New Hire Ghosting

From “Just a Job” to “I Belong Here”: Using Belonging in Onboarding to Stop Ghosting
Key Insights and Practical Takeaways from the WALA Conference Session

At the WALA Conference, I led a session with leaders on a challenge that continues to disrupt teams: ghosting – when a new hire disengages or disappears without notice.

Ghosting is not just happening after someone is hired. It’s even happening before candidate interviews as well as between offer and Day 1. In senior living, the impact is immediate. Teams are already stretched thin, and when someone does not show up or leaves unexpectedly, the pressure increases quickly for both staff and residents.

Executive Summary

Ghosting is often a sign that new hires do not feel a sense of belonging early enough in the experience. When organizations make belonging clear and consistent - from first interaction through everyday team culture - they can significantly improve follow-through and retention. In my work with senior living teams, this often leads to 20–30% reductions in early turnover.

Read below for practical insights and examples you can apply right away.

You can also download the Retention Plan Template to create your own simple, action plan.

What’s Really Driving Ghosting

During the session, leaders shared where they are seeing this happen. But the most important takeaway was not where. It was why.

At its core, ghosting is a belonging issue.

From the very first interaction with your organization, candidates are looking for signals that they will be supported, included, and able to succeed. When those signals are missing or inconsistent, it becomes easier to opt out, especially when there is no emotional connection to the team.

New hires make decisions with both their head and their heart:

• The head looks at pay, schedule, and convenience
• The heart looks for belonging

When belonging is missing, decisions become purely practical. When it is present, it creates an emotional connection that makes people more likely to follow through, engage, and stay – even when practical aspects of the job are not perfect.

Why Belonging Matters for New Hires

Belonging – the feeling of acceptance - is a fundamental human need. It shapes confidence, engagement, and whether someone sees themselves as part of the team.

Research consistently shows employees who feel a strong sense of belonging are five times more likely to stay.

Belonging is not just about culture. It is a core driver of retention.

At every stage, new hires are quickly (and often unconsciously) asking:

• Will I feel supported here?
• Can I ask questions without feeling judged?
• Will this team work well together?
• Will I be successful here?

These questions are answered quickly - often before Day 1 - and reinforced through everyday interactions.

A simple way to make belonging visible is to focus on fostering three everyday experiences:

• Confidence: I can ask questions, make mistakes, and learn without being judged
• Connection: I feel part of this team and understand why the work matters
• Contribution: I can see how my work and voice matter here

When these aspects are clear and consistent, people are far more likely to feel a sense of belonging and stay engaged.

What Actually Works

Fostering belonging is not about adding more onboarding steps. It is about small, practical actions that make belonging clear and consistent throughout the new hire experience.

When clients build simple, consistent belonging behaviors into onboarding and everyday team culture, they often see up to 30% reductions in turnover.

As you read the examples below, consider how you might apply similar ideas within your own organization. You can also download the Retention Plan Template to capture your ideas and build a practical plan.

Here are a few ways clients have strengthened belonging before Day 1:

• Build confidence. Have the manager send a short welcome message setting expectations: “We’re looking forward to your first day. And just to put you at ease, you’re not expected to have all the answers. Questions are part of how we work here.” This reduces anxiety and makes it more likely someone shows up ready to learn.
• Create connection. Have a future teammate reach out with a brief video welcome and share what they enjoy about the work. This creates an early emotional connection before someone even walks in the door.
• Reinforce contribution. Clearly tell the new hire why they were selected, highlighting their unique strengths. Being chosen is one of the strongest early signals that someone matters.

The Team Experience Overrides Everything

New hires not only experience your onboarding process. They also experience your team.

Even strong hiring and onboarding processes cannot overcome a team environment where communication is unclear, frustrations go unaddressed, or people are burned out.

Belonging has to show up in how the team works every day. One of the most effective ways to do this is to involve your team in shaping the new hire experience that reflects their ideal daily experience.

Instead of assuming what new hires need, ask team members who live the work every day:

• What helped you feel confident, connected, and able to contribute when you started?
• What does someone need to feel valued and supported here?
• Where do we unintentionally make it harder to feel valued and supported that we can change?

This simple step does two things at once:

1. It improves the new hire experience by identifying practical, real-world actions that matter.
2. It strengthens belonging within your current team by giving them a voice in how the culture shows up day to day.

When teams are involved in creating the experience, they are far more likely to reinforce it consistently. That consistency is what new hires notice - and what ultimately determines whether they show up, engage, and stay.

The Bottom Line

New hires are always answering one question: Do I feel like I can belong and succeed here?

When the answer is unclear, it becomes easier to walk away. When the answer is yes, people are far more likely to show up, engage, and stay.

Start simple.

Download the Retention Plan Template to capture ideas and build a practical plan. Focus on one or two low-effort, high-impact actions you can implement right away, and track what changes.

If you would like more examples or help identifying where your candidate and new hire experiences may be breaking down, feel free to reach out at beth@ridleyconsultants.com. I’m happy to help.

About the Author

Beth Ridley is the founder of Ridley Consulting Group, where she partners with senior living leaders and HR teams to strengthen team performance by improving how teams work together day to day.

She helps organizations turn expectations into consistent team behaviors through simple, practical habits embedded into daily work - so teams communicate better, support each other, and deliver more consistent care.

Her work focuses on improving engagement and retention by making belonging visible in everyday interactions, especially during onboarding and the first 90 days.