Northern Employers Stuck In A ‘Ghosting Spiral’

Over half of employers in the north of England (61%) have experienced candidates cancel interviews with little or no notice over the past 12 months, and almost one in five (18%) of organisations have had new starters fail to turn up on their first day at work. These practices are commonly referred to as being ‘ghosted.’

The findings from the CIPD and Omni RMS Resourcing and talent and planning report also show that over the past year, a third (34%) of northern employers – across the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber - have experienced new employees resigning within the first 12 weeks of work. Furthermore, over half (57%) of employers in the region experienced candidates accepting a job offer and then subsequently declining.

In response, the CIPD and Omni RMS are calling on employers to keep candidates engaged throughout the recruitment process, to ensure they’re committed to the role and have realistic expectations. The report also highlights the importance of investing in effective onboarding for employees, to give clarity and support to new recruits as they adapt to the organisation and their new roles.

This latest research comes in the wider context of a competitive labour market, where many employers report that it has been more difficult to recruit and retain talent over the past year. According to the survey of over 1000 UK HR or people professionals:

42% of northern employers have experienced difficulties attracting senior/ strategic or skilled candidates and those with technical abilities, whilst 73% of all employers in the region agreed that competition for well-qualified talent has increased over the past year.
Over half (51%) of employers in the north said that it has been more difficult to retain talent over the last year.

Employers in the north have also been looking at ways to attract candidates. Increasing flexible working opportunities (35%) and ensuring a competitive pay and benefits package (38%) were the most common actions taken to improve employer brand in the last year.

Claire McCartney

Claire McCartney, policy and practice manager at the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, said:

“Competition for candidates remains fierce, particularly for senior and highly skilled roles. Recruitment and retention strategies should be a key focus for organisations if they want to appeal and hold on to employees in a competitive labour market.

“Engaging and retaining employees begins before new starters even walk through the door. During the recruitment process, employers should keep communication open with candidates, being clear on the purpose and values of their organisation, as well as benefits such as flexible working. It’s important to make sure prospective employees are committed to the role and know what to expect when joining a new organisation.

“Supportive and informative inductions can also help new starters to connect with an organisation and perform at their best. By investing in effective onboarding, employers can improve overall retention and are more likely to reap long-term benefits.”


Louise Shaw, Managing Director at Omni RMS said:

“Ghosting is a huge concern for business continuity and growth. We’ve steadily seen an increase in this behaviour as poor experience, or lack of communication post offer, creates increased dropout. With such high demand for the best candidates, a growing number are being countered and have multiple job offers, before they’ve started in a new role.

“Ensuring candidates are kept engaged is more crucial than ever. With the effort and cost that goes into attracting, selecting and onboarding, this loss has detrimental financial and general operational implications. At Omni, for our client partners who don’t have the internal resources to manage this, we have invested in resources and tech dedicated solely to keeping candidates engaged during onboarding, reducing ghosting and dropouts by 30%.

“In the longer term, organisations need to be equipped to tackle the issues that are driving candidate ghosting head on, particularly when the economic climate picks up.”

Zenith, the leasing, fleet management and vehicle outsourcing business, has seen the benefits of flexible working on recruitment and reducing the number of non-starters.

Stuart Price

Stuart Price FCIPD, Chief People Officer at Zenith said:
“Implementing agile working has positively impacted our business, and has supported our talent attraction strategy. It’s regularly referenced as a valuable benefit in our colleague engagement survey, and the tangible results are proof of its success. Since its introduction, fringe turnover has reduced by 10%, and in the last year, just 12 of our 300 external hires were non-starters.”