Results from a new study conducted in partnership with Versta Research were published this month by Brilliant Ink, a consulting firm specializing in helping companies boost employee engagement and productivity. The Employee Experience Survey was designed to identify key moments in the lifecycle of an employee—from first inquiries about a job opportunity to exit interviews and transitions to new jobs—that can make or break positive employee engagement.

“The challenge of this research was to identify specific things that employers can do that measurably improve employee morale and commitment,” said Joseph Hopper, president of Versta Research. “We fielded in-depth qualitative interviews over the course of eight months, and then carefully designed a survey around issues uncovered in those interviews. The data we got back was exceptionally strong, and it helped Brilliant Ink focus on concrete actions that organizations can take to boost employee engagement.”

Some of the specific findings from the research include:

• While 92 percent of employees surveyed said they felt welcomed on their first day, nearly half (43 percent) said the first day was disorganized or confusing, which was highly correlated with lower long-term engagement
• Almost half (44 percent) of employees report little or no structure during onboarding, but those who did have structure said it was relevant to their jobs (94 percent) and helpful in learning how to find information (85 percent)
• A majority did not learn about career paths during interviews (58 percent) and onboarding (66 percent), and many (40 percent) aren’t hearing about it during performance reviews, all of which leads to dramatically lower levels of employee engagement

The online survey was completed in October, 2012 online with 300+ knowledge workers at Fortune 1,000 companies or their equivalent (minimum revenue $1.5 billion). An infographic entitled “10 Ways to Improve Your Employee Experience—Right Now” as well as the full report are available on the Brilliant Ink website.