
Meaningful integrated recognition strengthens employee connection to their teams, leaders, and the organization, and it signals to them that they're seen, valued, and heard.
And lastly, onboarding improves any job transition, not just those of new hires. It's important to remember that transitions don't just happen at hiring, but at countless points along an employee's journey.
Okay. Well, we've got a few minutes left here for some Q&A.
Whitney, do we have any questions?
MODERATOR: Yeah. One of them was, what was the most surprising thing about your research on job transitions?
CRISTEN: I mean, I guess, I'll kinda say what what my most surprising thing was. I think going into this research, I, probably, like many, was also under the assumption that, you know, the key transition was the onboarding process. Right? That, you know, that is sort of the transition when you're, when you're onboarding to a new job at a new company.
Like, that is the key touch point that if it goes well, you know, it goes well. If it doesn't go well, that probably, is a bad omen for how the rest of that employee's career is gonna go with that organization, especially you know, considering that a lot of employees don't stay at organizations for very long anymore. Right?
You know, if they're only gonna be there for a couple of years at most, you know, a really bad onboarding, new job onboarding experience is gonna, is gonna leave a lasting, can leave a lasting poor impression. Right?
So I think just the fact that there are really you know, we can look at onboarding in so many different ways was something that surprised me. But the you know, it's one of those moments that is kind of an "aha!" moment that, of course, you know, we should look at it this way. But, we haven't necessarily been thinking about it this way before.
DANIEL: Yeah. I would agree with that. The other two things that stood out for me, one was the impact of, to Cristen's point, we often think of transition really at that onboarding experience.
And I think for myself, often, I think of onboarding as really, like, what happens on day one?
And what's that first, you know, week to a month like, you know, once you start, once you walk through the door?
And it was really surprising, and actually made a lot of sense, that, actually, that onboarding starts well before you ever go through the door.
The impact of, you know, those earliest first contacts, what's that application process like? What are the interview processes like?
The impact of an organization reaching out in advance and saying, hey. Welcome. You know, that was really surprising and I think a real eye opener for just how important, you know, those very earliest touches are.
The other thing that really stood out was, kind of the impact of, you know, often we think about recognition. We think, obviously, at O.C. Tanner, we think about recognition all the time.
But we often think about recognition, and a lot of people, I would say, think about it in some very specific ways of, like, you know, kind of everyday, you know, achievements or big kind of, you know, super projects and you've completed something and done a great job, and these kind of become moments for recognition in addition to things like anniversaries, etcetera.
But what this pointed out is all of a sudden, all of these little transition moments that an employee experiences over the course of their career, whether it's joining a new team or taking on a new role, those actually become really great opportunities for recognition.
You know, welcoming somebody to a team, encouraging them in a new role. It just really kind of further expanded the universe of recognition.
And in fact, I will say that one of the, you know, features that O.C. Tanner has on their platform, that came directly out of this research, is a job transitions dashboard that now allows organizations to kind of track and follow all of these transition moments that an employee has, as kind of a reminder or a prompt that these are also opportunities to ensure that the right support is being made available, the training's made available. But, also, there are additional opportunities for recognition. So there was a lot of really fascinating stuff, and surprising things that kind of came out of this research.
MODERATOR: Okay. Another one is, is it beneficial to send both forty five day and ninety day onboarding surveys, or is one sufficient? At what point does it become too much for the new hire?
DANIEL: I would say, that's really gonna depend on the organization.
It depends on what sort of the existing communication strategy is in your company.
I know of certain clients and certain companies that have a really robust communication strategy. And so there are lots of surveys and interviews and touch points that are happening, and it's just kind of become, kind of baked into the culture.
So in that kind of an environment, you know, more frequent sort of connection with employees to kind of, you know, get their feedback on their experience, is it works perfectly well.
In other companies where communication is a little more spread out, then, you know, you might wanna, you know, give some serious thought to, you know, how frequently you try to engage. But, again, I think it's really gonna depend on the the individual culture. Cristen, what do you, what do you what would you say?
CRISTEN: Yeah. Just to kinda add to that, I would say that, you know, I agree with Daniel. It kind of depends on where you're at and what, sort of what the culture looks like. I would also say if you're at all anxious about sort of bombarding employees with too many surveys, that this is the point where you start to kind of leverage the role of their leader and get their leader talking to them about how the process is going, you know, what, in what ways can they be, can the employee have more support?
You know, just sort of getting their feedback, maybe being guided by the the tenants of our model. Right? So, you know, for example, have the leader, have them have a discussion about, you know, ways that the employee's development can be supported or ways that, you know, in ways that they might need more flexibility or something like that.
That, you know, if leaders can in a, you know, and we've written in the past about leaders being to be fair, you know, we do ask a lot of leaders. Right? And we need to make sure that leaders are taken care of as well.
But, you know, that being said, leaders are really critical.
They're a really critical component of making this whole thing work. And, you know, so what I would say is, you know, in addition to sort of the more formal surveys that employees are getting, make sure that leaders understand in what ways touching base with their employees is helpful to employees, right, or in what strategies they should take in order to make those meetings really effective.
And, you know, we would say, you know, make sure you're gathering feedback on how the onboarding process is going and, you know, what maybe is missing from the onboarding process. And, that can sort of help that individual employee, but, also, you know, leaders themselves can take that information back to HR, or, you know, whoever is in charge of of creating the onboarding experience and then adjust things so that the process can be more streamlined to make for a better experience for all the employees, you know, coming here after.
MODERATOR: I think those were the questions that we had.
DANIEL: Excellent. Well, it's perfect timing because we're just about out of time here.
So I will say that, for additional insights, and a deeper dive into the research, feel free, please, to head out to octanner.com, where you can download the entire Global Culture Report for free. Also, again, as we mentioned at the beginning of the the webinar, we also have the new state of recognition report that's now available, again, for free on the O.C. Tanner website.
CIRSTEN: Yeah. And just to add to that, Daniel, it does look like we dropped it in the chat. So if you wanna, if you're interested in the state of recognition report, just check out the chat, on the Zoom today, and you should be able to get that link.
DANIEL: Excellent. And thank you very much for attending.
I am seeing actually, as I'm looking at our final slide here, it does look like, we are popping that those in the chat right now.
Fantastic. Excellent. So those activity and program IDs are in the chat.
Alright.
And, again, well, thank you everybody for attending, and we'll look forward to seeing you in our next webinar. Have a great day.
CRISTEN: Thanks, everyone. Have a good one.
