Stop Calling It Turnover: Why Hiring Fails When Onboarding Is an Afterthought

Hiring new people isn't growth if you can't keep them. Turnover doesn't just cost money, it drains morale, institutional knowledge, and the momentum teams work so hard to build. So many organizations treat retention like an HR box to check instead of a true business strategy. The truth is, every departure slows the entire system down, projects stall, teams lose trust, and leaders end up reacting instead of leading. Investing in people on the inside is always cheaper, smarter, and more sustainable than constantly recruiting from the outside. Retention isn't a perk; it's the foundation of long-term success.

But retention starts with hiring and onboarding. How a new employee enters an organization often shapes their long-term engagement, productivity, and sense of belonging. A poor onboarding experience can plant the seeds of early departure, while a strong one lays the groundwork for years of committed service. Too often, government agencies focus all their energy on recruitment and neglect the systems needed to support and integrate new hires. That’s a costly oversight, especially in an environment where institutional knowledge is critical to public service delivery.

Strategic Hiring: Beyond Filling Vacancies

Hiring should never be about simply backfilling open positions. It’s a strategic decision that must align with organizational goals, workforce planning, and long-term service delivery. Before posting a job, departments should assess whether the role’s responsibilities are still relevant, whether the workload can be redistributed, and how the position contributes to broader objectives. This kind of workforce planning ensures that hiring decisions support sustainable service models instead of reinforcing outdated structures.

In practice, this means involving operational leaders in the hiring process, not just HR. Job descriptions should reflect the real work being done, not copied templates from a decade ago. Competency models should include attributes like adaptability, collaboration, and cultural competence, especially in community-facing roles. Research has shown that structured interviews and job-relevant assessments improve hiring outcomes in government settings by reducing bias and increasing job fit (U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board 2018)¹. Strategic hiring is proactive, not reactive, and it sets the tone for everything that follows.

Onboarding as a Continuum, Not an Event

Too many organizations view onboarding as a one-day orientation or a checklist of forms. Real onboarding should be a structured process that unfolds over the first 6 to 12 months of employment. It includes not just administrative setup, but also cultural integration, professional development, and trust-building. Employees who feel supported and connected in their early days are significantly more likely to stay engaged and remain with the organization long-term (CIPD 2021)².

Effective onboarding in government means pairing new hires with mentors, setting clear performance expectations, and providing regular feedback in the first year. It's also essential to expose employees to the mission and purpose of public service. This connection to a larger cause is one of the strongest tools for employee motivation in government roles (Perry and Wise 1990)³. When people see how their work matters, they become more resilient and committed, even in the face of bureaucratic challenges.

Building Internal Pathways to Retain Talent

Retention is strongest when employees see a future for themselves within the organization. That means creating visible career pathways, investing in internal mobility, and preparing people for leadership before vacancies occur. Studies have shown that employees are more likely to stay when they believe their employer supports their growth and development (Society for Human Resource Management 2022)⁴. Yet many agencies fail to create these pathways, leaving employees to look elsewhere when they want to advance.

Departments should regularly conduct talent reviews to identify high-potential employees and map out succession plans. Training budgets should be protected, not cut, during lean times. Leadership development should be offered at multiple levels, not just for executives. These investments pay off by reducing recruitment costs, improving service continuity, and building a bench of ready leaders. Retention starts with hiring, but it lives or dies in how people are developed after they arrive.

Creating a Culture of Belonging from Day One

New hires decide quickly whether they feel like they belong. The first 90 days are critical, not just for learning tasks, but for forming relationships and building trust. Organizations must intentionally create inclusive environments where people from all backgrounds feel respected and valued. This includes addressing microaggressions, ensuring equitable access to opportunities, and celebrating diverse contributions.

Supervisors play a pivotal role in this process. Regular check-ins, clear communication, and authentic engagement are more influential than any formal program. Research by Gallup shows that managers account for up to 70% of the variance in employee engagement (Gallup 2019)⁵. Leaders must be trained to support new employees, not just manage their output. When people feel seen and supported, they stay. When they don’t, they leave - often quietly, without giving feedback.

Data-Driven Improvements to Hiring and Onboarding

Continuous improvement in hiring and onboarding requires data. Agencies should track metrics like time-to-fill, new hire turnover within the first year, onboarding satisfaction surveys, and internal promotion rates. These indicators reveal where systems are working and where they are breaking down. For example, a high early turnover rate may point to poor job fit or insufficient onboarding support.

Exit interviews, pulse surveys, and stay interviews provide qualitative insights that can guide improvements. When combined with quantitative data, these tools allow HR and department leaders to make evidence-based decisions. The most effective organizations treat hiring and onboarding as dynamic functions that must evolve with workforce needs and employee expectations. Data is not just for compliance - it’s for building better workplaces.

Conclusion: Hiring and Onboarding Shape Organizational Health

Hiring and onboarding are not administrative tasks to be delegated and forgotten. They are core leadership responsibilities that shape the culture, effectiveness, and longevity of any government agency. Getting them right requires alignment between HR, department leaders, and executive leadership. It also demands consistent investment in people, not just processes.

If we want to build resilient, high-performing teams in public service, we must start with how we welcome people in. Every hire is a chance to strengthen the organization. Every onboarding experience is a chance to show that people matter. And every retention strategy is a commitment to building for the long term, not just filling today’s gap.

Bibliography

1. U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. 2018. Improving Federal Recruitment: Lessons from the Merit Principles Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Publishing Office.

2. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). 2021. Onboarding and Induction: A Guide. London: CIPD.

3. Perry, James L., and Lois Recascino Wise. 1990. "The Motivational Bases of Public Service." Public Administration Review 50 (3): 367-373.

4. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). 2022. Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement: The Doors of Opportunity Are Open. Alexandria, VA: SHRM.

5. Gallup. 2019. State of the American Manager: Analytics and Advice for Leaders. Washington, DC: Gallup, Inc.