Frontline Attrition Isn’t a People Problem. It’s a Process Problem.

How Integrated Sourcing and Assessment Can Reduce Infant Attrition

India’s frontline workforce powers the country’s largest sectors—retail, BFSI, logistics, manufacturing, and services. Yet, despite millions of new job seekers entering the market each year, frontline hiring remains stubbornly broken.

Drop-offs are high. New joinees leave within weeks. Productivity remains low for months. And HR teams are stuck in a never-ending cycle of sourcing, onboarding, and replacing.

At the heart of this crisis is one truth:

We’re hiring people, not for roles, but for availability.

The Problem: Volume Without Fit

Most traditional hiring models focus on volume. The priority is speed—get enough CVs, fill enough positions, meet weekly targets. But what gets lost is the quality of the match between the person and the role.

This mismatch shows up in three painful ways:

• High infant attrition: Candidates leave within 30 to 90 days due to poor fit or misaligned expectations
• Low early productivity: It takes too long for new joinees to become fully effective
• Hiring fatigue: Recruiters are stuck in transactional firefighting, not strategic workforce building

Hiring someone because they’re “willing” is not the same as hiring someone who is “right.”

The Solution: Role-Based Sourcing + Digital Fitment

At TMI, we’ve addressed this frontline hiring challenge through an integrated sourcing and assessment model built for scale, speed, and sustainability.

Here’s how it works:

1. Role Deconstruction
   We go beyond generic JDs to identify the real attributes that drive performance in each frontline role—be it a field sales officer, telecaller, cashier, or claims executive.
2. Targeted Sourcing by Role DNA
   Our sourcing engine activates the right channel mix (referral, job boards, gig networks, Tier 2/3 colleges) based on the specific requirements of each role—ensuring quality inflow over quantity.
3. Digital Fitment Assessments
   Candidates are screened through mobile-first assessments that test for:
   • Cognitive skills
   • Motivation and work ethic
   • Situational judgment aligned to the role
   Only those with high-fit scores are shortlisted—saving time for both recruiters and line managers.
4. Predictive Matching
   Using data from previous hires and performance patterns, we match candidates not just to a role, but to the right manager, location, and even team environment—factors proven to influence retention.

The Outcome: Reduced Infant Attrition and Improved Early Productivity

Our clients see tangible results:

• 20–30% reduction in attrition within the first 60 days
• Faster time-to-productivity for new joinees
• Less recruiter churn due to reduced rework
• Better candidate experience through transparent expectations and role clarity

Why This Matters Now

With rising recruitment costs and shrinking frontline availability in sectors like BFSI and retail, hiring smarter is no longer optional. It’s a business imperative.

By combining role clarity, fitment science, and tech-led screening, organizations can break the cycle of churn and start building sustainable frontline strength.

Conclusion

The frontline isn’t broken. The way we hire them is. If you want your next 1,000 hires to stay longer, perform faster, and cost less—start with role-based sourcing.

And don’t just ask, “Is this candidate available?”

Ask, “Is this candidate right for this role?”