Employee Attachment Fact Sheet

Employee Attachment is both a phase and an effect at the very beginning of the employee life cycle. It is the psychological and intellectual bond perceived by the new employee, achieved within the first 120 days of employment, that exists between the new employee and the entitiy with whom they are employed.

The level of Attachment is determined by the perceived strength of bond associated with a core set of 20 conscious and subconscious criteria know as Drivers of Attachment. The relative level of Attachment achieved with any new employee directly impacts:

Risk of attrition within the first 18 months of employment
Level of discretionary effort consistently applied within the first 18 months of employment
Level of individual performance achieved within the first 18 months of employment

Best Employers measure, manage and achieve high levels of Attachment as part of the Human Capital Strategy. Best Employers understand that in order to achieve high levels of Engagement you must first achieve high levels of Attachment.

Foundations Of Attachment Theory

The Attachment Phenomenon is almost as old as life. All creatures requiring care and development post gestation and birth display the Attachment Phenomenon to varying degrees. It's routs are as a survival mechanism for creatures who require safety, sustenance and social conditioning in order to survive through to self sustainability.

The 4 main evolutions and application of Attachment Theory are:

Filial Imprinting and Bonding - popularised by Lorenz in the early 1900's but based on the work of Spalding and Heinroth. The Attachment phenomenon was demonstrated by the now regularly repeated imprinting and bonding process demonstrated by ducklings and geese in the critical moments after hatching to the first animate object they see within close proximity.

Childhood Developmental Attachment - most noteably the work of bowlby & Harlow that explored the impact of abandonment and helplessness in early childhood development.

Adult Romantic Attachment - The work by Hazen & Shaver that explored the problematic romantic bonding of adults suffering from Attachment disorder.

Adult Employee Attachment - The work by Sork relating to the critical phase of psychological and intellectual bonding of new employees to the entitiy with whom they are employed

So What is the Adult Employee Attachment Period and what are the Critical Milestones?

The Attachment period is the first 120 days from the day of commencement for a new employee
The first valid measure of Attachment can be taken at 90^th day of employment that is representative of the first 120 days
The Attachment period directly impacts the first 18 months of employment

What does Attachment actually impact for me as an Employer?

The Risk of Attrition in the first 18 months of employment for all new employees
The level of Discretionary Effort applied by individuals over the first 18 months of employment
The performance of the individual over the first 18 months of employment
The overall effectiveness of managers
The overall effectiveness of teams

How is Attachment Measured?

Sork HC Attachment & On-Boarding Survey/Report (AOSR)
The 20 core Drivers of Attachment for all new employee’s are measured
Individual Driver Scores are taken for each driver along with a Cumulative Total Attachment Score
A survey is used to measure the perceptions of the new employee at the 90^th day of employment
The survey results are used to create an Attachment Management Report for the hiring manager
Results for 3 or more new employee’s can be used to create a Trended Attachment Management Report using averaged data
Reports are produced within 48 hours of receiving the completed employee survey
The time between receiving the report and the first 120 days is the Period of Potential Correction

Why should our organisations use the AOSR?

Reduce the rate of attrition in the first 18 months of employment
Improve performance of new employees and throughout their first 18 months
Improve Manager effectiveness and performance
Improve the organisations performance in Attracting, Recruiting and Retaining key talent
Set the essential platform for long term retention
Achieve Employer of Choice status
Achieve Best Employer performance levels

How do organisations access and use the AOSR?

Any organisation can purchase one off survey/report’s by logging on to www.sorkhc.com.au/register.asp and completing the request form for each new employee and manager
Organisations wanting to request 10 or more survey’s at any 1 time should contact Selina Sork Selina@sorkhc.com.au to organise 1 single request with bulk billing options and discounts
Requests need to be received by the 80^th day of employment at the latest but can be made at any day prior to the 80^th day of employment. The survey will not be sent out until the 90^th day of employment (or closest working day after).

What do organisations need to do to prepare for using the AOSR?

Ensure Managers, HR and Senior Leaders are aware of what the AOSR measures, why you want to measure it and how the results are to be used.
We recommend that if you are planning to pilot or use this tool throughout your organisation that you run enough ½ workshops with your managers to ensure they understand Employee Attachment, how the AOSR is to be administered and supported and importantly how they are to use the report when they receive it.
Organisations who are using the tool are experiencing huge support from their managers as it directly helps them to impact their personal effectiveness in the process of finding, recruiting and keeping their people.

How much does the AOSR cost?

We have designed this business tool to be affordable and accessible for all businesses.
Please contact us for our pricing options designed to fit our small, medium and large client needs.

How do I make a time to have a Sork HC Consultant meet with me to discuss our organisation needs?

Please contact Selina Sork on 0401240312 or +61 2 93447589 or Selina@sorkhc.com.au