You don’t just hire someone and hope for the best. Or at least you shouldn’t. Every employee goes on a journey with your company, from first impression to their final farewell, and the way you handle each part of that journey matters. In this Ello Group guide, we’re looking at the employee lifecycle model: what it is, why it works, how to get it right, and how a rewards platform can make a crucial difference.
Kristina Singleton
02-07-2025
At its core, the employee lifecycle is a breakdown of an employee’s journey with a company, from the first moment they hear your name to the day they walk out the door (hopefully on good terms). It helps employers understand where they can make a difference: in motivation, satisfaction, loyalty, and even productivity. When you know where someone is in their journey, it’s easier to support them in the right way at the right time.
The employee lifecycle can be broken down into six recognisable stages.
Before the job ad, before the CV, before the interview is the first stage of the employee lifecycle: attraction. Your reputation, your visible values, your culture, even your perks and benefits all play a role in shaping how attractive you are to potential hires – making your hiring pool wider.
Best practice: To stand out, define your employer brand clearly, honestly, and in a way that reaches the people you want to hire. Whatever you’re most concerned about, centre it in your social messaging: hard work, innovation, working hard and playing hard. And don’t forget the role of rewards: reward platforms offer tangible benefits like discounts for wellbeing/self-care and entertainment that really resonate with prospective employees.
Next is recruitment. Your prospective hire is interested, but how you go about hiring them is the difference between them dropping out of the lifecycle now, or potentially becoming a valued team member.
Best practice: Transparency is everything here. Clear job descriptions, realistic expectations, and timely communication show candidates you respect their time and potential. Streamline the process with structured interviews and collaborative hiring tools to reduce bias and delays.
They’ve signed the contract. Next comes onboarding: introducing an employee to the team and, if all goes well, showing them how your company culture actually lives up to what they saw in the attraction and recruitment stages.
Best practice: Go beyond the handbook. Pair them with a mentor, schedule team introductions (with coffee, not Zoom fatigue), and set clear 30/60/90-day goals. Show them how their role ladders up to bigger goals. And don’t just introduce them to their employee perks, encourage them to take advantage!
Development is the stage where employees build on their skills, expand their knowledge, and grow into new responsibilities. It’s what turns a good hire into a long-term asset, and what helps people see a future for themselves in your organisation.
Best practice: Create clear pathways for learning and career progression. Offer regular training, whether through workshops, online courses, or coaching sessions. Recognise achievements and milestones along the way to keep motivation high. Ello’s platforms can support this by providing rewards that celebrate progress and encourage continuous growth, making employees feel valued every step of the way.
Retention is about keeping the people you’ve invested in. It’s what turns development into loyalty, and loyalty into long-term success—for both the employee and the business. This stage is where culture, recognition, and support either prove themselves or fall short.
Best practice: Start with the basics: fair pay, clear communication, and a healthy work environment. But don’t stop there. Regular recognition, meaningful benefits, and visible opportunities for advancement all contribute to a workplace people want to stay in. Ask for feedback, act on it, and show your team they’re heard.
Offboarding is the final stage of the employee lifecycle. It’s how you handle things when employees want to (or have to) move on. Done well, offboarding can leave the door open for future collaboration, positive reviews, and even referrals.
Best practice: Be structured but human. Provide clarity around timelines, processes, and expectations. Make time for an honest, respectful exit interview and actually listen to what’s said. And keep the conversation open: a good offboarding experience can turn a departing employee into an advocate for your brand.
At Ello Group, we help businesses create bespoke benefits schemes that can improve every stage of your employee lifecycle. We work with 1000s of businesses, creating tailored loyalty and rewards platforms with all sorts of perks. Did you have dining rewards and entertainment benefits in mind? Or do you prefer the idea of coffee shop rewards and cinema rewards? Whatever the case, we’re pretty sure your staff will love the savings that Ello Group can offer them.
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