End clap for 2024. We forget everything and we focus on the best for 2025, with wishes. This symbolic erasure of the previous year is even necessary to continue one’s journey without dwelling on one’s past. But some, so convinced of the need not to burden themselves with anyone or to get bogged down in memories, break their moorings in an instant and slip away. They never give any sign of life again: they “ghost”, thus abruptly ending this relationship, and leaving the other to cry out digitally sending messages, until he finally understands that he There will be more news. Painful in love, this behavior has now “infiltrated into professional interactions, creating real organizational challenges”, underlines Laurent Tylski, managing director of Acteo Consulting. “The phenomenon has accelerated since last June,” he explains.
This new “trend” goes beyond French borders. According to the latest report from the American recruitment platform Greenhouse published on December 10, 2024, 61% of job seekers never hear from an employer again after an interview, up 9 points compared to April of the year. same year. However, for Laurent Tylski, not responding to applications is not necessarily a way of “ghosting” the applicant because there is no ongoing relationship. This nonetheless remains regrettable on the part of the recruiter, due to the lack of consideration towards those interested.
However, there are other situations which constitute particularly problematic cases of “ghosting”. In the B2B context [NDLR : business to business] for example: this results in customers who suddenly stop all communication and who no longer respond to text messages or emails after requesting an offer or quote. Laurent Tylski calls them “Houdini clients”, named after the famous illusionist who disappeared at will. Their attitude is all the more disconcerting since these are people we know on familiar terms and with whom we have already worked. For the “ghosted”, that is to say the person who suffers this exclusion, this sudden rupture is destabilizing. It can be badly experienced and sometimes lead to questioning oneself. “This trend towards avoidance is not without consequences: it plunges suppliers into paralyzing uncertainty,” adds the CEO of Acteo Consulting. A business manager can thus suffer the financial repercussions when a contract is at stake. Likewise, for the HR director or the manager who is waiting for a candidate who does not show up – 57% of people say they have already “ghosted” a recruiter – “this represents a real waste of time, money and energy, which could have been devoted to other applicants”, indicates an Indeed-OpinionWay study published in January 2024.
Maintain a personal connection
The all-digital era doesn’t help matters. “Digital tools often dehumanize exchanges, thus facilitating discreet withdrawal and cutting off communications,” analyzes Laurent Tylski. But this is not the only reason that can explain this desertion behavior: the accumulation of emails and reminders can push you to opt for the simplest solution: ignorance. An unstable economy and a lack of resources also encourage a form of calculated cowardice, because this non-choice gives the possibility of resuming contact if necessary.
In order to circumvent “ghosting” which could be the 2025 trend in the professional environment, Laurent Tylski puts some ideas on the table: establish communication rules during negotiations in order to reduce the risk of prolonged silence. The expert then suggests diversifying communication channels – social networks, physical letters, telephone calls – in order to relaunch a blocked dialogue. Going through a third party or contacting the person again under another pretext can also be useful. Furthermore, understanding the constraints specific to each sector – especially if the budget has not been finalized, the company is reorganizing or the client is overwhelmed – helps to predict periods of silence and support the processes. without pressure. Finally, “maintaining a human relationship through periodic meetings and a personal connection strengthens trust and limits avoidance behavior”, concludes Laurent Tylski.
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