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Onboarding – Integration of New Employees

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Onboarding – Integration of New Employees Author ONBOARDING – Anna Znidersic, BSc Submission INTEGRATION OF Department of Organization Science NEW EMPLOYEES: Thesis Supervisor a.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Werner Auer-Rizzi A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF July 2018 EMPLOYEES’ CONCERNS BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF WORK JOHANNES KEPLER UNIVERSITY LINZ Altenberger Str. 69 4040 Linz, Austria www.jku.at DVR 0093696 SWORN DECLARATION I hereby declare under oath that the submitted Master’s Thesis has been written solely by me without any third-party assistance, information other than provided sources or aids have not been used and those used have been fully documented. Sources for literal, paraphrased and cited quotes have been accurately credited. The submitted document here present is identical to the electronically submitted text document. Ottensheim, 12.07.2018 ___________________________ Anna Znidersic ABSTRACT Due to a constantly changing environment including increased international competition, globalized markets, and so on, companies are more than ever challenged to attract and retain qualified employees. Demographic changes, a growing mobility of employees as well as changing values, needs and expectations trigger a so-called “war for talent” and indicate the need to shift from traditional recruiting approaches to more customer-oriented approaches. Permanent changes and developments result in elevated expectations on the part of companies which puts high demands on today’s employees. Consequently, the following thesis aims at revealing new employees’ underlying feelings, expectations and initial fears. Since it proofed to be the least investigated, the focus here is on the phase prior to the first day of work and how newcomers experience the overall integration process. More specifically, the fundamental question that is to be critically analyzed throughout the thesis is “What concerns do new employees have before their first day of work?” Referring to the initial question, 10 interviews with new employees who are about to start their first day at work or who are within their first week at a new company and position have been conducted. To increase the richness of information, employees from diverse industries, companies, positions and age groups have been interviewed. Overall, there has been a perceived uncertainty of newcomers before the first day of work and people commonly describe the pre-boarding phase as anxiety-generating and stressful. A lack of time devoted to newcomers as well as a lack of formal onboarding programs lead to increased insecurity and confusion among new hires. Uncertainty is also triggered by a lack of information, communication, sructure and orientation provided to newcomers. What is more, less attention is paid to social integration of newcomers. Insufficient company support as well as weak actions on relationship-building and bonding prevent newcomers from developing trust. Rather, it creates tensions, insecurities, fears and raises doubts by newcomers whether they took the right decision. By comparing theoretical and empirical results, areas for improvement have been revealed and future opportunities as well as changing expectations on the role of HR managers highlighted. ABSTRACT GERMAN Aufgrund der sich permanent ändernden Unternehmensumwelt, der verstärkten internationalen Konkurrenz, Globalisierung, u.v.m., stellt die Aquirierung und Bindung von hoch qualifizierten Mitarbeitern und Mitarbeiterinnen eine größere Herausforderung dar. Der demografische Wandel, die steigende Mobilität von Arbeitskräften sowie sich ändernde Werte, Ansprüche und Erwartungen von neuen Mitarbeitern und Mitarbeiterinnen, führen zum sogenannten „Kampf um Talente“. Daraus lässt sich die Notwendigkeit einer Verlagerung von traditionellen zu individualisierten Recruitingmaßnahmen ableiten. Permanente Veränderungen und Entwicklungen führen zu höheren Erwartungen seitens der Unternehmen und somit werden höhere Ansprüche an Qualifikationen der Arbeitnehmer und Arbeitnehmerinnen gestellt. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit sollen die Gefühle, Emotionen, Erwartungen und anfänglichen Befürchtungen sowie Ängste von Mitarbeitern und Mitarbeiterinnen aufgezeigt werden. Es liegen bereits zahlreiche Studien vor, die sich mit dem ersten Arbeitstag beschäftigen bzw. mit der Phase danach, weshalb der Fokus dieser Arbeit auf der Phase vor dem ersten Arbeitstag liegt und somit darauf, wie neue Mitarbeiter und Mitarbeiterinnen den Integrationsprozess wahrnehmen. Dementsprechend lautet die Forschungsfrage „Welche Befürchtungen und Ängste haben neue Mitarbeiter und Mitarbeiterinnen vor dem ersten Arbeitstag?“ Zur Beantwortung der Forschungsfrage wurden 10 qualitative Interviews mit Mitarbeitern und Mitarbeiterinnen durchgeführt, die sich kurz vor ihrem ersten Arbeitstag bzw. in der ersten Arbeitswoche befanden. Um die Qualität und Diversität der Antwortmöglichkeiten zu erhöhen, wurden Personen unterschiedlicher Branchen, Unternehmen, Positionen und Altersgruppen befragt. Generell ist die Zeit vor dem ersten Arbeitstag mit vielen Emotionen verbunden und ruft z.T. Angst und Besorgnis seitens der neuen Mitarbeiter und Mitarbeiterinnen hervor. Ein Mangel an Unterstützung sowie strukturierten Einführungsprogrammen führt zu Unsicherheiten, Verwirrungen und Missverständnissen. Neuen Mitarbeitern und Mitarbeiterinnen fehlt es an Information, Kommunikation sowie Struktur und Orientierung. Des Weiteren stellte sich heraus, dass der sozialen Integration bislang zu wenig Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt wurde. Unzureichende Unterstützung sowie schwache Maßnahmen hinsichtlich des Aufbaus von Beziehungen erschweren es neuen Mitarbeitern und Mitarbeiterinnen Vertrauen gegenüber dem Unternehmen aufzubringen und positive Gefühle zu entwickeln. Vielmehr löst es Spannungen, Nervosität und Unsicherheit aus und lässt den Mitarbeiter/die Mitarbeiterin an seiner/ihrer Entscheidung für das Unternehmen zweifeln. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The present thesis would not have been possible without the help and support of various people to whom I would like to express my particular gratitude. I would first like to thank my thesis advisor a.Univ.Prof. Dr. Werner Auer-Rizzi of the Institute of Organization and Global Management Education. The door to Prof. Auer-Rizzi was always open whenever I had a question about my research or writing. He gave me the opportunity to explore the topic on my own but always offered advice as it was required. Then I want to express my special thanks to Dr. Franz Dachs who supported me in the initial phase of my master thesis. Due to his experience in the field scientific work and as supervisor, he provided me with constructive ideas and helped me conceptualize the topic of my thesis. This, in turn, enabled me to start working on my thesis effectively and systematically. I would also like to acknowledge all my friends and study colleagues who have supported me morally and intellectually during the process of writing. Exchanging ideas and thoughts with colleagues have been especially helpful to keep my thesis moving forward. Most importantly, I must express my very profound gratitude to my parents, my twin brother and my boyfriend for providing me with continuous support and encouragement throughout the process of writing. Whenever I felt the need of exchanging thoughts, opinions or I had to face structural or technical challenges, they really helped me out. Therefore, this accomplishment would not have been possible without you. Thank you so much! TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Problem statement ....................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Motives and objectives ................................................................................................ 7 1.3 Research questions ...................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Structure of the thesis .................................................................................................. 9 2. Theoretical Foundations ................................................................................................. 11 2.1 Onboarding ................................................................................................................ 11 2.1.1 Definition and delimitation ................................................................................ 11 2.1.2 Challenges and impacts of failed onboarding .................................................... 14 2.1.3 Goals and benefits of successful onboarding ..................................................... 19 2.1.4 Elements of onboarding ..................................................................................... 23 2.1.5 Organizational socialization ............................................................................... 25 2.1.6 Phases of organizational entry ............................................................................ 28 2.2 Phase before the first day ........................................................................................... 32 2.2.1 Influencing factors .............................................................................................. 34 2.2.1.1 Behavior of supervisors .............................................................................. 34 2.2.1.2 Characteristics and behavior of new employees ......................................... 36 2.2.1.3 Role of the work group ..............................................................................
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