JOHANNES KEPLER

UNIVERSITY LINZ

Altenberger Str. 69

4040 Linz, Austria

www.jku.at

DVR 0093696

Author

Anna Znidersic, BSc

Submission

Department of Organization

Science

Thesis Supervisor

a.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Werner

Auer-Rizzi

July 2018

ONBOARDING –

INTEGRATION OF

NEW EMPLOYEES:

A QUALITATIVE

INVESTIGATION OF

EMPLOYEES’ CONCERNS

BEFORE THE FIRST DAY

OF WORK

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 ............................................................................... 37

2.2.1.4 Role of the Human Resources department .................................................. 39

2.2.2 Concerns of new employees ............................................................................... 39

2.2.2.1 Time of heightened anxiety and stress ........................................................ 40

2.2.2.2 Lack of information .................................................................................... 42

2.2.2.3 Setting unrealistic expectations ................................................................... 43

2.2.3 Corporate actions to facilitate integration .......................................................... 45

2.2.3.1 Realistic Job Preview .................................................................................. 45

2.2.3.2 Maintain contact & provide information .................................................... 48

2.2.3.3 Announcement of the newcomer ................................................................ 51

2.2.3.4 Organization of the workplace .................................................................... 51

2.2.3.5 Initial training plan ...................................................................................... 52

2.2.3.6 Further preparations .................................................................................... 53

3. Methodology .................................................................................................................... 57

3.1 Data collection & analysis ......................................................................................... 57

3.2 Qualitative research method ...................................................................................... 57

3.3 The interview ............................................................................................................. 58

4. Empirical Study .............................................................................................................. 60

4.1 Perception of onboarding ........................................................................................... 60

4.1.1 Lack of information ............................................................................................ 61

4.1.2 Lack of communication and internal coordination............................................. 63

4.1.3 Lack of structure and support ............................................................................. 65

4.1.4 Successful onboarding practices ........................................................................ 67

4.2 Influencing factors ..................................................................................................... 69

4.2.1 Characteristics of new employees ...................................................................... 69

4.2.2 Behavior of the supervisor ................................................................................. 71

4.2.3 Role of the HR department ................................................................................. 73

4.2.4 Work group/team ................................................................................................ 75

4.2.5 Other factors ....................................................................................................... 76

4.3 Expectations and desires ............................................................................................ 78

4.3.1 Relationship-building and bonding .................................................................... 79

4.3.2 Employee orientation ......................................................................................... 81

4.3.3 Communication .................................................................................................. 82

4.3.4 Job opportunities ................................................................................................ 84

4.4 Concers and fears ....................................................................................................... 86

4.4.1 Phase of uncertainty ........................................................................................... 87

4.4.2 Inclusion into the work group ............................................................................ 88

4.4.3 Tasks and responsibilities ................................................................................... 89

4.4.4 Self-doubts ......................................................................................................... 91

4.4.5 Surprises ............................................................................................................. 94

4.4.6 Other concerns .................................................................................................... 96

4.5 Corporate actions ....................................................................................................... 97

4.5.1 Relationship-building ......................................................................................... 97

4.5.2 Maintaining contact ............................................................................................ 99

4.5.3 Providing information ...................................................................................... 100

4.5.4 Orientation and structure .................................................................................. 102

4.5.5 The first day(s) and week(s) ............................................................................. 103

5. Discussion of Results ..................................................................................................... 106

6. Managerial Implications and Outlook ........................................................................ 111

7. References ...................................................................................................................... 114

7.1 Books ....................................................................................................................... 114

7.2 Journals & Internet Sources ..................................................................................... 118

8. Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 123

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Onboarding success .................................................................................................... 4

Figure 2: Employee introduction within the staffing needs coverage process ......................... 13

Figure 3: The problem of reduced performance ....................................................................... 15

Figure 4: The attraction selection situation .............................................................................. 16

Figure 5: Success factors of onboarding new employees ........................................................ 22

Figure 6: Induction and integration of new employees ............................................................ 24

Figure 7: Model of newcomer adjustment during socialization ............................................... 26

Figure 8: A process of socialization as new employee learning and relationship-building ..... 27

Figure 9: Realistic Job Preview ................................................................................................ 46

Figure 10: Expectations of new employees .............................................................................. 79

Figure 11: Successful onboarding process ............................................................................. 111

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Types of newcomers .................................................................................................. 14

Table 2: Goals of onboarding ................................................................................................... 20

Table 3: Positive impacts of successful employee integration ................................................. 23

Table 4: Elements of onboarding ............................................................................................. 23

Table 5: Phases of organizational entry ................................................................................... 29

Table 6: Industry and position of interviewees ........................................................................ 59

Table 7: Concerns and fears of new employees ....................................................................... 87

Table 8: Checklist before starting work ................................................................................. 123

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

e.g. exempli gratia (for example)

et al. et alia (and others)

etc. et cetera (and so on)

HR Human Resource(s)

RJP Realistic Job Preview

u.v.m. und vieles mehr

bzw. beziehungsweise

z.B. zum Beispiel

z.T. zum Teil

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1. INTRODUCTION

Due to a dynamic, constantly changing environment, companies are more than ever under

considerable pressure to adapt to these changes (Schreyögg & Koch, 2010, 370). The need for

change is based on several factors, such as innovations, crises, increased international

competition or globalized markets (Stolzenberg & Heberle, 2009, 2). Similarly, Arndt (2010,

8) stresses that ongoing globalization implicates significant changes and can be described as

rapidly advancing economic process of interdependence shaped by increased trade and capital

flows as well as by technological changes. This ongoing process entails advantages such as

learning curve effects, improved quality of products and services, and improved

competitiveness (Al-Laham & Welge, 2008, 652). However, there are also adverse effects of

globalization which has been especially challenging for companies. Quick reaction and

adaption to environmental changes, for instance, have emerged as substantial tasks. Due to the

massive exchange of goods and increased number of providers, competitive differentiation

has become rather difficult. Thus, companies have been focusing more on identifying and

developing benefits within the firm, hence, are paying greater attention to the importance of

human resources (Aigner & Bauer, 2008, 9).

Consequently, onboarding of new employees is becoming more and more challenging.

Especially in times of permanent transformation, high demands have been placed on today’s

employees which often leads to psychological stress and burden (Bal, Hofmans & Polat,

2017, 2). According to Lohaus and Habermann (2015, 9), changes in work and professional

life are resulting from the growing mobility of employees. This means, today’s employees

tend to change their workplaces more frequently. Consequently, the trend is towards fixed-

term contracts and the deployment of temporary employees. Based on a survey conducted by

Statistic Austria from December of 2016, approximately three quarters of all workers are

changing their job within two years.

The greater mobility of employees might result from a change in motivational factors. It has

been shown that today’s employees pursue less material goals such as salary and other

benefits but instead favor intangible factors such as a positive working atmosphere, the

behavior of the supervisor and an open information policy. This is accompanied by a change

in values, an increased need for sense-making and social orientation. Because of a higher

2

willingness to change, in times of skill shortages, companies must include and take care of

their personnel already at an early stage (Francke, 2015, 7 as cited in Wießner, N., 2016).

Besides, an increased fluctuation on the labor market can also be reduced to shortages of labor

triggered by demographic changes. Due to an ageing population and a falling birth rate, more

workers are leaving the labor market than entering it. Projections have shown that by 2050,

people in working age will decrease from 29 % to 22 %. A severe loss of knowledge may

accompany this change, wherein companies may be unable to transfer valuable knowledge

from the Baby-Boom generation to the active workforce (Ritz & Thom, 2010; Winkler, 2009,

2). In this context, Gloger (2001, 13) draws the conclusion that “employees are the scarce

commodity of the century.” The author stresses that nowadays it is more than ever difficult to

attract new employees and retain them.

Hence, employees constitute a valuable resource and are essential in leading companies to

success and in obtaining a sustainable competitive advantage (Bröckermann & Pepels, 2002,

2). Blum (2010, 3) agrees with the authors and states that human capital is, especially in an

increasingly competitive market, undoubtedly a crucial factor that helps ensure the long-term

success of a company. As claimed by Becker, (2009, 1) knowledge and human potential as

differentiating factors and core competencies have gained in importance. Unfortunately, some

employers are still not aware of the immense potential of employees. According to Bauer

(2016, 34), the essence of the problem lies in the fact that “[…] we over-inflate the

importance of financial metrics; and we under-inflate the importance of human beings […].”

The author indicates the need to shift this thinking to be successful in retaining the next

generation of new hires.

This leads to an intensified “war for talents”. Skilled workers or “high potentials” represent

the “engines” of today’s economy, and a shortage results in a slowing of economic

development. Through technological innovations and changes in the operational work

organization, expectations of employees’ qualifications are steadily increasing. Thus,

acquiring top-tier employees is essential for companies to survive (4 managers, 2018). Such

rivalry occurs on various levels, within acquisition, selection or integration of employees

(Aigner & Bauer, 2008, 10) and is associated with excessive costs and effort (Blum, 2010, 2).

This, in turn, might have a negative impact on the company’s innovativeness and flexibility

(Geighardth, 2007). Similarily, Jäger and Lukasczyk (2009, 17) stress that companies are

3

being forced to invest more time and money in becoming attractive and visible on the labour

market, hence successful over the long run. This can be achieved either by means of HR

marketing strategies or employer branding campaigns.

Blum (2010, 75) emphasizes that investing in the factor of personnel means investing in the

company’s future. Through significant savings in the selection process, companies might run

into danger of losing its attractivity on the labour market. Knoblauch (2010, 24) shares the

opinion of Blum (2010) and refers to a classification of A-, B- and C-employees. With this

differentiation, he demonstrates the existence of employees with a high, low or no emotional

attachment to the workplace and with this, a classification of “High Potentials, Top Performer

and Under Performer”. He (2010, 13-14) points to the fact that special attention needs to be

paid to C-employees, since they can be very expensive.

Consequently, onboarding, that is hiring and integrating new employees, represents a key

task and companies devote a lot of money and time to find “the right one”. Unfortunately,

new employees often have the impression that attention and interest towards them disappear

as soon as they start working (Kieser et al., 1990, 1). This entails negative consequences,

both, for the employer as well as the employee: Failed integration measures could activate a

vicious circle that is characterized by setbacks (Gruman & Saks, 2011, 419-427). It has been

shown that the first months are decisive for the long-term development and employee

adaptation takes place especially within the first four weeks (Cooper-Thomas & Anderson,

2005, 116-128).

Failed onboarding, however, can lead to a “mental resignation” of employees which results in

low work motivation and work effort (Lohaus & Habermann, 2015, 30). Dissatisfied and

unproductive employees, again, involve considerable costs. It is also costly if an employee

leaves the company within a short space of time due to failed integration measures (Blum,

2010, 24). Based on a survey of corporate onboarding practices conducted by the Society of

Human Resource Management, 50 % of all respondents stressed that due to a lack of time and

inadequate human-resources staffing, no formal onboarding programs were prevalent.

Additionally, around 19 % of involved companies lacked onboarding practices entirely

(Silverman, 2013, 10). The following chart by Bauer (2016, 34) confirms that there are no

formal onboarding programs within about a quarter of all companies.

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Figure 1: Onboarding success

(own illustration based on Bauer, 2016, 34)

It has been shown that a bad or underwhelming start in a new job leads to higher rates of

quitting as most workers decide whether to leave or stick with a company in the early months

(Silverman, 2013, 10). Surprisingly, 80 % of all employees who quit their job already within

trial period, come to this decision on the very first day at work. Approximately 60 to 70 % of

all employees decide to quit their job within the first six months (Gabal, 2007, 4). The costs

are presently estimated to amount to 50 to 200 % of an annual income, depending on the

qualification. Other estimates amounting to around 17,500 € to 130,000 € (Berthel & Becker,

2007). Relating to this, Bauer et al. (2007, 710) found a link between uncertainty and

premature turnover. This implies that employees require special support and guidance,

especially in the initial phase of integration.

1.1 Problem statement

As previously outlined, due to globalization, a permanently changing environment and

increased competitive pressure, onboarding has become a key challenge for Human Resource

departments nowadays. This is often associated with inappropriate integration measures,

unproductive and dissatisfied employees, higher rates of quitting and, hence, with

considerable costs to the company. For this reason, employers need to be prepared, especially

in the initial recruiting phase. Onboarding already begins before the first day at work and

greatly influences ongoing collaboration and the future success of a company. Blum (2010,

46) highlights that more than two third of “best-in-class” firms usually start their onboarding

process before the employee’s first day at work.

5

According to Brenner (2014, 5-6), certain foundations need to be established before the first

day at work that help reduce difficulties during incorporation and integration of the

newcomer. Such preliminary work includes a description of the requirements profile,

comparison of requirements profile and candidate profile, communication of expectations,

involvement of the candidate in the onboarding process, maintaining contact, and a lot more.

In terms of the latter, Stein (2015) stresses the importance of staying in touch with the new

employee. In his article, he referred to the significance of positively influencing the first

impression of the employee and conveying a feeling of acceptance and appreciation. Also,

providing a schedule of actions helps to structure the first day and to avoid overstraining the

newcomer. A key role in this early stage of integration plays the appointment of a personal

mentor. This person of contact supports the employee in order to become well integrated into

the new working environment.

Based on literature, the first day in any workplace has special significance and represents a

milestone. It is critical for the employee but just as important for the company. The

impression a company makes on the newcomer’s first day considerably effects the

employee’s perception towards the firm over the next months (Krasman, 2015, 12). Brenner

(2014, 25) confirms that the way newcomers are welcomed and incorporated conveys the

employee a first impression of appreciation. Since new employees have prepared themselves

mentally and emotionally for weeks, they have elevated expectations regarding their first day.

Therefore, it is decisive that he or she feels accepted by the company and to organize the first

day as pleasant and memorable as possible (Krasman, 2015, 12). Also, Stein (2015) is

convinced that the newcomer’s first impression of the company plays an essential role as it

determines the direction in which the employee will develop within the upcoming weeks. It

also decides on the motivation, engagement and personal initiative the person is going to

show. Hence, special attention should be devoted to the reception of the newcomer. In

addition, research results have shown that typical new-hire orientations, such as paper work

and bureaucracy, are associated with employee dissatisfaction whereas autonomy, learning

and feeling productive contributed to employee satisfaction. Surveys have demonstrated that

immediately assigning tasks to new hires mostly results in positive outcomes because “it

helps you feel like you made an impact at day one”. (Silverman, 2013, 10)

However, it still happens that new recruits “jump ship” before day one, as there might be a

long lag time between hiring and the first day of work. In some cases, employees justify that

6

they have been offered another opportunity that is more in line with their long-term

professional aspirations (Garone, 2010). Despite this, there has been little research on why

people quit within this time frame. Since this gap represents an essential part of the recruiting

process, it will be elaborated comprehensively within the master thesis.

More often, it is not the professional incompetence that leads to a breakdown of an

employment relationship during trial period, but rather interpersonal tensions (Brenner, 2014,

6). An associate professor at Harvard Business School who has studied onboarding

highlighted the following sentence: “When we can stress the personal identity of people, and

let them bring more of themselves at work, they are more satisfied with their job and have

better performance.” (Silverman, 2013, 10)

This implies the importance of getting to know applicants, fostering relationship-building and

bonding before they officially start to work. It is essential to touch base, clarify first day

details and address open questions. Concerning this matter, experts recommend “pre-

boarding”, a process by which newcomers receive detailed information on internal policies,

corporate culture, responsibilities, etc., before their first day of work (Taube, 2014).

That’s what firms do to familiarise the employee with the company and its policies. But what

steps are taken to get to know the newcomer personally? What measures are initiated to get to

know more about the employee’s fears and concerns to be able to adjust company policies to

new employees’ invididual needs? This main aspect will be investigated within the thesis.

There is plenty of information concerning targeted integration activities but there exists barely

any literature on how to capture the emotional component of newcomers. However, pre-

information on the employee’s subjective perception and fears are highly relevant to be able

to successfully manage the new employee’s first day at work, to ensure effective collaboration

7

and the company’s long-term success. Consequently, the focus of this thesis is to figure out

concerns and fears new employees have before job entry. This will be helpful to guarantee

right employee support and to provide the newcomer with proper tools on his or her first day.

Such information would be highly significant for Human Resource departments to better

integrate employees in a new working environment. Hence, the proposed thesis can provide

relevant and interesting insights for research and practice.

1.2 Motives and objectives

The importance of onboarding is strongly represented in the literature. However, there are two

main motives that highlight the relevance of this research area:

Personal interest & experience: This choice of research subject partly reflects my personal

experience since I’ve already had contact with the research setting on which I am attending to

base my study. As intern at the Human Resource department of HYPO OÖ in Linz in the

summer of 2016, I was involved in the recruiting process. I have realized that understanding

and selecting the right people determines the success or failure of a company in the long-run

and it is essential to apply specific implementation tactics. Also, the challenge of adjusting

onboarding strategies to the particular needs and expectations of employees fascinated me.

By further reading the book “Die Personalfalle” by Knoblauch (2010), the topic has

increasingly gained in relevance.

Organizational problems: Based on the literature, there are still many companies who put

little emphasis on targeted onboarding or cannot keep pace with the changes triggered by

globalization. Consequently, fluctuation and low company commitment are the result. More

often, companies take weak actions to recognize inconsistencies especially on the first day(s)

or weeks of a person in his or her new position. This can be partly reduced to some

management issues and might lead to the recruitment of B-employees who develop low or no

emotional attachment to the workplace and cost the company a lot of money. Moreover, failed

onboarding is often reduced to a social problem. Frequently, employers fail in empathizing

with new employees, they lack social abilities, soft skills and, consequently, apply wrong

integration measures.

The relevant literature provides little information on how to counteract anxieties and concerns

of new employees and weak actions are taken to support the newcomer before the first day at

8

work. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to capture subjective experiences of new employees

regarding their first day of work to facilitate a successful onboarding and ensure a company’s

long-term success. The development of a systematic interview guide will be helpful to collect

information with a quite personal component.

1.3 Research questions

Since companies are more than ever challenged to face environmental changes, their survival

and the generation of a sustainable value contribution are impeded. Complex changes in the

corporate environment correlate with altered demands in the tasks of Human Resource

managers and, with this, in the organization of targeted onboarding processes. This

emphasizes the importance of managers to address new onboarding requirements and seek

practical solutions.

The aim of the thesis is to analyze and process the above-mentioned problem statement.

General integration measures and onboarding activities of new employees have already been

explored by many researchers. Hence, the focus of this thesis will be on the emotional

element of onboarding before newcomers’ first day at work. With this, current onboarding

practices will be identified and required integration measures indicated to be able to derive

valuable recommendations.

Hence, the main research question of the thesis can be defined as follows:

“What concerns do new employees have before their first day at work?”

To be able to answer this question thoroughly, several sub-questions need to be investigated:

➢ How do new employees experience the phase prior to the first day of work?

➢ What are new employees’ concerns and fears?

➢ What company actions are successful to handle fears of new employees and facilitate a

smooth onboarding process?

➢ What company actions are required or appropriate to shape the phase before day one

to allay newcomers’ fears?

To answer the research questions, it will be proceeded as follows: The elaboration of the

theoretical part of the thesis is based on a vast and systematic literature search. The focus here

9

is on articles of scientific journals as well as specialised books. By means of appropriate tools,

e.g. EBSCO, LISSS, Google Scholar, etc., relevant information was gathered and processed

appropriately. To shape the empirical part of the thesis, various theories and concepts have

been applied. Besides, 10 interviews with new employees, who are about to start their first

day at work or who are in theirs first week at a new company and position, have been

conducted.

1.4 Structure of the thesis

This Master thesis can be divided into two main parts, the theoretical and the empirical part.

Within the theoretical part, fundamental definitions and concepts the thesis is based on, will

be explained. First, questions on what is onboarding in general, what are the challenges of

onboarding, and why onboarding plays a significant role today, will be briefly discussed.

After a brief introduction to the topic, negative impacts of failed onboarding processes as well

as goals and positive impacts of successful integration measures will be highlighted. Next

follows a description of the elements of onboarding, organizational socialization and the

phases of organizational entry. Regarding the phases of organizational entry and, with this,

referring to the initial question, the phase before the first day of work will be examined

carefully. In this context, influencing factors as well as concerns new employees have before

entering a new working environment, will be demonstrated and discussed. The last section of

the theoretical part deals with corporate actions that might facilitate the pre-boarding phase

and thereby the integration process of newcomers.

After elaborating the theoretical part of the thesis, the methodology, that is the approach to

answer the research questions, will be briefly addressed. Here, a special focus is directed on

data collection and data analysis.

The purpose of the empirical part of this Master thesis is to figure out concerns and fears new

employees have regarding their first day at work. Concerning this matter, 10 interviews with

new employees, who are about to start their first day at a new position, or who are in their first

week at a new company will be conducted. In this context, the development of a specific

interview guide is crucial to receive information with an individualized touch. By means of

empirical data, the aim is to establish interconnections to the topic “integration of new

10

employees”. In the discussion part, a comparison between theory and empirical findings will

be conducted to be able to draw conclusions and derive future expectations.

The concluding chapters managerial implications and outlook will, again, briefly demonstrate

the main outcomes of the empirical part and will highlight the limits of the thesis. Subjects

with the need for further research will be deduced but not addressed in greater detail.

11

2. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS

Nowadays, employee orientation has been redefined as “Employee Onboarding”. Onboarding

is no longer a single one-day event, but rather an ongoing process that continues at some level

for the entire length of employment. When implemented effectively, employee onboarding

can create value for the organization (Zaguri, 2016, 3). This requires supporting the

newcomer and providing realistic information of what can be expected of the new position

already before job entry. Since the phase before the newcomers’ first day at work is usually

experienced as time of heightened anxieties and uncertainties, companies need to take special

attention to this “pre-boarding phase” to ensure a smooth integration. There are several

measures companies can take to facilitate onboarding which will be explained in later

chapters. To get a general understanding of the topic, it is important to define onboarding.

2.1 Onboarding

2.1.1 Definition and delimitation

“Onboarding” is just one of many terms used to describe the integration of new employees to

the company. In literature and practice, the term is often used as synonym for “Integration”,

“Organizational entry” or “Introduction” of new employees. Within this thesis, the integration

of new employees covers both fields: the social and professional integration of newcomers.

To demonstrate the variety of its application, as a first step, various definitions of

“Onboarding” will be outlined and clearly distinguished.

Wanous (1992, 1) defines organizational entry as “wide variety of events occurring when new

members join organizations”. He emphasizes the fact that an entry process must be

considered from both perspectives, the individual and organizational.

According to Bauer and Erdogan (2011, 51),

“Organizational socialization, or onboarding, is a process through which new

employees move from being organizational outsiders to becoming organizational

insiders. Onboarding refers to the process that helps new employees learn the

knowledge, skills, and behaviors they need to succeed in their new organizations.”

McGuire (2013, 10) agrees with this statement and attaches significant importance to the

integration of newcomers, since “a company’s most valuable assets are its employees”.

12

Hence, it is crucial to provide the new employee with the capabilities, tools, knowledge and

information required to become effectively integrated into the new working environment.

Also, Cashman and Smye (2007, 5) underline the relevance of employee integration and view

onboarding as “process of learning, networking, resource allocating, goal-setting and

strategizing that ends with new hires quickly reaching maximum productivity.”

In addition, Brenner (2014, 1) summarizes onboarding as getting to know the “ground rules”

of an organization, to be able to make, as part of the system, a productive contribution. As

stated by the author, this phase of integration is characterized by unknown conditions and the

challenge to meet expectations the company has on its newcomers.

Bröckermann (2014, 158-165) refers to onboarding as sum of structured activities with the

purpose of integrating the newcomer into the corporate environment, on a professional as well

as social level. Regarding this point, Lange and Schmiank (2004, 9-44) are of the same view

when talking about onboarding and consider it as systematic integration process of

newcomers from a technical and social perspective.

Merkwitz and Peitz (2002, 146) highlight the importance of understanding onboarding as

process. The authors stress that integration can not be simply reduced to an aggregation of

various tools but rather as systematically structured instrument. In their judgement, the

integration phase of new employees must not be considered separately but as crucial part of

the personnel planning-, selection- and integration process.

Based on this statement and relating to the duration of onboarding, there are differing

opinions on when onboarding should begin from a Human Resource perspective. Usually,

signing the contract of employment is considered as start of the onboarding process by most

companies (Merkwitz & Peitz, 2002, 146). Since this is a quite narrow view, Berthel (1991,

176) underlines the need to set activities already at an early stage. The author perceives the

integration of new employees as vital part of the “staffing needs coverage process” which is

completed only if the newcomer is stably integrated into the new working environment.

In this context, Berthel and Becker (2013, 379) demonstrate that the integration of newcomers

already begins during recruitement by specifying job requirements and ends with the

employee being fully integrated in his or her area of responsibility and team. Subsequently,

the introduction of new employees needs to be considered as starting point for ongoing

13

personnel development. The following graph demonstrates the position of personnel

introduction within the staffing needs coverage process:

Figure 2: Employee introduction within the staffing needs coverage process

(own illustration based on Berthel & Becker, 2007, 246)

The thesis aims to illustrate onboarding as a process that begins far before the first day at a

new position, within the so-called “pre-boarding phase”. Since the period between hiring and

the first day of work is still neglected by many HR departments, onboarding will be mainly

limited to this phase of integration, as mentioned in the problem statement set out in point 1.1.

The relevance of the phase before the first day at work and its impact on further collaboration

and the future success of a company will be enlarged on in chapter 2.2.

According to Kieser et al. (1990, 5), the onboarding process is successfully completed only if

the employee has built strong emotional bonds to the company, as soon as he or she has

understood and controls the central tasks and is motivated to perform them. Besides, as

creative employee, the newcomer should be interested in ongoing improvements of corporate

processes. The distinct phases of onboarding will be introduced in later chapters.

As final distinction, the term “new employees” will be elucidated in more detail. Within the

integration process, all newcomers, such as people with job experience or beginners, require

special attention and support (Stein, 2015). The term “new employees” covers various groups

of people, who are about to be introduced to their new workplace or company. Hence, the

following table provides an overview about diverse types of newcomers:

14

Table 1: Types of newcomers

(own illustration based on Neuberger, 1991, 122; Brenner, 2014, 21-23)

To avoid exceeding the framework of this study, the specific needs of all target groups won’t

be explained in further detail. Within this Master thesis, the focus will primarily be on

externals that are to begin a new job at a new company. However, it can be assumed that

specific target groups need to be considered differently within the integration process and

require individually adapted onboarding measures.

The next section discusses the challenges of onboarding and the consequences of failed or

missing integration measures. It is alarming that still insufficient attention is being paid to

onboarding and hardly any planned actions are taken to successfully shape this phase of

integration (Kieser, 1992, 1).

2.1.2 Challenges and impacts of failed onboarding

“There is no second chance for a first impression.” (Watzka, 2014, 83). Nevertheless, many

organizations miss the chance of making a good first impression on its newcomers. However,

it is often the first day of work that decides on the new employees’ motivation to stay or leave

the company (Feige, 1991, 50ff). As soon as job interviews are done, the decision for a new

employee has been taken and the newcomer has signed the employment contract, many firms

consider the integration process as completed – but this is just wishful thinking (Brenner,

2014, 1; Senator für Finanzen, 2004, 1). The process of onboarding represents a challenge for

both, the new employee as well as the company/manager:

On the one hand, the newcomer struggles to get used to a new working environment, to meet

new expectations and to understand the rules and processes taking place within the company

(Brenner, 2014, 1). Krasman (2015, 9) emphasizes that the onboarding phase is even more

demanding if the new employee is relocating. In that case, they are confronted with logistical

issues such as securing new housing, with a new geography and, consequently, with family

15

issues which puts an increased burden on the newcomer. Hence, new employees need special

support to be able to start working efficiently. Usually, the integration into an existing

organization is a lengthy process that might result in the new employee being exposed to an

elevated level of stress and psychological burden. This is because the newcomer is confronted

with completely new circumstances including a new boss, colleagues, tasks and with new

behavior patterns and “rules” in dealing with each other (Senator für Finanzen, 2004, 1-2).

Therefore, it is crucial to support and integrate the newcomer properly to ensure motivation

and productivity (Dettmer & Hausmann, 2005 as cited in Pürstinger, 2016, 2). The graph

below depicts the impact of an increased level of stress on employee performance:

Figure 3: The problem of reduced performance

(own illustration based on Dettmer & Hausmann, 2005, as cited in Pürstinger, 2016, 2)

In addition, over- or underchallenging situations, unclear distribution of roles or the feeling of

not being integrated into the team could lead to uncertainties. Moreover, disorientation in the

first weeks might cause psychological burden and motivates newcomers to quit at an early

stage. Consequently, to avoid anxieties and unpleasant situations, it is significant to set

activities much earlier. The importance of dealing with employee concerns and fears,

especially within the pre-boarding phase, will be discussed in chapter 2.2.2 Concerns of new

employees.

On the other hand, the manager takes a key role, too. As supervisor, coach or advisor, he is

confronted with a variety of new tasks. He is responsible for the newcomer in terms of setting

goals and pursuing its accomplishment or in providing the new employee with tools and

information required to successfully manage the first day. It is his duty to ensure stability,

orientation, and with this, to reduce disorientation. The way newcomers are received greatly

influences their attitude towards work, colleagues, motivation and commitment to the

company over the long run (Senator für Finanzen, 2004, 2; Brenner, 2014, 1). According to

Brenner (2014), especially empathy, hence the ability to listen to the newcomer and

16

considering his or her individual needs, expectations and fears, is vital during this phase of

integration.

Another approach was developed by Porter, Lawler & Hackman (1975, 134) who have

identified four types of conflict during organizational entry. The authors stress that HR

managers need to pay special attention to four behavior patterns in organizations during

onboarding. Otherwise it might result in negative consequences for both, the newcomer as

well as the company. The graph below provides an overview of those conflicts:

Figure 4: The attraction selection situation

(own illustration based on Porter, Lawler & Hackman, 1975, 134)

Conflict 1 occurs because typical actions a firm uses to attract newcomers often do not give

complete and accurate information about an organization. Hence, the newcomer cannot make

a wise choice, one that matches individual job needs with organizational climates.

Conflict 2 emerges because of an individual’s desire to obtain the best job offer. This leads to

people hiding their own deficits and describing their desired job in terms of what they expect

from an organization rather than in terms of what they would actually prefer.

Conflict 3 shows that integration measures might impede an effective selection of

newcomers. Since the goal of any organization is to select and retain most suitable people,

targeted onboarding practices are used to emphasize information reduced only to the positive

aspects of the firm. This can result, again, in a mismatch of personal and organizational wants.

Conflict 4 occurs because of the individuals’ attempt to appear more attractive than they are.

They run risk of being offered a position that does not fit their personal abilities and needs.

17

This demonstrates that inappropriate or failed integration entails negative impacts. Basically,

the consequences of failed onboarding can be illustrated in two different scenarios. In the first

scenario, a lack of integration might lead to a dismissal during probation and the recruiting

process starts from the beginning. In the second scenario, the newcomer does not terminate

within probation and stays, despite large discontent, at the company. This, as a result, might

lead to a permanent state of demotivation and dissatisfaction. Both scenarios result in high

efforts in terms of time, loss of production and monetary loss. The following statements

highlight the impacts of both scenarios:

Scenario 1: Dismissal during probation

Research has shown that many employees leave the new company already within probation.

Approximately 80 % of all employees make such a decision on the very first day at work

(Senator für Finanzen, 2004, 1). More often, the newcomer leaves the company within the

first six months. It has been scientifically proved that the early turnover rate comprises around

30 to 60 % or even more (Berthel & Becker, 2007; Pürstinger, 2016, 1; Feige, 1991, 50ff).

Referring to this, Stopp (2006, 301) emphasizes the negative impacts that come with it such as

increased fluctuation. It further involves high costs, a damage of the company image, dealing

with loads of paperwork, additional burden on supervisors, and so on. Similarily, McGuire

(2013, 10) comes up with results demonstrating that some newcomers decide already within

the first ten days about whether they plan to stay with a company or start looking for another

job. Hence, it is indispensable for a firm to make a good impression from day one.

Early turnover, hence, involves significant costs that amount to approximately 50 to 200 % of

an annual income, depending on the qualification (Kieser, 1992, 1-2). Taube (2014) agrees

and states that “companies that don’t properly integrate new employees run the risk of losing

all the time and money they’ve spent on their wages, training, and benefits packages.” It has

been shown that a lack of engagement and communication within the first week lead to

disappointment among newcomers. This, again, might result in conflicts and early

terminations (Schulte, 2011, 25). Concerning this matter, Kieser (2003, 185) emphasizes that

early mistakes can not be reduced to a lack of qualification or motivation, but to a lack of

information. Despite this, early cancellations can also be reduced to false mutual expectations,

team conflicts or to a lack of professional competence (Schmidt, 2013, 4-6). Wanous (1992,

31-32) and Kieser (1992, 13) agree with Schmidt (2013) and stress that newcomers are

18

dissapointed when they realize that most of their expectations are not to be met. This, in turn,

results in the employee leaving the company.

Scenario 2: Newcomer remains at company

In the second scenario, the newcomer continues working at the company but performs an

inner resignation. Low job satisfaction implies low work motivation and work effort is

reduced to the necessary (Lohaus & Habermann, 2015, 30). In this context, Gallup (2011)

published a study on the issue of inner resignation. Within his study, the “Engagement Index

2010” was investigated which demonstrates that 21 % of 2,000 employees could not show any

emotional attachment to the company, which, in turn, can be reduced to a consequence of

failed integration measures. As a result, employees act destructively, are demotivated and

limit the company’s competitiveness. According to the survey, around 60 % of all employees

just “work to rule” and demonstrate low emotional bond to the company. This leads to high

productivity losses and to an economic damage that amounts to almost 120 billion euros.

Both scenarios indicate decreased staff loyalty to the company. Nowadays, hardly any

employees commit themselves to an employer for their entire working life. It has been shown

that employees are more loyal towards work rather than towards supervisors. This is

confirmed by past recruitment programs and high employee uncertainty. Newcomers,

however, require, more than ever, increased company support (Gloger, 2001, 46ff.; O’Malley,

2000, 1). Decreased employee commitment, however, impedes retaining motivated staff on a

long-term basis.

Finally, the worst scenario occurs if highly qualified and motivated employees quit their job

due to failed integration measures. This is particularly painful for companies. In that case,

newcomers are dissatisfied, demotivated and view their occupation more as a job rather than a

challenging task by which they can fulfill themselves (Kieser, 1992, 2). This might be reduced

to a lack of flexibility and employee orientation during onboarding (Neymanns, 2011, 33). In

any case, authors agree that failed onboarding can be extremely costly (Taube, 2014). The

chapter concludes with a quotation by Stein & Christiansen (2010, 51), to again highlight the

importance of onboarding: „Everybody is onboarded, but not all new hires are onboarded

particularly well.”

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Creating an effective onboarding program appears now to be a daunting task. However, if

done right, the outcome are productive, motivated and satisfied employees who remain at and

benefit the organization. Successful onboarding is a key process that supports employees in

becoming high performers (Zaguri, 2016, 12). Hence, the following section will give

information on goals and benefits of a successful onboarding.

2.1.3 Goals and benefits of successful onboarding

Approximately 60 % of all companies do not set any concrete goals for new hires which takes

them an entire year to be able to start working at their full potential. Missing goals might

result in the employee performing lower than expected. Hence, defining performance goals is

crucial as it provides the newcomer a guideline to work towards (Zaguri, 2016, 6).

According to Aigner & Bauer (2008, 162), the goal of a systematic onboarding process is to

accompany and support the newcomer efficiently. In terms of integration, the authors

distinguish between a content and a relationship aspect. On the one hand, it is crucial to make

the new employee feel comfortable and ensure a rapid integration into the relational structure

and working group (relationship aspect). On the other hand, the newcomer needs to become

familiar and identify with the corporate culture and history, the company’s vision, structure,

products and markets (content aspect).

Zaguri (2016, 4) emphasizes that “the company’s end goal is to increase retention rates and

shorten the time it takes for a new employee to be truly productive.” Similar to the approach

by Aigner & Bauer (2008), the author stresses the importance of familiarizing the newcomer

with the organizational culture, of providing tools, resources and information required to

make him or her feel comfortable within the new working environment. Apart from that, it is

essential to clarify department goals and objectives as well as setting individual goals.

Whereas Böck (2002, 7) believes the primary goal of successful onboarding is to avoid early

fluctuation. He further states that an effective integration should accelerate the productivity of

newcomers and foster cooperation and relationship-building with colleagues. Another

approach by Christiansen (2010, 65) describes the aim of employee integration as achieving

fast power delivery by attaining the so-called “Break-Even-Point” as soon as possible.

Achieving this “win zone” can be associated with reaching full productivity. In addition, to

ensure engagement and motivation, the author underlines the importance of meeting the needs

20

of employees. Also, Pürstinger (2016, 1) devotes great attention to an effective onboarding

process. In his opinion, the main goals of onboarding are quickly becoming operational and

the employees’ long-term commitment.

Weiand (2011, 4) divides a systematic integration process in three main goals, namely:

➢ First, the newcomer should feel comfortable and welcome within the new organization.

The aim of attaining an emotional attachment to the company is accompanied by the aim

of not losing newcomers to other firms.

➢ Second, the newcomer needs to become familiar with the company’s products, services,

values, behaviors, processes and responsibilities to be able to identify with the

organization. Also, the new employee needs get socialized in terms of the company and

its culture.

➢ Third, the newcomer should be introduced to the working standards and must possess

crucial skills and the knowledge required to start working as fast and efficient as possible.

Moreover, it is important to give an impression of what behavior is expected.

Summing up the opinions and statements of various authors, the fundamental goal of

onboarding is the development of productive, engaged and integrated employees who can

identify with the organization. Hence, a systematic integration of new employees:

Table 2: Goals of onboarding

(own illustration based on Senator für Finanzen, 2004, 2)

According to Zaguri (2016, 3), successful onboarding greatly influences employee retention,

job performance, job satisfaction and might lead to positive employee relations, high

productivity and return on investment. Reports have shown that approximately 54 % of

companies confirm an increase in new hire productivity and around 50 % see higher retention

rates for newcomers due to standardized onboarding processes. A further report has shown

that successfully onboarding employees during their first year of work leads to higher

21

engagement, increases retention rates by around 25 %, improves performance and accelerates

productivity. Similarly, McGuire (2013, 10) emphasizes that

“successful onboarding helps the new employee feel connected and committed to the

organization, get up to speed faster and perform better. This results in greater job

satisfaction, higher employee retention and better overall success for the business.”

There exist various concepts and approaches on how to ensure new employees’ success. In the

article of White & White (2014), the authors refer to five steps that might help employees

succeed in the early phase of onboarding: First, it is necessary to make sure all expectations

are reasonable and the newcomer clearly understands what is to be expected. In addition, any

organizational roadblocks should be removed, such as providing the newcomer with resources

and information required to start working effectively. Furthermore, the company has to make

sure that the newcomer is trained appropriately and has had sufficient time for practicing the

new skills. Finally, it is vital to make sure that the employee is motivated to perform.

Regarding the desired results of a successful employee integration, Lohaus & Habermann

(2015, 26-28) summarize the statements of various authors in their book

“Integrationsmangement – Onboarding neuer Mitarbeiter” (Bauer et al., 2007, 707-721;

Feldman, 1981; 309-318; Gruman & Saks, 2011, 419-427; Kammeyer-Mueller & Wanberg,

2003, 779-794). The following success factors show the desired behavior and benefits of new

employees being integrated successfully:

➢ Role Clarity: New employees understand what kind of tasks with what priority and scope

relate to the new position and need to be fulfilled.

➢ Command of Tasks: New employees can complete tasks reliably from a quantitative and

qualitative point of view. Subsequently, an increase in intrinsic motivation is expected

(Feldman, 1981, 309-318).

➢ Integration into the Working Group: New employees create a positive relationship with

members of their work group. This has significant impact on the socialization of the

newcomer. He or she strives to win the group members’ confidence and get accepted by

the team. This, in turn, can be achieved through adopting group norms.

➢ Job Satisfaction: New employees can define job roles clearly and to their own ideas. The

newcomer is also able to reconcile work demands with the needs of private life.

22

➢ Commitment/Loyalty: The extent of company commitment is shaped at an early stage in a

new organization. The newcomer accepts and advocates for corporate norms and values.

Loyalty arises as soon as new employees are convinced that through belonging to the

organization they can achieve their individual goals.

➢ Engagement: It is assumed that the effects of “Command of Tasks” and “Integration into

the Working Group” influence the new employee’s engagement. High performance and

success in handling new tasks, collaborative working as well as active participation in

decision-making correlate with high engagement.

➢ Remaining with the company: Numerous studies have demonstrated a link between “Job

Satisfaction”, “Role Clarity” and remaining with the company.

➢ Political Skills: Knowledge on informal networks and power structures within the

company as well as clever handling them result in organizational commitment, promote a

positive salary development and lead to career satisfaction (Kammeyer-Mueller &

Wanberg, 2003, 779-794).

Figure 5: Success factors of onboarding new employees

(own illustration based on Lohaus & Habermann, 2015, 29)

Also, Haberkorn (1972, 7) lists positive impacts of a successful integration of new employees.

According to the author, successful onboarding of newcomers greatly influences the

following key points:

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Table 3: Positive impacts of successful employee integration

(own illustration based on Haberkorn, 1972, 7)

Based on the previous chapter “Goals and benefits of successful onboarding”, one can see that

authors mainly distinguish between a social and a professional component of onboarding. On

the one hand, the newcomer should feel comfortable in the new working environment and get

along well with new colleagues and supervisors. On the other hand, the new employee needs

to identify with the company’s structure, processes and should be able to complete tasks as

efficient and fast as possible. This leads directly to the next chapter, which deals with the

“Elements of onboarding”.

2.1.4 Elements of onboarding

As mentioned above, authors usually differentiate between a social and technical integration

when it comes to onboarding new employees (Becker, 2004, 514-519; Dettmer & Hausmann,

2005 as cited in Pürstinger, 2016, 2). The following table provides a rough overview of the

main elements of onboarding:

Table 4: Elements of onboarding

(own illustration based on Becker, 2004, 514-519;

Dettmer & Hausmann, 2005 as cited in Pürstinger 2016, 2)

Whereas Brenner (2014, 7-8) divides onboarding of new employees in three elements, namely

technical, social and value-based integration. Those will be briefly discussed in the following:

24

➢ Regarding technical integration, the new employee needs to acquire an in-depth

knowledge of the company and especially of his or her field of work to become fully

operational as soon as possible (Pürstinger, 2, 2016). This knowledge and skillset

should then be applied by means of corporate goals. In addition, the new employee must

become aware of the organizational structure and should know key contacts of specific

departments. This form of integration can take place as “training on the job” or in the

context of external seminars, hence “trainings off the job” (Bröckermann, 2009, 132).

➢ The social integration primarily aims to ensure the inclusion into a new department or

working group as well as to foster relationship-building and bonding (Pürstinger, 2,

2016). The employee needs to become familiar with a new working environment, a new

boss, colleagues as well as with internal and external customers. Only if the newcomer

has been accepted as part of the community and developed a “sense of togetherness”, a

successful social integration can be assumed (Brenner, 2014, 7-8).

➢ Value-based integration is mediated by means of mission statements and lived values.

The new employee needs to become familiar with the company’s goals, values and

management principles. The “corporate identity” or the company’s self-image plays a

vital role in terms of value-based integration. Blum (2010, 9) adds that this form of

integration is often referred to as “cultural integration” and comprises a medium- to

long term process.

Figure 6: Induction and integration of new employees

(own illustration based on Brenner, 2014, 8)

Basically, a successful onboarding process covers all three aspects. Whereas technical

integration of new employees is rather an easy task, more severe difficulties arise from social

and value-based integration approaches. Hence, HR managers need to place special attention

to these two elements of onboarding. Otherwise, it might happen to the employee being

professionally fit but emotionally stunted which might lead to an “inner resignation”. A lack

25

of social and value-based integration practices could also result in the newcomer quitting

within probationary period. At this point, key statements of employees are “the chemistry

went bad” or “different perceptions about priorities could not be aligned” (Brenner, 2014, 4).

In this context, Pürstinger (2016, 2) adds that weak social integration often results in a lack of

motivation, commitment and represents the main cause for such high rates of employee

turnover these days. Reasons for this can be found in the absence or lack of onboarding

practices (technical and social), in the greater willingness of changing jobs, in the higher

sensitivity of employees to errors and deficiencies as well as in wrong expectations on the part

of the company and/or the employee.

As can be seen on the statements above, the social aspect of onboarding represents a vital part

of the integration process but is still neglected or underestimated by a considerable number of

companies. Organizational socialization should begin before the first day at work to reduce

uncertainties and fears on the part of new employees and to ensure a smooth integration.

However, the importance of onboarding before the first day of work will be discussed in later

chapters. The following section provides information on organizational socialization in

general and its relevance within the process of integration.

2.1.5 Organizational socialization

Research has shown that the socialization of new employees entails significant consequences

for organizations and individuals in a way that the quality of socialization greatly influences

employee satisfaction, stress, performance, commitment and turnover (Bauer et al., 1998,

149-214; Gerstner & Day, 1997, 827-844). According to Bauer et al. (1998), unsatisfactory

socialization may lead to stress, stalled careers and organizational loss such as lowered

productivity or turnover. This, in turn, is not only stressful for the new employee, it is

detrimental to the company as well. Hence, deepening the understanding of socialization

processes might help newcomers adapt to their work and organization more effectively. The

author has identified four major reasons that highlight the importance of socialization:

(1) Turnover is the outcome of unsuccessful socialization and involves significant costs.

(2) Socialization influences employee attitudes and behaviors over the long run.

(3) Socialization is the primary mode for organizations to transfer and maintain its culture.

(4) Socialization helps newcomers learn about social and political norms of the organization.

26

Also, Rehn (1990, 14) emphasizes that especially the first months at a new company are

considered as critical phase, since attitudes and behaviors of newcomers are shaped. This

initial time is also characterized by insecurities, fears, stress and unsolved conflicts within

probation might also result in the newcomer terminating prematurely (Lohaus & Habermann,

2015, 16). Thus, special attention should be given to organizational socialization.

Authors commonly define organizational socialization as the process through which an

individual acquires the attitudes, behavior and knowledge required to participate effectively in

an organization (Van Maanen & Schein, 1979, 209-264). Additionally, Van Maanen & Schein

(1979) view the process of socialization as crossing boundaries and adopting new roles.

Another approach by Bauer et al. (2007, 707) describes organizational socialization as

“process by which newcomers make the transition from being organizational outsiders to

being insiders.” Since individuals are more mobile and are undergoing organizational

socialization more often in their careers, the authors view new employee socialization or

onboarding as key issue for todays companies. Within their article, Bauer et al. (2007, 708)

introduce a model of newcomer adjustment during socialization:

Figure 7: Model of newcomer adjustment during socialization

(own illustration based on Bauer et al., 2007, 708)

The model demonstrates three indicators of newcomer adjustment, namely role clarity

(understanding job tasks), self-efficacy (learning new tasks, gaining confidence in the role),

and social acceptance (feeling accepted by peers). Regarding proposed antecedents of

newcomer adjustment, the model points to information seeking and organizational

socialization tactics. Since they represent means to reduce uncertainty, they will be discussed

in later chapters. Moreover, referring to the third box of the model, the outcomes of

newcomer adjustment can either be job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job

performance, intentions to remain or turnover (Bauer et al., 2007, 707-708). In terms of the

27

latter, the authors (as cited in Wanous, 1980) found a link between uncertainty and premature

turnover. This means, successful organizational socialization keeps new employees from

quitting at an early stage.

Another shared view of socialization is that it is a learning process. Unfortunately, many

companies assume socialization to be a passive, unilateral process and that it is the new

employee’s responsibility to learn how to fit into the organization (Korte, 2007). However,

this is a quite narrow understanding of the socialization problem (Moreland et al., 2001 as

cited in Korte, 2007). Rather, socialization should be recognized as “complex process

comprised of multiple actors and interactions”, since an increasing level of interaction was

found to accelerate the success of socialization. According to Korte (2007), “The assumption

that it is the responsibility of the individual to learn the norms and expectations of the

organization tends to overlook the importance of the social exchanges among members of the

workgroup.” As per Bauer et al. (1998, 149-214), it is just as important for the company to

realize that context and workgroup interactions, within which the newcomer socializes into

the company, greatly influences the individual’s learning process. Furthermore, companies

regard the socialization process as successfully completed as soon as the individual conforms

to the organization’s culture and remains within the organization. Socialization as learning

process assumes that the new employee obtains and internalizes norms and values expected to

his or her role.

As per Korte (2007), the interplay of the factors relationship-building and learning influences

the outcome of the socialization process. The following model describes socialization as

learning and exchange process involving interactions between the newcomer and the

supervisor and the newcomer and co-workers.

Figure 8: A process of socialization as new employee learning and relationship-building

(own illustration based on Korte, 2007)

28

Some researchers argue that learning and relationship-building by new employees already

begins before the first day at work within the recruitment and selection stage (Wanous, 1992

as cited in Bauer et al., 1998). Referring to this and to the initial question, newcomer

socialization before day one is vital to be able to reduce unnecessary fears and anxieties and

ensure a smooth onboarding. According to Bauer et al. (1998, 149-214), these early

experiences made by individuals during socialization greatly affect their attitude and

motivation in terms of work, workgroup and organization over the long run. Also, these first

impressions endure.

Lohaus and Haberman (2015, 16-17) conclude that both, organizational integration as well as

organizational socialization deal with the fit between organization and individual. However,

the authors stress that formal integration is mainly reduced to the initial phase at a new

position with fewer people being involved. Whereas, organizational socialization never ends,

extends across the entire period of employment and involves all organizational members. In

practice, integration and socialization go hand in hand and can be separated only

conceptually.

The socialization process can be divided into phases or sections. Within her longitudinal

analysis regarding the adaptation to norms and values of work groups, Rehn (1990, 18)

examined the integration of new employees and compared various models. All authors agree

that the initial phase at a new company is characterized by stressful situations, insecurities and

that newcomers are susceptible to significant influences. The next chapter briefly discusses

the phases of onboarding from different perspectives of various authors. Later, special

attention will be placed on one stage of integration - the phase before the first day at work.

“For today’s organizations,

a robust onboarding process isn’t just a good idea –

it’s a fundamental requirement

for business growth and sustainability.”

(Krasman, 2015, 11)

2.1.6 Phases of organizational entry

Depending on the approach, authors usually distinguish between three or four phases of

organizational entry. Those phases are named differently as various variables are included by

researchers. However, they resemble one another closely. Therefore, the process of

onboarding can be broadly divided into three main phases, namely the phase prior to the first

29

day of work (preparation), the first day or days at work (orientation) and the phase of

induction and probation (mastery) (Rehn, 1990, 18). The following table provides an

overview of some well-known concepts of organizational entry split into phases:

Table 5: Phases of organizational entry

(own illustration based on Rehn, 1990, 19)

The following section provides a summary view of the main phases of the onboarding

process. Within each phase, the ideas and models of various authors will be briefly discussed.

The process of onboarding already starts before the first day at work and represents phase

one. Models of organizational socialization or integration usually begin with anticipatory

socialization as preparatory phase for the future workplace (Porter et al., 1975). Anticipatory

socialization is the stage before entering the new company. Related to this, attitudes and

values of newcomers have already been shaped by various socialization processes during

infancy. Also, socially relevant values and norms have been conveyed by institutions such as

family or school. Within this pre-entry stage, newcomers with work experience usually have

concrete ideas of what is to be expected by the new position. Hence, the more prior

knowledge the new employee has, the smoother the onboarding process will be (Kieser et al.,

1990, 6-7). Whereas unexperienced workers typically develop unrealistic and exaggerated

expectations in terms of their future position (Kieser et al., 1990, 13).

30

The pre-entry phase can further be subdivided into recruitment and selection (Wanous, 1992,

2). In a first step, the company decides upon a candidate, who, in turn, must accept or reject

the new position. This decision greatly depends on three influencing factors, namely

voluntariness, irrevocability and the extent of public commitment (Kieser et al., 1990, 8-9).

Wanous (1992, 3) defines organizational recruitment as “the process of mutual attraction

between a potential job candidate and an organization”. Concerning this, a realistic

recruitment is required to avoid disappointing expectations of new employees. Wanous (1992,

58) adds that realistic recruitment lowers the initial rate of termination. Since realistic

recruitment plays a vital role to answer the research question, the topic will be further

discussed in chapter 2.2.3.1 Realistic job preview. Moreover, as second part of the pre-entry

phase, Wanous (1992, 4) defines selection as the process of mutual choice which aims at

defining the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities for the job as well as at designing

methods that reveal those qualities.

Whereas, the second stage of onboarding begins as soon as the newcomer enters the firm.

Authors commonly define the first day (s) as “Orientation” or “Encounter” (Porter et al.,

1975; Wanous, 1992, 3). The orientation phase is characterized by consistent or differing

expectations on the part of newcomers and companies. Hence, the encounter with the “reality

in organizations” can be quite shocking or surprising, and might lead to early conflicts (Rehn,

1990, 21). Kieser et al. (1990, 18-19) confirm that this “confrontation phase” is often

associated with early tensions, stress and surprises such as unfulfilled expectations, culture

shock, etc.

Referring to the idea of Kurt Lewin, old structures and behaviors of employees need to be

“unfreezed”, cognitive restructured or changed, and “refreezed” to be able to adjust to new

circumstances. Similarily, Wanous (1992, 3) describes the orientation phase as “process of

initial adjustment”. This phase is about how organizations support newcomers in dealing with

the considerable amount of stress when entering the firm. Concerning this main aspect, the

thesis aims at exploring concerns and fears employees have prior to entering the new firm.

This, in turn, should help reduce the initial pressure, stress and ensure a smooth and rapid

integration.

The third phase of integration can be described as induction and probation phase. According

to Kieser et al. (1990, 35), this stage of integration is reached as soon as the problems

31

occurred within confrontation have been solved successfully. At this stage, a so-called

psychological contract exists between employee and company. The authors stress that the

main component of such “contract” is the newcomer’s inner commitment to the company.

This means, the new employee accepts corporate goals, can identify with the new work and is

willing to perform tasks. This early bond is crucial, since it ensures increased employee

engagement. This engaged behavior, in turn, strengthens employee commitment.

Authors commonly name the third stage of integration “change and acquisition” (Porter et al.,

1975) or metamorphosis (Lohaus & Habermann, 2015, 75). At that point, employees should

be fully integrated into the company and work group, both, socially and professionally. They

accept as well as complete tasks largely without further support and are not considered as

“newcomers” anymore. Employees know how to act in their new role, understand the norms

and values of the firm, how to behave and they are able to realize organizational goals and

complete tasks. According to Caplow (1964, 170), newcomers must accomplish four goals.

These include developing a new self-image, building and maintaining new social

relationships, internalizing new values and learning new behavior patterns.

Moreover, Wanous (1992, 3) considers the onboarding process as completed as soon as

“socialization”, that is, “the process of mutual adjustment”, took place. This involves the

adjustment to a new work group and to the culture of the organization. Lohaus and

Habermann (2015, 75) stress that the duration of induction greatly depends on the work, the

features of newcomers as well as the company and on other members. However, all three

phases of organizational entry must be completed for the newcomer to be integrated steadily

and to be able to make a full contribution to the company.

This has been a brief overview of the main phases of onboarding. Since the purpose of this

thesis is to figure out concerns and fears newcomers have before their first day of work, the

next chapter primarily deals with the integration of new employees during prearrival.

32

“To streamline the process and

improve the accuracy of information,

ask your current employees to identify the things

they wished they had known before their first day.”

(Krasman, 2015, 12)

2.2 Phase before the first day

As soon as the employment contract has been signed and the starting date is certain, new

employees usually must wait several weeks or even months before the new work starts. This

period between signing the contract and the first day of work should be put to beneficial use.

Especially during this time, the demand for information is quite high on the part of new hires

(Blum, 2010, 55-56). Therefore, experts recommend “pre-boarding”, a process by which

newcomers are educated on internal policies, corporate culture and on their new

responsibilities before the first day. “Preboarding is your opportunity to really start to get

employees excited about the company, […]” (Taube, 2014).

Results of recent situation analyses have shown that most companies use the pre-entry phase

somehow (via telephone, E-Mail or in person) to get in touch with the new employee (Blum,

2010, 55-56). According to Smith (2013), it is primarily the employee’s direct supervisor who

is responsible for building and maintaining contact, and keeping employees engaged and up to

date. In particular, it is vital that this first contact person calls the newcomer periodically prior

to the first day of work. The supervisor’s role and influence during onboarding will be further

explained in chapter 2.2.1.1. Behavior of supervisors. For new employees, it is crucial to

receive information on who they will be reporting to or who their team members and

company leaders are (Taube, 2014). Smith (2013) points to the following:

“When a person is coming into a new environment, it can be overwhelming to leave

her old comfort zone to begin again; […]. Calling the new person to go over what to

wear on the first day, what the first day will look like, and letting her know how

excited you are to have her join your team really influences her initial perceptions.”

Stein (2015) shares the view of Blum (2010) and attaches significant importance to the phase

between signing the employment contract and starting to work. The author stresses that within

this period, it is essential to positively influence the newcomer’s first impression. Especially

in the initial phase, the newcomer should feel welcome, comfortable and accepted as team

member. Besides, to facilitate job entry, most administrative and organizational tasks should

33

be performed upfront (Taube, 2014). A promising idea would also be to involve the

newcomer in project meetings that relate to his or her future area of responsibility (Smith,

2013). Beyond that, company celebrations, department events or training measures, for

instance, represent a good opportunity to introduce the newcomer to the company and

working group (Brenner 2014, 6). Further preparations include preparing a time schedule,

assigning a mentor, and so on (Stein, 2015).

Zaguri (2015, 5) is also convinced that onboarding begins earlier than the official start date

and there are many actions companies can take upfront that might help newcomers to feel

more comfortable on day one. These include delivering a welcome package to new hires and

sending them key documents to complete before the first day (Silverman, 2013, 10). Besides,

companies might share an orientation plan with employees in advance. This could include a

list of targeted activities for the first week which would give new employees an overview of

what is to be expected (Osmundson, 2016, 16). What some companies also do is to send an

employee handbook with information regarding job responsibilities, corporate environment

and culture. This does not only save valuable time during the first week, it further allows

newcomers to arrive better prepared, informed and, more importantly, it reduces the amount

of stress in the early days (Zaguri, 2015, 5). Concrete company actions that might help

facilitate the onboarding process of newcomers will be discussed in more detail in section

2.2.3. Corporate actions to facilitate integration.

Long before job entry, new employees gather initial impressions of the new work place and

start forming an opinion that mainly influences their basic attitude towards the company. For

this reason, targeted onboarding should already begin within the selection process. As from

here, departments are in close contact with the applicants (Senator für Finanzen, 2004, 4).

New employees generally demonstrate a rather positive and optimistic attitude towards their

future work (Rehn, 1993, 143). Such optimistic behavior during pre-entry has a decisive

impact on the applicant’s open-mindedness towards colleagues and on future collaboration.

Hence, companies need to provide special support during pre-entry and contribute to the

newcomer’s well-being.

Additionally, during pre-entry, newcomers usually have differing expectations concerning the

new work. Referring to this, Lohaus and Habermann (2015, 69) emphasize the relevance of

providing newcomers with a realistic job preview. Raising unrealistic or wrong expectations

34

often leads to a real shock on the part of hires and might result in frustration or early

termination. The importance of raising realistic expectations and with this, the topic of

realistic recruitment will be expanded on in chapter 2.2.3.1 Realistic Job Preview.

As mentioned in earlier chapters, anticipatory socialization, which can be described as

lifelong preparation for work processes shaped by family and childhood, has significant

impact on the onboarding process and represents an essential part of the pre-entry phase. The

more specific knowledge the newcomer has gained during education and experienced

behavior patterns comply with required norms and standards, the less challenging the

integration process will proceed (Hilmbauer, 1995, 29).

This has been a brief introduction into the main chapter of the thesis which deals with the

phase before the first day of work. At this point it becomes obvious that the pre-phase of

onboarding lays the foundation for an effective integration of new employees. As there exist

various influencing factors that need to be considered to ensure a smooth integration, the most

significant ones are to be discussed below.

2.2.1 Influencing factors

In the last few years, numerous studies concerning onboarding have been conducted as well as

specific success factors for employee integration explored. According to Blum (2010, 14),

several factors exert influence on the integration process and, with this, on the new employee.

The ones relevant for the phase prior to the first day of work include, among others, the

behavior of supervisors, characteristics and behavior of new employees, the role of the work

group as well as the role of the Human Resource department.

2.2.1.1 Behavior of supervisors

On the part of new employees, a company is mainly represented by its direct supervisor. For

this reason, the perceived organizational support is usually experienced as support coming

from the leader or supervisor (Jokisaari, 2013, 96-104).

The supervisor holds a key position during onboarding as he or she can make a major

contribution to a successful integration of new employees. Usually, the leader is the first and

primary contact person of the newcomer. This person takes the final decision regarding

admission of the applicant, assigns tasks, defines the scope for action, and so on.

35

Unfortunately, only a few leaders are aware of their responsibility during onboarding

(Freimuth, 1986, 203).

Hence, the behavior of supervisors plays a leading role within pre-boarding. Since the leader

is mainly responsible for the newcomer, sets goals and controls its accomplishment, he or she

substantially determines the working environment of the new employee. It has been shown

that especially in the initial phase, when the newcomer feels insecure, systematic and concise

instructions are crucial (Blum, 2010, 14).

Significant importance is also attached to the supervisor’s basic attitude towards the

newcomer. In fact, the supervisor should look forward to meeting the new team member and

warmly welcome him or her. However, it might happen that supervisors develop prejudices

against new employees already prior to the first day at work which hampers targeted

incorporation. This can be reduced to the following reasons (Rischar, 1994, 29ff):

• The supervisor would have preferred another candidate

• The supervisor was not involved in the personnel selection procedures

• Supervisor and newcomer are not moving on the same “wavelength”

If the supervisor demonstrates aversions against the new employee already within pre-

boarding, serious problems might arise and the new employee can hardy prove his knowledge

and abilities. The leader’s rejection becomes noticeable and the newcomer responds with

insecurity and the fear of failure. This psychological pressure, in turn, has a negative impact

on the newcomer’s motivation and loyalty to the company. This implies the need of

supervisors to meet new employees with great sensibility and social competence as well as the

need to individually adjust to the newcomer and show respect (Blum, 2010, 15).

Additionally, it has been shown that the goodness of the relationship between supervisor and

newcomer is decisive for the identification of newcomers with their work and their perceived

suitability to the company (Sluss & Thompson, 2012, 114-125). Whereas negative behavior

patterns of supervisors correlate with negative emotions on the part of newcomers, who, in

turn, try to avoid direct contact with the leader (Nifadkar et al., 2012, 1146-1168).

Kieser et al. (1990, 24 &164) agree with Freitmuth (1986, 200-203) that the boss greatly

determines the successful integration of newcomers. The authors stress that especially at an

early stage, supervisors need to provide newcomers with special support and demonstrate

36

good social skills to make him or her feel comfortable. Fundamental criteria are providing

orientation in terms of communicating expectations, preparing individual induction programs

and giving feedback. Additionally, the supervisor is responsible for ensuring role clarity.

Besides, the way supervisors introduce newcomers greatly influences their attitude towards

work, colleagues as well as their commitment and motivation (Senator für Finanzen, 2004, 2).

For this reason, it could a promising idea providing seminars for supervisors to be able to

successfully integrate newcomers. This might support leaders in developing a sense for the

hurdles new employees must face before entering the new job. All in all, leaders need to

become aware that they take on a key role in terms of onboarding and that they can make a

real impact.

The focus of the last section was on the supervisor’s relevance within the process of

integration. However, it is not only the supervisor who shapes the onboarding process. Also,

characteristics and behavior patterns of new employees contribute to a smooth integration.

2.2.1.2 Characteristics and behavior of new employees

From the beginning, newcomers differ in their attitude in terms of how optimistic or

pessimistic they think of the new work or whether they look to the future with enthusiasm or

rather with fear. All those personality traits affect the mood and feelings of new employees

even before entering the new job. Personality factors that might have a positive or negative

impact on the integration of new employees include social competence, the ability to deal

with conflicts, extraversion, introversion or stress tolerance (Rehn, 1990, 244).

Blum (2010, 19) assumes that it is easier for optimistic and stress-tolerant individuals with a

high social competence to become well integrated into a new company than pessimists with

low stress tolerance and a lack of social competence. However, she perceives the relation of

personality factors and the implications for integration as not been adequately researched yet.

In this context, Harris et al. (2011, 4-13) distinguish between the influence of stable

personality traits such as creativity, consciousness or self-efficacy and behavior patterns of

new employees such as active search for information and networking. Curious employees, as

an example, will be more successful in obtaining information and in trying to interpret new

situations more positively.

37

Lohaus & Habermann (2014, 92 ff.) consider self-efficacy as taking a leading role in terms of

successful onboarding. Self-efficacy is the belief of individuals to mobilise motivation and

intellectual forces to be able to deal with new situations adequately and overcome challenges.

Apart from that, factors such as proactive behavior, emotional stability, openness against new

circumstances, the willingness to learn and higher flexibility turned out to influence

onboarding. Additionally, the authors emphasize the need of newcomers to take the

opportunity to participate in corporate activities, if possible before the official start date, to

establish first contacts and build early relationships with colleagues.

This directly leads to the next point which deals with the role of the work group as influencing

factor. The work group can make, as well, a key contribution to the successful integration of

newcomers. Already within pre-boarding, both, the newcomer and the work group should

start seeking contact.

2.2.1.3 Role of the work group

It is not only the supervisor and new employee who are confronted with fears, insecurities and

stress during onboarding. The working group is also encouraged to adapt to the new situation

and support the newcomer. They must deal with questions on whether the newcomer will

disrupt their sense of unity, whether the new employee will adhere to their rules or on how to

interact with the newcomer (Böck, 2002, 73).

According to Rosenstiel (1996, 141), it greatly depends on the group structure and cohesion

whether the newcomer is warmly accepted as team member. Groups with a strong cohesion

usually regard the newcomer as intruder. In that case, the new employee does not meet group

expectations, norms and can not identify with their goals. Consequently, he or she is

motivated to leave the company soon. On the contrary, groups with low cohesion and the

existence of various subgroups demonstrate more effort in including the new employee and in

accepting him or her as team member (Kratz, 1997, 15). Therefore, at the beginning,

newcomers worry less about meeting the professional requirements but rather about being

recognized by the work group (Blum, 2010, 18).

For this reason, the early involvement of the work group in personnel selection is of vital

importance to enhance future collaboration and foster team development (Moser & Schmook,

2001, 226). It has been shown that the work group greatly determines how the newcomer feels

38

and how good he or she copes with initial difficulties. Therefore, the work group should

actively participate in shaping the integration process as they represent a valuable source of

informal information for the newcomer. Long-term employees can support the new employee

in terms of providing orientation, in conveying the corporate culture and in exchanging

experiences. Additionally, the work group can teach newcomers some valuable “tricks” on

how to manage work, on how to get along with their supervisor and on how to find one’s way

in the complex organization. What is more, the work group can satisfy the new employee’s

need and desire of establishing new social contacts and of receiving social recognition (Kieser

et al., 1990, 24 ff.).

Regarding this point, a promising idea would also be using social media to start networking

with coworkers. Setting up a Facebook group for new employees, as an example, opens the

possibility to interact with each other and arrange in-person social meetings already before the

first day at work. Beyond that, early contact to team members reduces stress, fears and

insecurities on the part of newcomers and, hence, facilitates job entry (Taube, 2014).

Another approach by Kieser et al. (1990, 25 f.) shows that the more the group conveys the

impression that they are looking forward to meeting the new team member and the more

open-minded they are, the more successful the integration of the newcomer will be. In

addition, the authors assume that the new employee is more likely to receive support from the

work group if there exists a so-called “group spirit” and if they consider themselves as

community. On the contrary, existing conflicts within the group or noticeable aversions

against the supervisor might impede a smooth integration. This puts the newcomer in an

extremely delicate position and might entail a conflict of loyalties.

Lohaus & Habermann (2014, 90) conclude that the work group needs to be prepared in terms

of their contribution to the successful integration of the newcomer. They must perceive and

accept incorporation and support of new colleagues not as an optional or additional task but

rather as fixed component of their scope of work. The authors stress that an early involvement

of the work group in the onboarding process will have a noticeable effect on the long-term

economic and corporate success.

In addition to the above-mentioned influencing factors of onboarding, Blum (2010, 20)

highlights the significant role of a company’s HR department. It is not only the behavior of

39

the supervisor, work group and newcomer who determine the success of the onboarding

process. The HR department takes a key position as well, especially during pre-boarding.

2.2.1.4 Role of the Human Resources department

Prior to the first day of work, the Human Resource department has special responsibility

towards the new employee as well as towards the supervisor. Since the HR department

establishes first contact, conducts recruitment interviews and tasks new employees, the

personnel division substantially shapes their first impression (Senator für Finanzen, 2004, 9).

According to Blum (2010, 20), the key task of the HR department is providing information to

the new employee to facilitate incorporation. This mainly comprises general information

concerning working arrangements, vacation, corporate social benefits, safety regulations, and

a lot more (Senator für Finanzen, 2004, 9).

Apart from that, during pre-boarding, the supervisor and the HR department should work

together in close coordination. Whereas the supervisor’s main task is to provide the newcomer

with information concerning the new work and its related tasks, the HR department primarily

occupies an administrative and supportive role. Regarding this point, the personnel division is

mainly accountable for implementing the integration concept and for promoting and

monitoring the onboarding process. Their knowhow, experience and global overview of the

company can be of significant use (Senator für Finanzen, 2004).

The previous chapter attempted to show that there exist numerous influencing factors within

the process of onboarding that need to be considered. Summing up, it can be re-emphasized

that onboarding is a two-sided process involving both, the new employee as well as company

representatives (Saks & Ashforth, 1997, 234-279). What most influencing factors have in

common is the need to provide information and orientation to reduce insecurities and fears.

Nevertheless, the importance of providing sufficient information is still not taken seriously

enough. Concrete difficulties and challenges newcomers are facing during prearrival will be

discussed in the next chapter.

2.2.2 Concerns of new employees

“When someone starts a new job, they are often nervous, scared, etc. It’s almost like

switching schools as kid. They need to understand how they fit into the bigger picture. They

40

need to understand what the company does and what it prioritizes. They need more than the

new employee orientation “dog and pony show” to truly feel included in the company. You

need to help them to understand the company at an organic level.” (Bauer, 2016, 35)

This statement by Bauer (2016) clearly demonstrates that newcomers usually feel quite

insecure and less adequately supported before entering the new job. For this reason, and

according to the research question, the following subsections will illustrate challenges during

prearrival and show what exactly triggers increased stress and fears of newcomers.

2.2.2.1 Time of heightened anxiety and stress

At this stage of “separating from a familiar setting” and “finding one’s way in a new working

environment”, there is a strong need for orientation and support on the part of new hires. This

phase of uncertainty can be particularly stressful for new employees, on a physical,

psychological, social and emotional level and might entail conflicts (Senator für Finanzen,

2004, 2). Pürstinger (2016, 2) agrees with this point and adds that the psychological, and

partly physical, situation the new employee is exposed before job entry is frequently

misjudged by supervisors and HR managers. He emphasizes that stress, fear and insecurity are

by no means signs of weaknesses, they are rather normal reactions of every human being.

Wanous (1992, 168) has demonstrated that one reason why stress levels are so high during the

initial stage of onboarding is that the newcomer has just experienced considerable changes in

his or her life outside work. A college graduate, for instance, moving into a first full-time job,

experiences a dramatic “role change” from being a student to becoming a full-time employee.

Besides, the newcomer probably moves geographically, has a change in income, and so on.

These changes are what Wanous (1992) refers to as “stress values”, “a point value that

roughly indicates the severity of the stress associated with the type of change.” Furthermore,

research on stress and human performance has shown that there is a relationship between

stress and the stage of organizational entry. This means, the level of stress starts to rise

significantly during pre-entry and peaks at the point of entry into a new organization. Such an

immense level of stress, in turn, reduces performance and implies the need for organizations

to apply different strategies for stress management during pre-entry. This will be examined in

more detail in chapter 2.2.3 Corporate actions to facilitate integration.

41

In addition, an Australian research conducted by Oxenbridge & Evesson (2012, 40) about

“Young people entering work” investigated new employees’ concerns, expectations and needs

before job entry. It has been shown that young people usually perceive entering a new work as

“challenging and anxiety-generating”. According to Ashforth (2001, as cited in Oxenbridge &

Evesson, 2012), especially young people transitioning from school to work face more severe

challenges than those transitioning from one job to another job. However, Taylor (2003, 12)

postulates that this area has not yet been adequately investigated and emphasizes the need for

further research. That “niche” is exactly what this master thesis is going to focus on and will

be expanded on as follows and subsequently within the empirical part.

As mentioned above, many newcomers experience considerable anxiety and confusion when

entering a new job. Within their research, Oxenbridge & Evesson (2012, 4 f.) discovered that

especially young people perceived job entry as “intimidating, daunting and anxiety-provoking

and […] employers held unrealistic expectations of their skills and abilities given their lack of

experience”. For young people, it is often not the technical or soft skills they feel insecure

with, they rather lack confidence and face difficulties in dealing with interpersonal

relationships, primarily within hierarchies of authority and power. Regarding this point,

Taylor (2003, as cited in Oxenbridge & Evesson, 2012, 41) highlights the importance of

building young people’s “emotional intelligence” to alleviate the fears caused by their

inexperience in dealing with diverse social relations.

Furthermore, within a longitudinal study of young people’s transition from school to fulltime

work, Smith (2003, 17) adds that newcomers underestimated the degree of responsibility they

would have when entering the new job. Further key challenges the author has identified

include dealing with long working hours, understanding the norms, coping with complex

tasks, interacting with managers, and so on. Similarly, a study by Taylor (2005, 488)

illustrated that the role of self-confidence is often not given enough attention. Especially

young people, who can hardly demonstrate any reference points, are shy, anxious, reticent and

feel insecure and scared in experiencing these new workplace situations. Unfortunately, less

effort is put in preparing first-time workers to deal with new social settings and interpersonal

relations (Taylor, 2003 as cited in Oxenbridge & Evesson, 2012, 19). For this reason, it is

crucial to put the time between signing the employment contract and job entry to beneficial

use and stimulate enthusiasm among newcomers.

42

As Blum (2010) and Stein (2015) have demonstrated previously, the phase before the first

official start date has special significance and lays the foundation for further collaboration and

future success of a company. Within her article, Osmundson (2016, 16) emphasizes that

“those weeks between accepting a job and actually starting can be full of anxiety.” Similarly,

Krasman (2015, 10) describes the period between accepting the employment offer and first

day of work as “time of heightened anxiety”. According to the author, especially transferees

experience increased anxiety. They are not only concerned about what is expected on the first

day at work, they must plan relocation as well.

What is more, during prearrival, new hires usually have many questions regarding their new

job and the involved responsibilities (Krasman, 2015, 11). Pitman (2015, 29) agrees with this

statement and stresses that “New employees often have a hundred little questions that doesn’t

seem significant enough to ask a manager. Where’s a good place to buy lunch? Who do I ask

for help when the printer isn’t working.” Therefore, she suggests assigning “Rangers” to new

employees. These contact persons are responsible for providing basic information to

newcomers and for answering additional questions regarding their first day of work. The

support of “Rangers”, in turn, represents a major relief for managers and supervisors.

Unfortunately, as soon as the preferred candidate has decided to accept the job offer and has

signed the contract, the onboarding process is usually deemed completed and the goal is

considered as achieved. However, the integration process is by no means concluded and the

Human Resource department needs to take care of the newcomer as intensively as during the

application process. Since the employer usually “sets the bar high” during application, the

new employee has formed increased expectations. (The problem of raising unrealistic

expectations will be further explained in chapter 2.2.2.3 Setting unrealistic expectations)

However, if there is hardly any communication for a few months, new employees might

“jump ship” because of disappointments and perceived insecurities (Verhoeven, 2016, 110 f.).

This can be primarily reduced to a lack of support and information communicated during pre-

boarding.

2.2.2.2 Lack of information

The wealth of information by which the new employee enters the company is quite different

and fed by various sources. Job interviews usually represent the best opportunity to receive

valuable information concerning future job requirements and responsibilities. Unfortunately, a

43

sample of surveyed newcomers has shown that a lot of information has been withheld from

new employees before their first workday. Surprisingly, around 77 % of newcomers do not

know whether there will be an orientation or induction program and by whom they will be

incorporated. Additionally, more than two thirds do not know their future colleagues and

more than a third have not seen their future workplace or do not know with how many

colleagues they will be collaborating. A short percentage of respondents have not even been

introduced to their direct supervisor (Rehn, 1990, 143 fff.).

Since many executives have been working for years in a certain area, they can hardly imagine

the high demand of information on the part of newcomers. It has been shown that early

failures are related less to a lack of motivation, rather they are reduced to a lack of

information given to new employees during prearrival (Kieser, 2003, 185).

It might also happen that new employees receive biased information during pre-entry. In that

case, the positive aspects of the job, the development or career opportunities do not

correspond to reality. Or positive aspects will be depicted realistically but all negative

information are being kept secret. Such insufficient or distorted information inevitably leads

to newcomers taking the wrong decisions (Hilmbauer, 1995, 32). Based on incomplete or

inaccurate information, new employees, in turn, form too optimistic expectations (Kieser et

al., 1990, 13). The issue of setting wrong or biased expectations will be explained below.

2.2.2.3 Setting unrealistic expectations

The company tries to present itself from the best side in the recruiting process. During job

interviews, only advantages and benefits of the respective position are emphasized and

negative aspects are hardly touched or even hidden from newcomers. The applicant behaves

similarly and wants to present him- or herself in a positive light (Kieser, 1995, 150 f.)

However, company and individual efforts to appear attractive might result in highly

enthusiastic and excessive expectations on both sides (Kieser et al., 1990, 13). Such

unrealistic expectations, consequently, can lead to conflicts as depicted previously in figure 4

on page 14 and 15.

Research has shown that newcomers usually have exaggerated expectations and are too

optimistic when entering a new job. This might lead to the new entrant experiencing a real

shock after a brief period of time at the company. Unfulfilled expectations, in turn, entail

44

negative consequences such as lower satisfaction, lower commitment and a higher tendency to

quit (Rehn, 1990, 16; Kieser et al., 1990, 58). Especially the desire to establish new social

contacts, the need for social recognition and guidance are frequently overlooked (Rehn, 1990,

162). Similarly, Wanous (1992, 31) refers to the “theory of met expectations”. This theory

relates to two main aspects, that is unmet or unrealistic expectations cause low job satisfaction

and low job satisfaction, in turn, causes newcomers to quit.

The main reason for this is that positions publicly advertised, and as depicted during job

interviews, frequently deviate from actual positions. Within selection interviews, very often

only the positive aspects of the position and the company are presented. Additionally,

employers usually point to the interesting and diversified activities related to the job as well as

to career opportunities, whereas negative aspects, challenges, or “common early frustrations”

are not to be addressed (Kieser, 2003, 184 f.).

Hence, partly influenced by distorted selection interviews, newcomers form excessive

expectations concerning their future job (Kieser et al., 1990, 13). Company efforts to present

themselves as an attractive employer often result in positively distorted information. Based on

such information, newcomer expectations are over-optimistic and they get disappointed as

soon as they enter the new job (Kieser et al., 1990, 58). Confirmed by various empirical

investigations, Kieser et al. (1990, 67) assume that young professionals usually demonstrate

higher expectations than professionally experienced people. This, in turn, cause newcomers to

terminate at an early stage and leave the company already during probation (Kieser et al.,

1990, 13).

The fact that unfulfilled expectations lead to fluctuations demonstrates the need to involve

newcomers at an early stage. The foundation stone for a successful integration is lain already

in the recruitment process. Based on employment ads and information provided during

interviews, expectations are aroused on the part of newcomers. However, if companies do not

“openly place their cards on the table”, new employees are quickly disappointed and see no

alternative other than leaving the company (Pürstinger, 2016, 3).

As mentioned above, a lack of information and setting unrealistic or wrong expectations

during pre-entry considerably increases uncertainties and fears of newcomers. Some ways to

reduce uncertainty during pre-boarding as well as specific company actions will be explained

in the following.

45

“Treat new hires like they are a valuable part of the team,

and they will surprise you with their contributions.

They may even exceed your expectations.”

(Bauer, 2016, 35)

2.2.3 Corporate actions to facilitate integration

As mentioned previously, onboarding of new employees mainly comprises three phases,

namely the phase before the first day at work, the first day(s) and the induction and probation

phase. However, most authors agree that specific actions should already be taken at an earlier

stage, during recruitment. According to Blum (2010, 50-53) onboarding begins with

advertising a job. From that moment, the applicant seeks contact with the HR department and

starts forming expectations on the future position. Hence, it is significant to shape this early

phase of integration already as realistic and purposive as possible. This requires creating a

qualification profile as well as an accurate job description by the supervisor. The job

description should comprise of key success factors and specific competences an applicant has

to fulfill. Concerning this, not only professional competences, but also methodic and personal

skills such as the social behavior need to be considered. For one thing, well-defined criteria

and written requirements enable decision-makers a systematic preselection, on the other hand

specific requirements support newcomers in their decision for or against a position.

In addition, given realistic information prior to the first day at work prevents newcomers from

creating wrong or excessive expectations of the future position. This can be referred to as

“Realistic-Job-Preview (RJP)” approach and will be further explained in the following (Rehn,

1990, 16).

2.2.3.1 Realistic Job Preview

Realistic information before the first day at work provides initial orientation to newcomers. If

newcomers are informed comprehensively and accurately about future activities and the

organizational environment, they can specifically prepare themselves for the first day, form

realistic expectations and, hence, prevent unpleasant surprises (Louis, 1980, 226-251).

“Presenting realistic information is most typically done prior to organizational entry. When

this is done, it has been called the Realistic Job Preview.” (Wanous, 1992, 54) The author

stresses that a RJP or “Realistic Recruitment” does not solely create clarity for newcomers

46

and reduce uncertainties. Rather than “selling” the organization, it provides outsiders with all

relevant information without distortion (Wanous, 1992, 44).

Lohaus & Habermann (2015, 69-70) agree with the approach by Wanous (1992) and

underline the importance of presenting a realistic outline of activities to newcomers already

during recruitment. This includes informing the newcomer sincerely about the main contents

of the new work as well as the working conditions. Hence, not only positive, but also

unpleasant aspects should be discussed openly.

The following graph by Wanous (1992, 50) briefly summarizes the psychological effects of a

Realistic Job Preview. The author mainly distinguishes between the “vaccination” effect, the

“self-selection, matching” effect, the “personal commitment” effect and the “coping” effect.

These mechanisms are ment to be interlocked somehow, but their relationship won’t be

discussed in further detail.

Figure 9: Realistic Job Preview

(own illustration based on Wanous, 1992, 50)

47

➢ The “vaccination” effect

According to Wanous (1992, 48), another way to describe the effect of lowering job

expectations before job entry is to call realistic recruitment a “vaccination”. A “vaccination”

of the unpleasant or negative aspects of the new position might alleviate a potential reality

shock on the first day(s) at work. Realistic information prepares newcomers properly and

supports them in dealing with new circumstances and conditions at work more effectively

(Rehn, 1990, 16 f.). Whereas any “embellishment” would come to light as soon as the job

starts and could have a negative impact on motivation and satisfaction of the newcomer

(Schreyögg & Koch, 2010, 423).

➢ The “self-selection, matching” effect

Besides, turnover can be reduced by a better matching of personal job wants and

organizational climates. It is assumed that the more realistic information is given to

newcomers already during recruitment, the better self-selection they pursue. By this, their

organizational choice can be more effective, hence, they rather reject a position that does not

meet their personal needs and expectations. In addition, if the newcomer realizes already

before job entry that he or she is not qualified for the position, an early termination as well as

high fluctuation costs can be avoided (Kieser et al., 1990, 17; Wanous, 1992, 61).

➢ The “personal commitment” effect

This effect shows that individuals who believe that they decided for a job without distorted

information and coercion, are a lot more committed to this decision (Wanous, 1992, 51).

Whereas, perceived negative information can reduce interest and lower expectations of the

newcomer (Kieser, 2003, 186). However, research on the RJP has shown that realistic pre-

information can lead to a higher satisfaction, greater company commitment and, therefore,

result in lower rates of termination (Kieser et al., 1990, 15 & 58).

➢ The “coping” effect

The “coping” effect is another way in which realistic pre-information and, with this, realistic

expectations can facilitate job entry of newcomers. Since the new employee is also aware of

the negative aspects of the position, he or she can develop possible coping strategies already

before job entry to prevent failing in the new job. What is more, coping strategies help

newcomers to reduce uncertainty and anxiety in the initial stage (Wanous, 1992, 50-51).

48

This chapter has discussed the importance of pursuing a realistic recruitment to prevent

applicants from forming exaggerated expectations of their future position. Furthermore, it is

crucial to put the time between the employment decision and first day of work to beneficial

use to reduce uncertainties and fears of newcomers (Blum, 2010, 56; Krasman, 2015, 11).

According to Brenner (2014, 4), anxieties of newcomers during prearrival can be alleviated

through investments in the form of active support, provision of information and appreciation.

What is more, the author stresses the importance of conveying new employees the impression

that they are worth advocating for feeling comfortable and accepted as key player. This

requires keeping in touch with the newcomer and providing sufficient information.

2.2.3.2 Maintain contact & provide information

Maintaining contact to keep newcomers engaged and up to date is crucial to reduce initial

uncertainties. Osmundson (2016, 16) emphasizes that the employer is mainly responsible for

the effective integration of newcomers and can significantly influence the onboarding process

already before the first day. An example would be to bring together the department or

colleagues and the new employee before the official start date (Verhoeven, 2016, 112).

Invitations to company or department celebrations as well as to important meetings or

conferences represent good opportunities to introduce the newcomer to colleagues and the

new workplace (Blum, 2010, 56). In such way, the company demonstrates interest and shows

that they are looking forward to meeting the newcomer (Watzka, 2014, 83). Also, the better

newcomers are informed upfront, the more comfortable and secure they feel on their first day

of work (Blum, 2010, 56). Blum (2010) stresses that maintaining contact is also helpful for

the social integration. With this, newcomers get the impression that the company respects,

values and considers them already as part of the team and company.

Especially, establishing active contact such as by telephone can significantly reinforce the

first impression. However, research has shown that solely 40 % of new employees are

contacted directly by their supervisor (Verhoeven, 2016, 114). However, more attention

should be attributed to this and the initial curiosity and motivation of the newcomer should

rather be used to provide him or her with weekly information regarding the new job. This

might include general company information, job-specific information or HR related subjects

(Watzka, 2014, 83). This brings up another key point before job entry, that is, providing

sufficient information to newcomers.

49

Wanous (1992, 165) conducted research on how to reduce uncertainty during organizational

entry and compares medical patients with newcomers. In both cases, the person experiences a

level of stress that is quite high. When discussing several ways to manage stress, the author

particularly refers to providing information. He distinguishes between two types of

information. The first type concerns “what kind of event” and deals with providing realistic

information about what is going to happen, such as what will be done, when it will begin and

how long it will take. The second type of information deals with “how you will feel” relating

to the upcoming physical and emotional sensations (Miller, 1981 as cited in Wanous, 1992,

175).

According to the uncertainty reduction theory by Berger (1979, as cited in Bauer et al., 2007,

708), newcomers desire to increase the predictability of interactions between themselves and

others within the new organization. Concerning this and referring to the “model of newcomer

adjustment during organizational socialization” depicted in figure 7, there exist two

antecedents of newcomer adjustment that need to be considered, information seeking and

organizational socialization tactics:

First, new hires proactively seek information to help them adjust to the new working

environment, and with this, to reduce uncertainty. Saks and Ashforth (1997, 236) emphasize

that information need to be provided prematurely via various communication channels such as

social interactions with supervisors and peers. Regarding this, Miller & Jablin (1991, as cited

in Bauer et al., 2007, 709) highlight three types of information particularly sought by

newcomers during organizational entry. These comprise referent information, which includes

understanding what is needed to function on the job (role clarity); appraisal information,

which includes information on how well the new employee can function in terms of role

requirements (self-efficacy); and relational information, that is the quality of relationships

with organizational insiders (social acceptance).

Second, the degree of uncertainty experienced during early socialization can be reduced by

organizational socialization tactics (Saks & Ashforth, 1997 as cited in Bauer et al., 2007,

709). Bauer et al. (2007, 709) describe socialization tactics as “organizational approaches to

information dissemination to facilitate adjustment in new roles”. Socialization tactics shape

the type of information new employees receive, the source of this information, and the

easiness of getting information (Saks & Asforth, 1997). These tactics aim at reducing

50

uncertainty of newcomers resulting in a more positive attitude, as well as at facilitating

adjustment (Allen, 2006 as cited in Bauer et al., 2007, 709).

Besides maintaining contact, Blum (2010, 57) also recommends sending newcomers some

information material to give them a quick overview before work starts. This could include an

information brochure, the annual report or the latest staff magazine. Another possibility would

be to prepare a welcome folder and sent it to employees after they have signed the

employment contract. Such folder might comprise corporate goals, leadership principles, a

company organization chart, a list of opportunities for education, and a lot more. What is

more, newcomers should also be informed about important upcoming events and assigned a

key person of contact (Lohaus & Habermann, 2015, 127-128). Such pre-information as well

as materials are necessary to provide newcomers orientation, help them preparing mentally

and physically for the new work and reduce initial fears and uncertainties (Lohaus &

Habermann, 2015, 127; Blum, 2010, 57).

Nevertheless, studies have shown that the more complex the method used to incorporate

newcomers is, the more effective the results are. This means, “simply” providing information

to newcomers before the first day at work is often not sufficient and more specific trainings

and actions need to be taken by employers (Wanous, 1992, 177-178). According to Blum

(2010, 69), every organization needs to individually think of actions and measures that fit to

the company and that are in line with their conditions and values. This requires key persons

like the manager, HR department and selected groups of people to develop appropriate

success factors for integration measures. Success factors could include time and cost savings,

professional competence, commitment, acceptance, and so on. As a next step,

interconnections and relationships of those success factors need to be identified as well as a

target-actual analysis performed. After a cost-benefit analysis of integration measures, it can

be decided on what combination of integration actions fit to the corporate culture, is

reasonable and can deliver maximum benefits.

Hence, the selection of integration measures is very subjective and depends on the company

itself. In the following, some corporate actions will be briefly discussed which most authors

and researchers recommend and assume to be appropriate or required during pre-boarding.

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2.2.3.3 Announcement of the newcomer

As soon as the date for the new employee’s first day at work is set, it is the supervisor’s task

to announce the newcomer to the workforce and future contact persons (Blum, 2010, 59). The

persons concerned should receive information about entry date, field of activity of the

newcomer as well as a description of tasks. What is more, it is purposive to provide team

members with information on qualifications, previous experience and knowledge of the new

employees in order to support and incorporate them appropriately in the initial phase. Besides,

as team members are familiar with the daily business, they should also be involved in

integration planning. With this, they should take responsibility for a successful and effective

onboarding (Lohaus & Habermann, 2015, 128).

The announcement of the newcomer can be done by E-Mail or by a notice on the company

Intranet. In small firms, the announcement might also take place on the “black board”. The

actual working team, however, should be informed in person by the direct supervisor, such as

during team meetings. Those meetings can further be used to think about and discuss how to

support the newcomer in the initial phase and who is responsible for what kind of tasks during

incorporation (Blum, 2010, 59).

2.2.3.4 Organization of the workplace

Alongside the functional use, the own workplace occupies an additional function for new

employees: It is their save haven, their own empire in which they can withdraw for any

reason. Therefore, supervisors must ensure that newcomers are provided a fully equipped

workplace available on their first day of work (Brenner, 2014, 16).

Blum (2010, 59-60) agrees with Brenner (2014), besides announcing the newcomer to the

team and organizational members, it is crucial to organize the workplace and arrange all

working equipment prior to the first day of work. The workplace should be arranged fully

functional to demonstrate that everybody is prepared and looking forward to meeting him or

her. If the new employee is part of a working team, his or her workplace should be located

close to them. By this, communication can be facilitated and a better sense of unity

established. Furthermore, the workplace needs to be organized quite individually according to

the newcomer’s tasks and responsibilities. Since some facilities such as a company mobile

phone is associated with lead times, it is recommended to start early with initial preparations.

52

Similarly, Lohaus and Habermann (2015, 131) stress the importance of carefully organizing

the newcomer’s workplace. According to the authors, an effective workplace preparation

includes the provision of all necessary furnishings as well as resources and working materials.

This comprises a telephone connection, access rights, an identification card, name tags, a

desk, a computer and further office equipment that is needed relating to the newcomer’s tasks

and responsibilities. As stated by the authors, an organized workplace can make an effective

contribution in terms of employee integration and promoting organizational commitment.

Already prior to the first day of work, it should be clear, where the new workplace will be.

Newcomers might get disappointed if the new workplace does not meet their expectations and

needs. What is more, a poorly organized workplace may create the impression that the new

employee is not welcome.

2.2.3.5 Initial training plan

A systematic integration of newcomers further requires the supervisor to come up with an

initial training plan in coordination with all persons involved. Such plan needs to be

individually adjusted to the new employees, their activities and qualifications. What is more,

an initial training plan should include the organizational procedure and consider professional

as well as personal aspects of the new employee. The length and scope of the initial training

plan basically depends on the position and the respective responsibilities and tasks of the

newcomer. Qualified jobs usually require an integration procedure that extends over several

months (Bröckermann, 2009, 130).

Lohaus and Habermann (2015, 128) add that the initial training plan should also contain

integration goals and priorities. Further, the plan should be used to specify the correct order in

which tasks need to be executed and completed. This, in turn, requires defining specific

criteria. To support the newcomer adequately and provide orientation, the training plan should

clearly demonstrate who is responsible for what aspect of the integration procedure. In this

context, it is useful to set concrete mile stones and arrange feedback meetings as soon as they

are reached. The authors also emphasize that all employees and other persons involved should

be included from the very beginning, hence in the creation of the initial training plan.

53

2.2.3.6 Further preparations

Even though pre-boarding actions such as maintaining contact, providing information,

announcing the newcomer, organizing the workplace and developing an initial training plan

are essential to reduce uncertainties and fears of newcomers, Brenner (2014, 17) also

recommends thinking one step ahead and planning the newcomer’s first day at work.

According to the author, the first day at work has special significance as newcomers associate

their “welcome” with the fundamental attitude of the company. This can be compared with an

interview, where the first minutes or even seconds are often decisive for mutual opinion

making. Hence, the first day at work plays a significant role for future collaboration.

For this reason, Stein (2015) recommends developing a schedule for the newcomer’s first day.

This schedule, in turn, should be communicated to them beforehand as it makes the first day

for new employees more transparent and provides orientation as well as a feeling of security.

Rischar and Brendt (1994, 18) agree with Stein (2015) and stress the importance of sending

the newcomer a welcome letter prior to the first working day. This welcome letter should

include information about where, when and with whom the newcomer will be collaborating. It

conveys the newcomer the impression that he or she is valued by the company and reduces

dissonance, early tensions as well as reinforces the newcomer’s feeling that he or she has

decided for the right company.

Besides developing a schedule for the first day at work, Osmundson (2016, 16) also

recommends assigning a key contact to the new employee. Since the supervisor, due to time

constraints, is usually not fully available for the newcomer, a key contact or mentor should be

in charge of or take care of the new employee in order to clarify open questions, provide

additional information, and so on. (Stein, 2015). Zaguri (2015, 5) refers to a key contact as

“[…] peer sponsor or “buddy”, that can help them feel they have a safe place to ask any

questions. It is recommended to pick a mentor who will interact with them on a relatively

equal level, like a member of the department, but not a manager.”

According to Osmundson (2016), a key contact should be a person the new employee can

contact throughout the time from being hired to starting to work. Most authors support the

idea of assigning a mentor for the initial time at an organization or even earlier. Lohaus and

Habermann (2015, 129) agree with Zaguri (2015) that a contact person could be an

54

experienced colleague, who supports the newcomer in terms of incorporating into daily tasks,

answering delicate questions or delivering political skills. They further should be responsible

for the social integration of the newcomer and for promoting informal networking. The

assistance of a mentor is significant to become fully accepted as team member and being able

to start working as quickly and successfully as possible (Blum, 2010, 64).

Another way to facilitate incorporation before the first day of work is to invite newcomers to

a trial day. On the one hand, a trial day serves as possibility to determine the motivation and

seriousness with which the future employee goes about solving tasks. Moreover, a trial day

can reinforce newcomers in their decision of working for a company. By the end of a trial

day, a comprehensive conversation should take place for discussing potential challenges and

certain areas of conflict. In the best case, it turns out whether the newcomer is suitable for the

position or whether her or she should follow a different path (Luthe & Weiskopf, 2010, 96).

On the other hand, a trial day can help reduce early uncertainties the newcomer might

associate with the new company, the workplace, the colleagues, and so on. A trial day aims to

provide the newcomer with comprehensive information regarding the company history, its

products, locations, areas of responsibility of the advertised position, personal development

opportunities, working conditions, etc. Also, the trial day should be used to introduce

newcomers to the future working team they would be part of (Böck, 2002, 74f.). By this, new

employees are confronted with reality already before the first day of work and get an idea of

what is to be expected of the position, and get the chance to prepare themselves mentally for

the new job (Rehn, 1993, 88).

To ensure a successful and effective integration of new employees within the whole

organization, a systematic and consistent approach is recommended. A checklist, for instance,

could serve as guideline for supervisors. This checklist should contain information

requirements and main facts about the newcomer (Neges & Neges, 2007, 15). During pre-

entry, all preparatory work should be completed on time to have everything ready for the first

day. For this reason, Lohaus & Habermann (2015, 131) suggest the use of checklists “before

job entry”. Appendix 1 gives an idea of how a prearrival checklist might look like.

Summing up, the newcomer’s first impression of the company is of decisive importance. If

the newcomer is looking forward to the first day of work, he or she will encounter new

surroundings and company members more confident and open-minded. Hence, if the

55

company prepares itself properly for the new employee, he or she will immediately have a

positive impression (Olfert & Steinbuch, 2001, 198).

A careful preparation, hence, lays the foundation for a successful integration of newcomers

and must be conducted conscientiously. As underlined in the previous chapter, specific

actions to facilitate the integration process should already be taken during recruitment. This

comprises creating a job description and qualification profile that outlines required

competences and key success factors. Such pre-information should contain both, negative as

well as positive aspects of the new job and should provide a realistic picture about what is

expected of the newcomer. Furthermore, to reduce uncertainties and fears of new employees

prior to job entry, it is crucial to maintain contact to keep them up to date and show interest.

The newcomer wants to feel welcome and accepted as team member. This, in turn, implies the

necessity to provide him or her with regular information on company events, responsibilities,

future working content, and son on.

However, according to Wanous (1992), “simply” providing information is often not sufficient

and the author refers to more specific company actions that need to be considered before job

entry. Blum (2010) agrees with the author and emphasizes that integration measures can not

be generalized but rather depend on the individual company and its core values and

conditions. However, the authors agree on some pre-boarding actions that were found to be

appropriate in any case. First, this includes announcing the newcomer. The announcement of

the new employee is the supervisor’s task and can be done via E-Mail, on the company

intranet or on the company’s blackboard. Whereas the actual working team need to be

informed personally about the newcomer, for instance during team meetings. Second, the

workplace should be organized before the newcomer’s first day. All necessary working

equipment need to be arranged upfront to enable the newcomer starting to work effectively

from day one. Also, a good organized workplace gives newcomers the impression that they

are welcome. Besides arranging the workplace, an initial training plan should be developed

and sent to the new employee upfront. Such plan should contain information on corporate

goals and priorities and should provide a good overview of what is to be expected of the

newcomer. Further pre-boarding actions might include developing a schedule for the first day

of work, inviting the new employee to a trial day and assigning a key contact such as a mentor

or “buddy”.

56

Finally, it is recommended to prepare a checklist that summarizes all important steps and

actions that need to be accomplished before the first day. Such preliminary measures are

crucial to ensure a smooth integration and reduce early anxieties of the newcomer.

57

3. METHODOLOGY

The methodology part of this thesis describes the process of answering the research questions

and providing solutions to the above-mentioned problem statement. The theoretical part is

based on a vast literature research whereas the empirical part comprises of interview findings.

3.1 Data collection & analysis

To answer the research question “What concerns do new employees have before their first

day at work?”, the following data collection and analysis methods have been applied.

Concerning the theoretical foundations of the thesis, a comprehensive literature search has

been conducted. The focus here was on articles of scientific journals as well as specialized

books. Well-known authors with a specialization on the integration of new employees

include, among others, Kieser, Rehn, Porter, Wanous, Lohaus & Habermann or Blum.

Selected tools have been applied to gather relevant data such as EBSCO, LISSS, Google

Scholar, and a lot more. The purpose of a systematic literature review was to receive valuable

information on the pre-boarding phase of the integration of new employees. In particular, key

factors have been investigated that trigger concers, fears, stress and uncertainty among

newcomers during the phase prior to the first day of work. The empirical part of the thesis is

based on qualitative interviews, which is to be explained in the following.

3.2 Qualitative research method

Since the thesis focuses on investigating people’s own views, perceptions and on capturing

new employees’ feelings and behaviours before the first day of work, a qualitative research

method seems to be appropriate. Qualitative research can be described as “[…] an approach

for exploring and understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to a social or

human problem.” (Creswell, 2013, 32)

To answer the research questions and meet the objectives of the thesis, qualitative

interviewing is most suitable for this study. Qualitative interviews represent an excellent

technique for data collection, as significant information concerning the relevant topic can be

gathered. Interviews enable to get shown different perspectives, to stimulate narrations and to

receive detailed interpretations. Furthermore, hidden attitudes and feelings of interview

partners can be revealed (Froschauer & Lueger, 2003, 142). Moreover, qualitative

58

interviewing gives the interviewer a certain flexibility to adjust to the interviewee, to pick up

on points mentioned, ask arising sub-questions and, therefore, receive comprehensive and

valuable answeres.

3.3 The interview

Interviews have been conducted semi-structured, since an interview guide with key questions

was required (Bryman & Bell, 2007). In other words, an expert interview or PCI (problem-

centred interview) was applied. The aim of this interview type is to analyse subjective

interpretations and experiences of interview partners. Overall, the interview protocol was

structured as follows: During the initial phase of the interview, quite open, narrative questions

with minimal interviewer structuring have been asked in oder to create a positive

atmospehere, make the interviewee feel comfortable and, consequently, stimulate discussion.

This was followed by a semi-structured part allowing a greater focus set by the interviewer

(Scheibelhofer, 2008, 403-404). This part comprised of more specific, topic-related questions

as well as follow-up questions. Rather than a fully structured and standardized interview, the

interview protocol was more used as a rough guideline, that help structure the thoughts and

ideas of the interviewer, allowing a greater flexibility and adaptation of questions during the

interview. The role of the interviewer was rather passive, trying to pay special attention to the

behavior of the interviewee. Since the focus of the interviews was on the newcomers’

expectations, feelings and underlying concerns, it was of vital importance to individually

adjust the interview setting to the different personalities and use the questions wisely. Active

listening, no intervention in narrations and asking follow-up questions was important to earn

trust of the interviewee. A sample of an interview protocol can be found in Appendix 2.

To be able to draw conclusions from empirical data, in total, 10 interviews have been

conducted. As target audience, members of the Austrian workforce aged between 18 and 50

were interviewed. Since the focal point of this investigation was to capture concerns of new

employees regarding their first day at work, interviews were carried out with new externals,

who are about to start their first day as well as newcomers who are in the first week at a new

company and position. Besides, interviews have been conducted individually to prevent biases

from others. Contact was established by means of Human Resource departments of companies

in the region. The following table provides some key facts on industry and position of the

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interview partners. As can be seen from the table, the aim was to shape the interview setting

as diverse as possible to be able to draw valuable conclusions.

Table 6: Industry and position of interviewees

(own illustration)

With full consent of the interviewees, after ensuring full anonymity, the interviews have been

recorded. Depending on the open-mindedness of the interview partners, the interviews lasted

between 15 and 30 minutes each. As a last step, the collected data had to be processed and

analysed. First, the recorded interviews have been transcribed by using a common

transcription syntax as well as anonymized. This means, all company, product or personal

names have been kept secret. Granting anonymity was of vital importance for most interview

partners in order to open up and share their experiences and feelings.

To be able to process data systematically, a qualitative data analysis instrument, called

MaxQDA, has been applied. By means of this instrument, the interviews have been coded.

Therefore, labels have been assigned to passages of texts as well as line numbers added. As

type of data analysis, topical structuring has been used. The main idea of topical structuring is

to code parts of the interviews into topical categories, from which inductive as well as

deductive categories could be derived. The purpose of assigning categories was to figure out

similarities and differences, and to show how these categories are interlinked. In the end, main

conclusions were drawn that can provide research and practice with useful insights. The final

aim was to link research findings with theory in order to generate new knowledge.

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4. EMPIRICAL STUDY

Interviews with (prospective) employees from different industries, companies, departments,

positions, age groups and gender have shown that onboarding practices before the first day of

work can vary greatly. Even within companies and departments, HR managers apply diverse

integration measures.

The phase before the first day of work is shaped by an accumulation of positive and negative

emotions and feelings on the part of the newcomer. On the one hand, newcomers are excited

about and looking forward to a new challenge. On the other hand, they are nervous and

concerned about the overall change, the upcoming tasks as well as personal relations.

Frequently, they don’t know what to expect from the new position, company and are left in a

state of uncertainty. However, before taking a closer look at the concerns and fears of new

employees before their first day of work and, by this, referring to the initial question, the

employees’ general perception of the companies’ integration processes will be revelaed.

4.1 Perception of onboarding

Onboarding practices, hence companies’ efforts and actions on incorporating newcomers

effectively to the new position and team are perceived quite differently among employees.

Even though there seems to be a general satisfaction with the overall onboarding process,

some companies fail entirely and newcomers look to the first day of work with fear, insecurity

and confusion. The following statements highlight newcomers’ general perception and

emotional state.

“Jumping into cold water”

Five out of ten interview partners described their integration as a “jump into cold water”. This

means, no formal onboarding program was prevalent and employees were left in a state of

uncertainty before their first day of work. Employees had a general idea of what can be

expected and what is going to happen on day one at work. However, integration measures

were commonly perceived as “open” and unstructured which created tensions and insecurity

(I2_151-154, I3_98-99, I5_48-49, I10_109-110). What a company did, however, to prevent

these early tensions was to inform the newcomer beforehand that she will be introduced by an

experienced mentor during her first week. Such pre-information positively influences the

feelings, promotes motivation and a positive attitude of newcomers (I8_94).

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“Keeping someone in the dark”

In particular, one employee was disappointed and furious about the company’s onboarding

process and felt like he was “kept in the dark”. Concerning this, the company withheld

information necessary for the new employee in order to start working at his full potential.

However, a lack of information concerning the first day of work impeded a fast and effective

incorporation. One week before the start of his trainee program, he did not even know where

to go on the first day, what department and team he will be assigned and whom he will be

reporting to. It was up to him to contact the HR department and ask for basic information

concerning the first day of work. This did not create a first, positive impression of the

company but rather feelings of insecurity and anxiety. This can be reduced to a lack of

information, communication, structure and support which is to be explained in the following

(I7_111-119).

4.1.1 Lack of information

Tasks and responsibilities stated on job advertisements give the applicant a rough idea of what

can be expected from the position and what skills and competencies are required to perform

tasks successfully. However, this is only a “small piece of cake” and requires further

explanation (I10, 175-184). Job interviews, for instance, represent a good opportunity to

receive detailed information on the company and clarify each others’ expectations. The more

companies cater to the individual needs of the employee and provide specific information, the

more secure and self-confident they feel and the more optimistic they can look forward to the

first day at work (I5_201-201, I6_97-101).

Unfortunately, it has been shown that companies commonly withhold significant information

from new employees which makes it difficult to prepare themselves properly, both mentally

and emotionally, for the first day or week at a new company and position. This includes a

rough action plan for the first day, information on trainings, seminars, assessments and other

important company events. Such behavior creates surprises and unmet expectations on the

part of the newcomer. Consequently, a lack of motivation as well as a loss of time and

productivity are the outcome (I3_249-255, I6_31-35, I8_113-118 & 180-189).

An employee of the industrial furnance sector, for instance, would have preferred more

information material on formulas, a description of the most significant applications or a list of

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important tools prior to his first day of work. A simple “fact sheet” beforehand would have

helped him to understand processes better and get incorporated faster (I5_135-141).

Besides, it appeared that newcomers who were attracted by headhunters, generally feel less

adequately supported by the company itself. Even though the headhunting firm provides them

with basic information in terms of the position, they would have preferred more personal

contact with the actual firm in addition to the headhunting firm. From the company itself, they

would have asked for more company-specific information, clarify first day details and discuss

remaining questions (I5_161-171).

Besides, there is a strong need for newcomers to get shown the big picture of a company,

hence to know how departments, products and people relate to each other and how they are

interconnected. A deeper insight into the diverse departments and, with this, background

information on other products and people – even before the first day or during the first week -

would have helped newcomers to exercise individual tasks more successfully (I6_128-133).

Also, information on what are the newcomers’ diverse roles, functions and responsibilities,

related to other departments and key persons, would be of immense importance to reduce

complexity and ensure clarity (I10_175-184). In addition, many employees are long-term

oriented and demand information on tasks and responsibilities in the near future, in order for

them to plan and think ahead (I9_72-75).

Even simple information, like who will be your colleagues and where is your workplace

located, could reduce early tensions. Also, assigning a key contact or reference person before

the first day, can positively influence the attitude of the newcomer. (I7_165-173 & 191-193,

I10_180-181). In general, the more realistic and accurate the information the company

provides to the new employee is, the better the newcomer can prepare for the first day and

focus on relevant topics. This not only saves valuable time, it also reduces unnecessary stress

and concerns before the first day. The significance of a Realistic Job Preview will be

elaborated in more detail in later chapters (I9_263-268).

Unfortunately, it has been shown that after the first day of work, or even as soon as the

employment contract has been signed, the company and HR department do not feel as

responsible for providing the newcomer with information as they used to be at the beginning.

However, the integration process is by no means completed and newcomers demand further

information and support such as a tour throughout production facilities, to get to know more

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about the processes taking place within the company (I7_219-231, I9_127-131).

Consequently, ongoing communication and support is crucial which is to be explained in the

following.

4.1.2 Lack of communication and internal coordination

Statements like “In general, there has been less and unclear communication. For me,

personally […], I would have wished things to work out differently”. (I/_204-205) or “The

HR department communicated with me in a way that I was not 100% sure whether I want to

take the job or refuse it.” (I7_76-77) demonstrate that the way a company communicates with

the candidate prior to the first day of work, can make a real impact and positively or

negatively influences the newcomer’s attitude towards the firm and the new position.

Many applicants get the impression that they are left with uncertainty during the application

process. Especially, if the time for the company to decide for an applicant takes longer than

expected, it is essential to communicate this to the candidate and keep him or her up to date.

Otherwise, the candidate gets nervous, feels insecure and the company risks losing a qualified

employee to the competition. Hence, a status update occasionally, an honest and open

communication and input on probability and chances within the application procees, are

crucial (I2_44-46 & 50-59, 210-213).

A lack of communication before the first day of work gives the impression that the company

“forgot” about the employee. “We are looking forward to meeting you and are excited about

your first day.” (I9_200-202) Unfortunately, simple words like these are barely used by

companies. However, regular communication and contact, not solely via telephone and E-

Mail, but also in person, can make a real impact (I7_48-49). Concerning the latter, sensitive

issues such as salary negotiations and future opportunities are preferred not to be discussed

via telephone (I7_148-152).

Besides, new employees are disappointed if they miss the chance of meeting their future team

in advance, having an informal chitchat or clarifying unanswered questions before the first

day (I9_67-71). In particular, if the new employee has just graduated and is not familiar with

the working environment, he is stressed and nervous anyways. Hence, early contact with his

future work place and team would reduce initial tensions (I7_122-131).

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However, it is often the candidate who needs to take the initiative to maintain contact and

communicate with the company (I7_115-116). “There was not a lot of contact between us.

One week before the first day, I called them and made sure everything is clear for the first

day.” (I10_16-18) This brings the candidate in an extremely delicate position. One the one

hand, he does not want to convey the feeling of being unpatient or bother the company. One

the other hand, he wants to be prepared for the first day, show interest and communicate this

to the company.

“There was simply no coordination present. I would have wished the HR department to run a

clear communication line.” (I7_227-228) As can be seen from the statement, there is also the

problem of failed internal communication. Some employees get the impression that there is a

lack of coordination within the company. Examples are that the person responsible for the

applicant is not available or staff members, even managers, were not informed about the first

day of the newcomer, and their onboarding roles and responsibilities. In addition, newcomers

do not get assigned a direct person of contact, hence they feel like keeping the workforce from

doing their work when asking questions. This, in turn, leads to suprises on both sides and

makes the newcomer feel embarrassed, less taken care of and let the company appear in an

unflattering light (I7_131-139 & 212-216, I9_111-115 & 219-220 & 231-237, I10_121-130).

Besides, as mentioned earlier, as soon as the applicant gets acquired by a headhunting firm,

the company itself takes a different position. However, since the applicant usually demands

for more information and seeks personal contact with the firm, it is of immense importance

for the company to pursue an open and transparent communication line. Unfortunately, as

soon as a second party is involved, the company steps back and relys on the headhunter.

However, the candidate demands for more communication, interaction and seeks personal

contact with the firm (I5_172-184, I6_92-94, I9_194-197).

Not only a lack of communication might hamper the onboarding process, but having too many

people inovled can also increase complexity, lead to confusion on the part of the newcomer

and creates the wrong impression. It has been shown that applicants prefer one or at least two

persons of contact with whom they communicate during pre-boarding. As soon as more

people are involved, coordination and communication difficulties arise (I7_23-25 & 83-85).

As mentioned earlier, HR departments often regard the application process as completed as

soon as the employment contract has been signed and as soon as the employee has started to

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work. By this, they don’t feel responsible for the newcomer anymore and forget about the

immense importance of ongoing communication, support and interaction with the new

employee, in parituclar within the first week.

4.1.3 Lack of structure and support

“It was a trainee program and I had the feeling that the whole program was not well planned

and structured”. In this case, the newcomer did not know what company departments he will

work for, what tasks he will be assigned, how long the program will last or where he, most

likely, will start to work after the program ends (I7_32-38 &111-120 & 219-231).

Another candidate, who was in his first week within the new company described the initial

phase as “chaos”. The workplace was not organized, important IT equipment, passwords and

other materials were missing. Here again, a lack of structure and support impeded a fast and

productive start (I7_139-141).

“The process itself has caused significant uncertainty […]. One gets an impression of

unorganization […] and of course it does not reflect well on the company itself. It was simply

not very professional.” (I7_71-74 & 89-90 & 93-95 & 252-254) There has been a perceived

unorganization and lack of structure regarding the overall onboarding process. This might be

due to a lack of information and communication as mentioned above. Examples include

letting the newcomer wait on his first day of work and not providing him with clear

instructions or a rough plan (I2_166-168). In particular, many newcomers would have

appreciated a company tour, “to have a rough plan, where everything is located.” (I2_19-20).

“I did not know what’s going to happen, it was more of a surprise.” (I3_254-255, I10_153-

155) Instead of a brief introduction by a key person, companies expect newcomers to work

independently from day one. Whereas some employees appreciate this sort of independence,

and perceive it as trust on the part of the company, others are concerned and do not feel

adequately prepared (I2_187-192, I9_275).

However, instead of improvisation and being in constant need of asking questions, most

newcomers would prefer having a handout or other information ready that help them

understand and structure new tasks (I9_222-224). One of the greatest concerns of newcomers

before their first day of work is to enter the work without having a rough plan and knowing

what’s going to happen. Hence, a concise introduction plan would not only facilitate work but

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reduce initial anxieties and fears as well. Being productive from day one gives the candidate a

feeling of security and boosts self-confidence (I9_225-230). Also, for an employee who is

studying at the same time, receiving information on trainings and seminars in advance would

be helpful, to be able to organize private responsibilities properly (I3_249-255).

Especially during the first week, the new employee has difficulties prioritizing tasks and does

not have the routine and sense of how long processes should take and how much effort he or

she should dedicate to certain tasks. Usually companies do not provide newcomers with a

clear framework within which the employee can move freely. This results in additional

insecurities and tensions on the part of the newcomer (I3_228-235).

Besides, it is not solely about how well structured the onboarding process is but also how well

the team or contact person introduces the newcomer to the company and field of work. It has

been shown that some long-term employees who are responsible for incorporating the new

employee, perceive their task rather as a burden than significant part of their job. Obviously,

this feeling of “indifference” is transmitted to the newcomer and does not boost motivation

(I5_147-154).

“From the first day, I expected something like an introduction program to get to know the

company and further preparations to get an idea of what are the taks of a newcomer, but this

was not the case.” (I9_107-109) As can be seen from the statement above, there barely exists

any formal onboarding program or structure within the integration of newcomers. However,

in case there is a theoretical process or overall onboarding plan, it is not customized and

tailored to the individual needs and conditions (I7_168-173, I9_111-115).

This have been mainly negative experiences of new employees and one can get an idea of

how newcomers feel and perceive the pre-boarding or initial phase at a new company.

Obviously, most interviewed employees would have expected the company to dedicate more

time and effort in incorporating them. Consequently, the professionality of some companies

was questioned as well as a lack of support derived. This includes providing newcomer with

sufficient and relevant information before the first day of work, maintaining contact and

structuring the first day or week of the newcomer. However, there has also been some positive

onboarding practices of companies which resulted in newcomers being overall satisfied and

excited about the first day. Some positive experiences are to be demonstrated below.

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4.1.4 Successful onboarding practices

“Considering the fact that I have been working for the company only for 2 weeks, I already

feel well integrated, everyone is easy going, there is nothing to complain about, it’s really

cool here.” (I2_87-80) “[…] Actually, this kind of start was perfect, I didn’t miss anything.”

(I1_230) “I am absolutely impressed and there is hardly anything I could complain about,

actually nothing. I mean, it’s a good company anyways. Therefore, I am very satisfied.”

(I2_221-223)

As can be derived from the statements above, there has also been some positive onboarding

experiences where employees perceived their integration process as well organized and

structured (I1_229-233).

Whereas a few employees complain about the duration of onboarding, others are surprised of

and delighted about a fast and efficient integration.1 “Everything has been really fast, which

I’ve never had before, that all worked out so fast, of course I was very happy about the fact

that I had a short span in between.” (I1_12-14) In this particular case, the onboarding

process, including job interview and receiving a positive answer was completed within one

and a half weeks (I1_9-10). Candidates value fast, open and transparent communication,

being it a response on acceptance or refusal within the application process or simply a status

update. The more interaction takes place and the faster newcomers receive concrete answers,

the higher their overall satisfaction and the better their perception of the company.

Conveying a feeling of safety during job interviews further contributed to satisfaction on the

part of the newcomer. The company has left a positive impression by providing the candidate

with a realistic picture of what can be expected from the position (I1_35-40). Not only during

job interviews, but also receiving support and detailed information on the first day on topics

such as employment contract, utilization of technical equipment, vacation or working hours

facilitated integration and contributed to a positive well-being. In particular, the HR

department plays a significant role, which will be elaborated in chapter 4.2 Influencing

Factors (I1_196-202).

“I have to say, what the company did, I was totally convinced and surprised, because I have

never experienced it in such a way. I thought “wow” they really care about newcomers, that’s

amazing.” (I4_263-265) Consequently, caretaking, offering additional support and

1 I1_16-20 & 80-84 & 91-95, I2_34-102, I3_37-56, I4_31-35, I5_7-19 & 50-55, I7_11-13 & 43-50 & 257-267,

I8_14-30, I9_41-57, I10_24-31

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considering the indivudal needs of employees contributed to satisfaction and appreciation.

This includes maintaining contact and providing the new employee the opportunity to call or

meet with the company for clarifying remaining questions (I2_5-6, I4_275-276). A personal

call by the supervisor one week before the official start date or a handwritten letter reduces

initial concerns and keeps the new employee excited about the first day (I4_131-136, I10_51-

52).

Referring to another example, a supervisor arranged an additional meeting with the newcomer

during his vacation, as he got the feeling that the employee felt insecure and prefers talking to

him in person one more time to discuss remaining questions and potential obstacles. These

“additional efforts” make the difference and are highly appreciated by the candidate (I3_187-

201). It is often the simple things that help earn newcomers’ trust and commitment.

“[…] Expectations on the new job have been fulfilled entirely, you get included like you’ve

been with the company for years. […] Here, intial fears get alleviated right away. […] The

way newcomers are received is highly recommendable.” (I4_3-13) As can be seen from the

statement, including newcomers from day one and treating them like they have been part of

the company for years, does not only stimulate positive feelings but accelerates group

cohesion, too. For instance, getting invited to a colleague’s birthday party after one week

within the company makes the newcomer feel accepted and valued by team members and

allays initial uncertainties and fears (I2_227-230).

Creating this first, positive impression of the company is significant, and some firms are

already doing an excellent job in this regard. Involving the newcomer from day one,

introducing him or her to new colleagues, the company and conveying the feeling that he or

she can ask as many questions as needed to feel secure and stably integrated, can make a real

impact (I9_209-217).

The previous section concerning the overall perception of onboarding processes confirmed

that some companies fully prepare newcomers for their first day of work and succeed in

triggering excitement. Unfortunately, there still exist firms that fail entirely in terms of their

onboarding practices and newcomers complain about a lack of information, communication,

internal coordination as well as a lack of structure and support. Now one is wondering what

triggers certain emotions of newcomers. This is to be explained in the next section, that is

about influencing factors before the first day of work.

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4.2 Influencing factors

Obviously, there exist a broad range of influencing factors that are decisive for a successful

integration of new employees and that have an impact on how he or she feels before the first

day of work as well as during the first week. Those include, among others, the behavior of the

new employee, the behavior of the supervisor, the role of the HR department, the work group

or team and other factors.

4.2.1 Characteristics of new employees

The behavior of newcomers mainly determines how they feel during the phase prior to the

first day of work and how successful their integration will be. In particular, a relation between

age and willingness to share information and open-mindedness could be determined. Whereas

some employees made a quite self-confident impression, have been more open and eager to

share their experiences, other, younger employees demonstrated a rather restrained behavior,

they have been more shy and careful in terms of what information they want to disclose.

Those comprise of newcomers at the age of around 20 to 23. Younger employees are usually

less experienced but very curious, excited about the new job, the team and motivated to

perform. At the same time, due to a lack of hands-on experience, they are worried and

concerned about all kinds of topics, they feel insecure and have self-doubts. Frequently, they

do not have the confidence to bond with colleagues right away or seek conversations which

impedes a successful integration (I9_140-142).

What stuck out, was the fact that newcomers at a younger age demonstrated a lack of trust,

not only in the interviewer but also in their own abilities. Consequently, they have been rather

careful in sharing personal information. Not solely age-related but depending on the

personality of the interviewees, some candidates have been more honest and provided

comprehensive answers whereas others did not feel as comfortable and kept overly personal

information private. Overall, younger employees have been calmer, a little nervous and gave

short and concise answers. Therefore, there was a strong need to ask follow-up questions and

adjust the interview guide appropriately (I5_2, I8_2, I9_2, I10_2).

In contrast, an elderly employee, at the age of 43, was clearly more open-minded and willing

to share her feelings, emotions and previous experience. She provided comprehensive answers

and personal stories which was highly informative and enabled a deeper insight into the actual

concerns and feelings of newcomers. A solid base of trust was already prevalent and topics

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could be discussed quite openly (I4_2). Besides, it has been shown that experienced

employees are more aware of their strengths and weeknesses and know how to apply them in

order to make an effective contribution. Self-efficacy strengthens their self-confidence and

boosts motivation (I5_125-126).

Characteristics and personality traits of newcomers have an impact on their attitude towards

future work, colleagues and overall integration. An extrovertive person, for instance, is not as

concerned about the social integration, as he or she finds it easier to build a relationship and

approach new people as reserved employees (I2_124-126). Concerning the latter, employees

with low self-confidence require a different onboarding approach. More often, they compare

themselves with experienced employees, who have been with the company for years, and feel

intimidated by their skillset and knowledge (I5_63-65). Similar to younger employees, a basis

of trust, acceptance and appreciation needs to be established in advance, to stimulate positive

thinking and ensure productivity (I5_63-65).

Besides, candidates who conduct research prior to the first day of work and obtain

information about the company and its products, most likely feel more secure and,

consequently, ensure a rapid and successful integration. Such independent efforts and

proactive thinking accelerates the onboarding process significantly (I2_189 & 215-220,

I9_10-12 & 258-260). However, some candidates set ambitious standards for themselves and

start questioning whether they can fulfill company requirements. Even though early

preparation and weighing pros and cons of the position might facilitate integration, it is

helpful to leave “room for surprises” as not everything can be predicted (I3_161-162).

Otherwise, early tensios, a feeling of uncertainty or self-doubts are the outcome (I3_14-16 &

26 & 33-34). Therefore, it is recommended to “simply” keep an open mind, take things as

they come and do not create exaggerate expectations (I3_130-131, I4_122-125 & 180-182).

Newcomers with a proactive behavior, who demonstrate interest and show participation

during pre-boarding, get integrated earlier and more stably (I2_71-72, I7_115-116). This

includes asking task-related questions and whether it is desired to do some pre-work or go

through additional information material prior to the first day (I9_16-18 & 213-217).

Obviously, there is a higher success rate of employees approaching the company directly in

case there have been remaining questions. Even though this is ment to be the responsibility of

the company, such behavior does not only show that the employee cares about his future job,

but makes integration easier, too (I10_17-19).

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Claims like these can not be generalized and it seems like everyone needs to find his or her

own way of coping with uncertainties during pre-boarding. There is no right or wrong way

and it totally depends on the company, position and many other factors. Whereas some

employees prefer doing prior research as it gives them confidence and a feeling of security,

others prefer clearing their head and using the time between signing the employment contract

and starting to work otherwise, such as spending time with the family to regain energy and

look forward to the first day with excitement, positive feelings and optimism (I4_280-286).

Similarly, whereas some employees demand clear instructions on their first day of work,

others do not want to execute a plan step by step but rather prefer a “learning by doing”

approach.

As can be seen from the statements above, the attitude or characteristics of newcomers mainly

determine the success or failure of integration. Besides personality traits, the supervisor takes

a key role too and mainly shapes the phase prior to the first day of work.

4.2.2 Behavior of the supervisor

Most supervisors are not aware of their responsibility towards newcomers and the key

position they take. However, if done right, they can significantly influence the onboarding

process and make the new employee get excited about and looking forward to the first day of

work. Statements of new employees such as “For me personally, it is very important that I

can enter the company and feel comfortable.” (I1_48-49) or “[…] The supervisor gave me the

feeling that he is convinced everything will work out well. And I could imagine it 100%.

Therefore, there was just a real comfort factor.” (I1_54-56) confirm that it is, first and

foremost, the supervisor’s responsibility to convey a feeling of acceptance, security and

appreciation (I1_46-49).

What newcomers desire is not only to get along well with their colleagues but also to enjoy a

good relationship with their supervisor. “I could get along well with person x right away. He

did not even make the impression of being my supervisor. He was really cool, chill and I

could call him by his first name right away […].” (I2_131-133) Newcomers prefer meeting

the supervisor at eye level and a rather colleagual relationship. Besides, they appreciate a

supervisor with whom they can discuss issues openly, to whom they can go and talk to

whenever the feel the need to. Hence, it is decisive for the supervisor to create a positive

atmosphere and an environment within which the new employee feels comfortable. Hence,

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relationship-building and bonding early on is significant to establish a solid base for further

cooperation (I2_131-133, I8_126-139).

Besides, newcomers want the supervisor to be accessible, especially if there are remaining

questions during the pre-onboarding phase (I2_185-187). Additional efforts by the supervisor

such as giving the new employee the opportunity to call anytime or arranging another meeting

in person, are highly valued and appreciated. By this, initial concerns can be eliminated easily

and newcomers get even more committed to the firm (I2_5-6, I3_187-201 & 205-207). Not

only before the first day of work, but also during the first week, the supervisor should take

exceptional care of the newcomer. Surprisingly, it happens quite often that the person

responsible, most likely the supervisor, is not present on the newcomer’s first day. This leads

to confusion on the part of the newcomer and to a confusion of responsibilities within the

company (I9_111-115).

Maintaining contact and keeping ways of communication short is crucial in this early stage of

integration. A welcome letter, exchanging E-Mails and especially regular phone calls are

possibilities to keep in touch with the new employee. In particular, a personal call from the

supervisor one week before the official start date, for instance, represents a lovely gesture.

This gives the newcomer the opportunity to ask final questions, clarify expectations, discuss

first day details, etc. (I4_50-52 & 210-211, I9_17-18). “I really had the feeling that they are

looking forward to meeting me […] and that they actually care about me […] this is very

warm-hearted.” If the supervisor succeeds in creating an emotional bond with newcomers,

they can get integrated easier and more stable (I4_210-217).

In addition to maintaining contact and relationship-building, it is the supervisor’s task to

provide the newcomer with all information necessary to integrate him or her properly to the

company and new working environment. A Realistic Job Preview by the supervisor, including

a discussion of future tasks and responsibilities, a clarification of roles, opportunities for

training and development a well as salary negotiations, are crucial to give the newcomer an

idea of what can be expected from the position and to reduce initial uncertainties (I1_156-158

& 250-251, I9_33-36).

Besides, it is the supervisor’s responsibility to introduce the newcomer to the team and

company (I9_110-111). Usually, new emplyoees are very curious about their future

colleagues. Therefore, a first informal meeting, preferably before the first day of work,

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arranged by the supervisor, can help reduce early tensions and insecurities (I1_158-159, 247-

248). “[…] general things such as having a company tour. It should have been the supervisor

who is responsible for providing an overwiew, enabling company insight and whom one can

ask and go to anytime.” As can be seen from the statement above, not only an introduction to

the team but also providing company-specific information is demanded and desired by

newcomers. Even though tasks like these fall in the supervisor’s scope of duties, they are

often unable to fillfill and execute them appropriately (I9_119-121).

In addition to the behavior of the employee and the behavior of the supervisor, the HR

department takes, as well, a significant role during pre-boarding and essentially determines

the success of the integration process. Some examples of how the HR department shapes the

onboarding process will be provided in the following.

4.2.3 Role of the HR department

The HR manager is not only the first reference person of the new employee during the

application process but represents the main person of contact within the entire onboarding

process. It is usually the HR manager who provides company-specific information,

information on the position itself and who acts as “intermediary” for supervisors. From the

very beginning, the HR department should strive for building a unique relationship and

conveying positive feelings. This initial feeling is decisive for ongoing communication and

collaboration and drives the entire integration process (I8_158-161).

“Where I have a high opinion on is the HR department, I got a welcome package, […].”

(I4_49-50) The more information newcomers obtain prior to their first day of work, the more

secure they feel and the better their first impression of the company is. Also, the more

accurate and detailed the information candidates receive is, not only during the application

process but later as well, the more likely misunderstandings or a lack of clarity can be

prevented, and the more authentic the newcomer experiences the company and its values

(I1_35-40). Besides, the newcomer should have the possibility to contact the HR department

anytime to clarify remaining questions (I3_205-207, I4_232-236, I7_131-135). In particular,

simple things such as a brief phone call by the HR department, once in a while, to

demonstrate interest and ask about the newcomer’s current state of feelings and whether

further clarification or explanation is needed, could significantly reduce initial fears (I7_216-

219, I8_152-156).

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Transmitting fundamental knowledge about the organization is crucial in the initial

onboarding phase. It is the responsibility of the HR department to explain the company

structure, its history and provide the newcomer with further information necessary to help him

or her understand the company and its products (I2_166-172). This further includes discussing

the employment contract, work-related issues, documentation of working hours, etc. (I1_196-

200). Besides, offering additional support, being it a company tour, an introduction to key

people such as the work group or simply telling them where the common room with the

coffee machine is, reduces initial concerns and helps newcomers getting started (I2_174-178,

I7_128-131). Moreover, HR managers might provide newcomers with a rough action plan for

the next months, a preview or information on trainings and seminars to help them prepare

mentally for the upcoming challenges (I7_241-242, I8_106-107). Not only additional, but

ongoing support is highly valued by newcomers. Unfortunately, after the first day of work,

HR managers often do not feel responsible for the newcomer anymore (I7_102).

Whereas most interviewed persons have been satisfied with the actions taken by the HR

department, some employees perceived their role as not fulfilled. “I would have had a better

feeling if I got the chance to meet the HR woman in person. For 2-3 months, we’ve been

solely in contact via telephone and the process has been taken quite long already, […], this

was a little bit weird I have to say.” (I7_9-18). This statement cleary demonstrates that

regular and personal contact on the part of the HR department is significant, otherwise the

candidate feels like being left in a state of uncertainty (I7_43-46 & 147-154). In particular,

salary negotiations and other sensitive issues are strongly preferred to be discussed in person

(I7_148-149).

“The HR department communicated with me in a way that I was not 100% sure, if I really

want this job.” (I7_76-77) It’s not only about regular communication but also about giving

clear and transparent answers. It happened to new employees that they did not receive any

information by the HR department on the first day work including time, location or contact

person. This does not only let the HR department but the whole company appear in an

unflattering light (I7_114-118).

It can thus be concluded, if done right, the HR department can significantly steer things in the

right direction, positively influence the onboarding process and shape the phase prior to the

first day of work. Besides, also the future work group or team of the new employee plays a

key role during pre-boarding.

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4.2.4 Work group/team

There are several ways how the work group can ease the intergration of the newcomer to the

team and company. First of all, they can arrange the newcomer’s workplace in a way that it is

fully equipped and located close to other members of the work group or team. In particular,

newcomers like the idea of sharing a workplace with an experienced colleague or team

member. It does not only help the new employee to undersand the work itself or the daily

routines but it makes it easier to get to know close colleagues and fosters networking and

relationship-building (I7_160-162).

Moreover, the work group should aktively seek dialogue with new employees. For instance, if

the newcomer has an appointment for an interview, another meeting, a company tour, etc.,

future colleagues should use this opportunity to introduce themselves to the newcomer. The

new employee is nervous and curious about the company, working environment and future

team anyways and would love having an informal chitchat with colleagues in advance. As can

be seen from the following statement, some companies succeed in involving their employees

already from the very beginning. “All colleagues have introduced themselves, which made it

easier for me, […]. It already created a very relaxed feeling and atmosphere.” (I5_155-158)

On the one hand, it gives the newcomer the chance to ask questions and get to know his or her

future work group. At the same time, it represents a good opportunity for the work group

itself to get to know the new employee and get a first impression of how future collaboration

might look like. This is crucial, as potential areas of conflict can be revealed early on and

misunderstandings prevented. Besides, it is also in the strong interest of the newcomer to

make sure the work group is looking forward having him or her in their team. The least he or

she wants is to represent a danger or be regarded as disruption within the existing team.

Hence, getting to know each other beforehand helps to make sure everyone is on the same

wavelength and can imagine working with each other. Consequently, the more people the new

employee meets before the first day of work, the easier integration will be and initial

insecurities and fears can be reduced. Since meeting the work group was found to be one of

the greatest stress factors among newcomers, it will be discussed later in more detail (I1_158-

162 & 247-249, I3_20, I9_26-28).

In particular, at the newcomer’s first day or week at a new company, the work group takes a

key role. They can mainly contribute to the newcomer getting stably integrated to the work

group and company by, for instance, arranging a short company tour and introducing him or

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her to key people and departments. By this, the new employee gets a rough idea of the

company structure, hierarchy, communication channels and areas of responsibility (I1_187-

191). Also, including them not only in company events but also inviting newcomers to private

activities and ceremonies such as birthday parties or weekend activities represent great

opportunities to mingle and get to know each other. This, in turn, can mainly accelerate group

cohesion which, in turn, has a decisive impact on future collaboration (I2_227-230).

Also, conveying newcomers the feeling that they can approach group members and ask

questions anytime, gives them security and ensures clarity. Additionally, as newcomers are

obviously dependent on the help and support of their colleagues, in particular during the

initial phase, it is crucial to clarify each others’ roles and areas of responsibility. This makes it

easier for the new employee to approach the right people and start working as fast and

efficient as possible. Otherwise, the newcomer might get the impression to bother his or her

colleagues and prevent them from doing their actual work (I3_214-217, I4_175-178).

4.2.5 Other factors

Apart from characteristics of new employees, the behavior of the supervisor, the role of the

HR department and the work group or team, there exist many other other factors that can

significantly influence new employees’ feelings during pre-boarding and the way they

perceive the integration process. Some of them are to be briefly discussed in the following.

Family members and close friends, for instance, represent another main source of influence

before the new employee’s first day of work. It is usually the family and friends, newcomers

spend most time with besides work, and through active listening and mental support, they can

significantly encourage and motivate the newcomer (I4_42-45). Sometimes, a relative works

in the same industry or has experience working in or with the respective company. By this,

relevant and very specific information can be obtained in advance, such as information on the

working climate, corporate culture, etc. (I8_10-13 & 103-104 & 163-165).

Besides, it might be the case that a friend or a friend’s friend works for the same company or

even department. Having an informal chitchat with an established employee and getting the

possibility to ask questions and, by this, receiving “insider tipps”, might ease and facilitate

onboarding. “It was great that there was someone I already know privately […] and I knew

that I can ask questions anytime.” Consequently, having a contact person in advance can

reduce early tensions and insecurities (I10_133-145). “Since a close friend works in the

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department next to me, I had an idea of how the new work will be like.” In this case, the

newcomer could go into the company with a more relaxed feeling as he had a quite realistic

picture of what can be expected from the company and position (I2_126-128 & 215-217).

It has been found that knowing a friend within the company is not only a “bonus” but

sometimes more of a necissity to receive significant company information. “Only because of

a friend, who works for the company, I knew with whom I must talk to on the first day and in

which department this person is located […], where my workplace will be and with whom I

will be collaborating.” Witholding information does not only put the whole company in a

negative light but makes it more difficult to win the newcomer’s trust and, thus, incorporate

him or her successfully (I7_112-114 & 165-167).

Consequently, relatives and friends, hence one’s own network, represent valuable sources of

information. By sharing their experiences, newcomers can get a more realistic picture of the

company. One might think this is the responsibility of the company – and it should be – but

nowadays it seems like it is more about conducting independent reseach, whereas companies

are more careful about what kind of information they want to share with newcomers.

On the other side of the coin, private responsibilities or a busy lifestyle of the newcomer can

make pre-boarding or the initial phase at a company even more frustrating. Feeling the “need”

to spend time with the family and friends, having a relationship, exercising an extreme sport,

studying on weekends and, at the same time, trying to find some “me-time”, represent all

factors that determine the emotional state of the newcomer (I3_158-166).

Not only family, friends, pre-information or private responsibilities represent influcing factors

during the phase prior to the first day of work. Also, the newcomers’ past experiences,

positive or negative, have an impact on their feelings and attitude towards work and company.

Some employees have had negative experiences with their former employer, supervisor or

work group. Often, a lack of trust, communication, support or an unhealthy relationship has

led to a termination of work. Negative experiences like these result in the newcomer being

more careful and biased in terms of the new work (I1_87-89 & 111-113, I5_34-38 & 83-88 &

113-114, I8_126-131). Therefore, they are even more positively surprised and happy if they

experience the pre-boarding phase in a totally unique way and feel included and welcome

from the beginning (I4_267-270).

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Another factor that siginificantly impedes the integration process represent language

difficulties. “As a foreigner, it is very difficult, I have to deal with many things at the same

time. Being it the accommodation, the new work, the language, everything together, it needs

more time.” As can be seen from the statement, a foreigner is not only challenged to

communicate appropriately but to plan relocation as well. This requires a totally different

onboarding approach and treatment on the part of the company (I6_19-21 & 49-53).

This has been a rough overview of the main influencing factors before the first day of work of

a new employee. First, the behavior and characteristics of newcomers, whether they look to

the first day with excitement or fear, mainly determine the success or failure of onboarding.

Then, the role of the supervisor, that is not only providing information and maintaining

contact, but conveying newcomers the feeling that the company is looking forward to them, is

crucial. Also, the HR department represents a key influencing factor, as it is the first reference

point of the newcomer and should support the new employee throughout the entire

onboarding process, hence beyond the first day. Also, the work group and other factors such

as family and friends, pre-information or past experiences shape the pre-boarding phase.

Partly due to the above-mentioned influencing factors, new employees have an ideal picture

of how their first day of work should look like. Driven by their underlying values, anticipatory

socialization and previous experience, they have created certain expectations and desires on

their future job and company. The one’s relevant for the phase prior to the first day of work,

are to be presented in the next chapter, that is about expectations and desires of newcomers.

4.3 Expectations and desires

When it comes to expectations and desires of new employees before the first day of work, it

can be distinguished between a relationship aspect and a content aspect. One the one hand,

newcomers value intangible factors such as harmony, trust, empathy and a sense of well-

being. On the other hand, they have concrete ideas, perceptions and expectations on the

workplace and tasks themselves.

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Figure 10: Expectations of new employees

(own illustration)

4.3.1 Relationship-building and bonding

When newcomers think of their first day at work, it is more the interpersonal factors they are

concerned about. They desire harmony, a sense of wellbeing and acceptance by their

colleagues and supervisor. Not only being warmly welcomed, but they want company

members to meet them with trust, appreciation, acceptance and in joyful anticipation.

Consequently, creating a positive working atmosphere and building meaningful relationships

is in the strong interest of newcomers.

Positive working atmosphere

What new employees obviously value the most is if the company can create this unique sense

of well-being. Newcomers simply want to go into a company and feel comfortable and

welcome. They hope for a good coexistence and want to get along well with their colleagues,

supervisor and other company members. They further desire to get accepted by their peers,

and they want their work to be appreciated and valued within the company (I1_51-56 & 58-61

& 91, I3_106-108, I4_242-245, I5_29-30 & 33 & 94-95, I8_36-38 & 45).

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Besides their everyday tasks, they want to have fun at work and a feeling of “looseness”. This

is perceived as being an essential factor – enjoying work and going into the company with

positive feelings and excitement (I1_115-118, I3_106-107). “[…] that I can look forward to

working everyday and that I can enter the company with a good feeling, that’s what I hope for

[…].” (I8_98-99) “For me personally, it is very important that I can go into a company and

feel comfortable […].” (I1_48-49) In addition to a positive working environment, newcomers

want to be accepted and included by team members. This was to be found a decisive criterion

to either accept or refuse a job offer.

Work group/team

“What I desire most is, that I get along well with my colleagues, because I experienced it

completely different in my former company, where severe workplace bullying took place

[…].” (I1_87-89) “Since you spend most of your time at work, what matters most is the team

or colleagues.” (I4_142-144) “Establishing good relationships with colleagues, this was truly

the most important criteria, besides the field of work. Salary wasn’t even a decisive factor, I

just hoped for a good coexsitance and that I get along well with everyone from the

beginning.” (I9_104-107)

As can be seen from the statements above, employees strive for harmony, sympathy and good

relations among members of the work group (I1_91, I5_33 & 94-95, I7_64, I8_158-161).

Besides, newcomers hope for initial assistance and support, in a way that colleagues share

their workplace equipment and help the new employee get up to speed quickly (I1_178-179).

However, new employees do not only “hope” for a good together, they would highly

appreciate or even expect meeting their colleagues in advance, for instance by getting invited

to a short get-together one week before the official start date (I7_125-131).

Underlying values

In oder to establish good relationships, appreciation and trust represent essential prerequisites

for newcomers. This involves the supervisor’s and colleagues’ trust and believe in the new

employee’s abilities and strengths, for instance. Instead of control, hierarchy and overall

structure, newcomers value autonomy and appreciation of one’s individual work and overall

company contribution (I1_104-123, I2_136-146). “I was looking for a company, where I can

see that they are they are looking forward to and that they are pleased and happy about

having me working for them.” (I5_218-222) In particular, at the beginning of an employment

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relationship, a basis of trust and empathy on which further collaboration and work can be

based on, is desired. “[…] I need trust and positive feelings […]. If someone has no

confidence in my abilities, I can not be positive, productive and fully exploit my potential.”

(I6_61-65) Newcomers want to get the impression that the company really tries to understand

their point of view and that they cater to their very individual needs and expectations (I3_194-

196 & 223-224). Besides, conveying a feeling of security accelerates bonding and

relationship-building. “A kind of security, that they accept me the way I am, and not looking

down on me, this was very important to me […].” (I1_58-61) A connection between sense-of

wellbeing, security and trust has been found. This means, the more comfortable newcomers

feel during pre-boarding, the earlier feelings of trust and safety can be developed (I1_48-49).

Therefore, newcomers desire meeting at least some of their future colleagues before the first

day of work. Early touchpoints facilitate integration of newcomers and give them a feeling of

safety (I1_171-175, I5_155-158).

4.3.2 Employee orientation

Besides efforts on relationship-building and bonding, new employees expect an onboarding

process specifically tailored to their individual needs, strengths or experience. This might

include an individualized action plan, an initial training plan or simply a personal welcome

letter or welcome package. Obviously, every newcomer wants to receive the best support

during integration and do not want to follow a standardized procedure as can be seen from the

following statement by a newcomer participating in a trainee program. “There has been a

theoretical procedure, […] however, this plan was not tuned individually to my

requirements.” (I7_169-170) New employees do not want to be thrown into one big pot or

execute a plan that has been successful at some point in the past. They want something up-to-

date, creative and adjusted to their expectations to get the impression that the company really

cares about the them (I7_176-177). Or even a personalized message one week before the first

day of work, via E-Mail or telephone saying that everyone is looking forward to meeting him

or her. Simple word like these can trigger excitement on the part of the newcomer and boost

motivation. “[…] There has been a company prospect and a really cute and personal letter

written by my supervisor and saying, ‘Welcome to Company X, we are so pleased to having

you in our team’ […].” (I4_203-204) Newcomers want indidivualization and the feeling of

not being forgotten by the company (I9_200-202).

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What comes along with individualization is flexibility. In particular, concession on the part of

the company is highly appreciated by newcomers. This might involve letting the new

employee choosing the official start date, an agreement on working hours, arranging an

additional meeting for clarification and negotiation, a consent on planned vacation or making

other compromises in case the new employee is studying besides or living further away

(I2_97-102, I3_29-36 & 76-86 & 221-224, I7_267-271).

The last section has shown that indidivualization and flexibility on the part of the company

are highly valued and expected by newcomers. What is further decisive for the new employee

during pre-boarding is regular communication and interaction.

4.3.3 Communication

During the application or integration process, newcomers expect regular communication and

interaction with the company. This is desired in order to receive status updates, ensure clarity

and to get an idea whether the company actually cares about the newcomer. As can be seen

from the following statement, some companies are already doing a decent job in maintaining

contact with the newcomer. “A few weeks before my official start date, I received a phone call

from the HR department aksing me how I am and whether I am excited about the first day

[…] and that I should enjoy the rest of my vacation. I was really pleased about the phone

call.” (I8_152-156) Not solely via E-Mail or telephone but, in particular, when it comes to

salary negotiations, career opportunities and other key issues, newcomers seek personal

conversations and value joint decision-making power (I2_69-74, I5_186-192, I7_148-153).

Besides work-related reasons, newcomers perceive personal contact as the more effective way

of communication, as it gives all people involved the possibility to get to know and

understand each other better. “When talking to someone in person, one can get an idea, what

opinion this person has and whether he or she demonstrates interest or simply does not care

about the person […].” (I5_209-214) What is more, if the onboarding process takes longer

than expected, newcomers demand personal meetings periodically. Otherwise, if

communication only happens occasionally, it is difficult to build trust and start bonding

(I7_10-13).

It has been shown that shortly before the first day of work, such as one week or a few days,

newcomers hope for a personal meeting. As mentioned earlier, they feel the need of meeting

their colleagues, supervisor and exploring their future workplace in advance, to get a more

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realistic picture of what can be expected. A personal meeting gives the company the

opportunity to keep newcomers excited about the new job and create a more relaxing an

intimate atmosphere (I7_125-131).

In addition to regular contact, newcomers expect professionality and short communication

channels. This facilitates the exchange of information and enables a more efficient onboarding

process (I10_2).

Obviously, newcomers want to be included in the overall onboarding process and expect the

company to share essential information with them. Sometimes, however, newcomers are kept

in the dark, in particular as soon as a headhunting firm is involved. “Everything happened in

the background. Actually, I had no decision-making power, which was a little bit

disappointing and sad […]. I wasn’t happy about it.” (I5_190-193)

Through regular and personal contact, the newcomer wants the company to demonstrate

interest and show that they are looking forward to the new employee (I4_210-217, I5_211-

214 & 218-222, I7_247-252, I8_151-156). “In a face-to-face conversation, one can see if

there is a person-organization fit.” (I5_223-225) The least newcomers want is to get the

impression the company forgot about them. Instead, they expect the company to offer

additional support, hence a key person to talk to (I3_109-112 & 187-201 & 221-224, I7_122-

124 & 217-219).

The first part of this chapter has shown that company efforts on relationship-building and

bonding are expected by newcomers before their first day of work. Driven by their underlying

values and experience, newcomers want to feel welcome and comfortable at work. Hence,

they desire a positive working atmosphere, getting along well with their colleagues and

supervisor and maintaining personal and regular contact with the company. They further want

to get involved in the overall integration process and want onboarding practices to be adapted

to their invididual needs and expectations. All these demands should be fulfilled by the

company in order to build a connection to newcomers. Besides the relationship aspect,

newcomers have certain expectations on the job and tasks themselves, hence the content

aspect becomes crucial.

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4.3.4 Job opportunities

In addition to relationship-building and bonding, newcomers have concrete ideas and

expectations on the job and the respective tasks themselves. What newcomers hope for, is an

interesting, diversified, hence exciting and challenging working environment that fits to their

personal needs and interests. Here again, a fit between company and personal wants is

desired. This means, in addition to meeting company goals, newcomers want to succeed in the

job in a way that they can fulfill their personal needs and goals as well. What is more, sense-

making and identification with the product was found to be a decisive criterion for newcomers

as well as being able to apply the knowledge and skillset they have acquired in the past

(I5_95-98 & 115-118, I8_99).

A diversified working environment, for instance, includes international experience. New

employees, in particular Generation Y or Millennials, are curious and want to broaden their

horizon by working abroad for a predetermined period of time. “If I am young, I can afford

moving around.” (I10_75-78) More often, the prospect of international experience represents

a crucial factor for a new employee accepting a job offer. In particular, newcomers who have

had the possibility to gain international experience in the past, by means of studying or

working abroad, want to develop further and apply their language skills (I3_131-136). Apart

from this, newcomers want to develop within the firm and expect opportunities for

advancement, such as trainings and seminars offered by the company (I8_67-70).

What is more, newcomers demand flexible working hours. Due to private responsibilities or

leisure activities, employees want to utilize their time efficiently and to their own

requirements (I1_92-93). As some employees mentioned, a concession on working hours on

the part of the company was a decisive factor for them to take the job (I3_182-185). Smilarly,

another candidate particulary valued the large flexible time frame of the company. As he has a

one-hour drive to work, he can manage his time appropriately to avoid traffic (I10_2).

Whereas another employee prefers a convenient location over flexible working hours. As it

takes her only 10 minutes to reach the company by foot, the location was a key factor for her

to take the job. “That’s what I considered when applying for jobs […]. It is simply life quality

if it does not take too long to get home after work, considering all the traffic these days.”

(I1_94-100) Related to this, for some candidates, a bad location of the comanay would have

been the main reason for them to refuse the job offer (I9_81-84, I10_78-87).

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As mentioned earlier, newcomers desire a working environment within which they can feel

comfortable and “themselves”. This includes an office with a well-prepared workplace, for

instance, or no specific dresscode. A newcomer explicitely mentioned, the fact that he could

choose the clothes he wanted to wear, was, among others, a key factor to decide for this

company. Being able to wear whatever he feels comfortable with contributed to his overall

well-being. What’s more, the privilege to call his supervisor and colleagues by their first

name after the second interview, which immediately resulted in more collaborative relations,

have been highly appreciated by the newcomer (I1_178-179, I9_61 & 86-94).

As final remark, new employees desire a working environment, not only within which they

feel comfortable, but especially within which they can contribute significantly to the overall

success of the company. Instead of sitting around and getting “bored” easily, they expect the

company to keep them busy, challenged as they really want to make an impact (I10_94-97).

Concerning tasks and responsibilities, as mentioned earlier, newcomers expect clarity. Clarity

before the first day during the application process, but then also in the further course of

onboarding. This involves clarity on scope of actions and on the process of executing them.

Hence, new employees want to know in advance, how detailed and with what priority tasks

must be completed, and within what “frame” they can move freely. Therefore, the more

accurate pre-information is, new employees receive prior to their first day of work, the

smoother integration will be (I2_71-72, I3_229-235, I4_82-88, I7_235-236, I9_76-77). The

significance of a Realistic Job Preview will be discussed in the chapter Managerial

Implications and Outlook. Newcomers want to succeed in their job and task-related

information ensures not only clarity but also security (I1_35-40, I9_254-256). Hence, clarity,

security and initial support are higly valued among new employees. They expect a person who

devotes him or herself to the new employee and incorporates the newcomer appropriately

(I3_109-112, I7_235-236, I9_238-244).

The last chaper has demonstrated that newcomers have a broad range of expectations

concerning the first day of work. Obviously, most of these desires are not so much content

focused but rather interpersonal. Even though newcomers hope for an exciting and diverse

scope of duties, what they really value and strive for is creating long-lasting relationships with

company members and being welcomed with open arms. They desire harmony, a sense of

wellbeing and trust, in particular in the initial phase of onboarding.

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As can be seen from the above-mentioned statements of newcomers concerning their

perception of the overall onboarding process, influencing factors as well as expectations and

desires concerning the first day of work, they have been confronted with a variety of

conscious and unconscious feelings and emotions. Not only their underlying values and

hidden attitudes have been revealed but, in particular, intitial concers and fears. It has become

appearant that during pre-boarding, newcomers are exposed to an elevated level of stress and

uncertainty. Significantly depending on actions and measures initiated by the company,

newcomers are either excited or concerned about the first day of work. Referring to the latter

and, therefore, to the initial question, the next section deals with employees’ concerns and

fears during pre-boarding.

4.4 Concers and fears

The phase prior to the first day of work is commonly considered as time of heightened stress

and anxiety on the part of newcomers. For better depiction, concerns and fears of new

employees can be assigned into two main categories, namely social integration and technical

integration. This means, on the one hand newcomers are concerned about their inclusion into

the work group and whether they will be warmly welcomed and accepted by their peers and

other company members (Social Integration). On the other hand, newcomers question

whether they can accomplish tasks and responsibilities as demanded and whether they have

the required abilities and knowledge (Technical Integration).

Oveall, it has been proved difficult to assign certain fears and concerns to either one category

as they strongly correlate. When talking about expectations, as an example, a newcomer

might be concerned about expectations of the work group and, at the same time, he does not

know what is to be expected from the work itself, hence, what tasks need to be completed by

when. Referring to the interview results, concerns and fears of new employees that were

found to be most significant during the phase prior to the first day of work involve inclusion

into the work group, accomplishment of tasks, uncertainty, self-doubts, suprises, work-life

balance and language barriers. Each concern will be discussed individually and the respective

role of the social and technical integration highlighted.

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Table 7: Concerns and fears of new employees

(own illustration)

4.4.1 Phase of uncertainty

New employees disclosed valuable information on how they feel or felt during the phase prior

to the first day of work or during their first day(s) or week within the new company, and how

they perceive the onboarding process. They commonly described this pre-phase as stressful,

anxiety-provoking, and shaped by insecurities, tensions and nervousness. Consequently, they

have been in a state of permanent uncertainty which is to be explained in the following.

“The days before, even if it wasn’t that long, […], I was nervous, what is to be expected from

me?” (I1_17-20) “The day before, I didn’t sleep well at all. This uncomfortable feeling,

knowing that you will be the newbie not unaware of what’s going to happen.” (I4_185-186)

As can be seen from the statements, newcomers usually experience this pre-boarding phase as

nerve-racking, since they don’t know for sure how things will develop and what is going to

happen (I1_22, I2_50-51 & 152).

“[…] Of course, there has been a certain insecurity, I mean if you don’t know the people and

the whole working environment.” (I4_4-8) “It is a new chapter that shouldn’t be

underestimated […]. Especially, the anxiety about the future, as you don’t know what can be

expected […].” (I4_10-11) Most candidates perceive the phase before the first day as state of

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panic and anxiety within which they start questioning whether they did the right thing as

“[…] you don’t know anybody, you don’t know how everything works […].” (I4_18-24).

“On the first day, you enter the company and have no idea what comes next. You just stand

there and ask what you should do and where to go and the other person responds he is not

sure either.” This is the worst scenario a new employee can imagine, getting the impression

that the company is not prepared, has no plan, hence is not ready for the new employee

(I9_225-229).

“The insecurity of the first month, you don’t know if you can stay since they can fire you

anytime.” (I9_155-156) Adding to this statement, not only newcomers within probationary

period are concerned about an early termination. In particular, temporary employees are in a

state of permanent uncertainty. Depending on the order situation, they might or might not be

acquired after having worked for the company for a certain period (I9_158-173).

What is more, the integration process becomes even more stressful and insecure for

newcomers if they get the feeling that the company lacks communication, structure and

withholds information (I7_71-74 & 111-120). Hence, a lack of personal contact, where the

company would have had the chance to empathize with the newcomer, provide mental

support and discuss sensitive issues, leads to the newcomer remaining in a state of insecurity

(I5_186-193) In addition, the fact that the newcomer has not started bonding, building trust

and a connection to the company, makes it difficult to develop positive feelings and be

productive from the first day (I6_58-65).

4.4.2 Inclusion into the work group

As outlined in the introduction, when talking about concerns and fears, it can be distinguished

between a social and a technical perspective. Concerning the social integration, newcomers

feel insecure in terms of how they will be received by their future team, whether they will be

warmly welcomed or it will rather be a battle for power. “[…] you don’t know how the people

are and whether they accept you in their team. […]” (I4_175-177) Newcomers are concerned

about conveying long-term employees the feeling that they take away work from them and

trigger upheaval. Above all, they question whether their working style can be aligned with the

every day practices of established emloyees (I2_106-109 & 114-116). Interestingly, the

uncertainty about the future work group is perceived as being most stressful for newcomers,

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in particular if the newcomer is not used to working in a team. “[…] I wonder how the new

colleagues will be like and whether I can collaborate with them successfully.” (I3_20-23)

Besides, newcomers are concerned about not getting well integrated to the company and team

as colleagues might be too busy with other responsibilities (I3_109-111). “[…] What if they

are not friendly and do not want to help me? At the beginning, you heavily depend on them.

Of course, I am anxious and concerned about that.” (I4_177-179) On the one hand,

newcomers fear asking colleagues for help as they do not want to put an additional burden on

them and keep them from doing their own work. On the other hand, newcomers know that

they depend on the colleagues’ support in the initial phase as they are not familiar with the

processes and tasks. Consequently, they have no chance other than asking many questions at

the beginning. However, it puts newcomers in an unpleasant situation since they fear that

colleagues do not show the patience and empathy they are hoping for (I4_149-153). “I kept

asking everyone but I was not 100% sure who is responsible for me getting stably integrated

into the team. Consequently, I always had the feeling to interrupt them […]” (I9_121-123)

Referring to the last statement, it has been shown that the attitude or personality of the

newcomer greatly determines how he or she handles uncomfortable situations. Overall, for

younger, unexperienced employees, it is more difficult to approach colleagues directly and

ask for help (I9_140-143). However, it has been shown that age is not the only factor that

drives insecurity. A new employee at the age of 27, for instance, demonstrated a very reserved

behavior as she got assigned to a group composed of only male colleagues (I6_69-70).

What is more, due to previous experiences, new employees are concerned about not getting

along well with their supervisor. Their fear that, instead of offering support, the supervisor

will look down on them and do not meet them with the desired respect and appreciation

(I8_126-130). Consequently, conveying positive feelings as well as providing a Realistic Job

Preview is crucial. This will be elaborated in section 5 Discussion of Results and 6

Managerial Implications and Outlook.

4.4.3 Tasks and responsibilities

In addition to the fear and uncertainty of getting included into the work group, new employees

are concerned about their new tasks and areas of responsibility, hence about the technical

integration. Usually, the only pre-information necomers receive before the first day of work is

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a rough overview on the scope of activities as stated in job adverstisements and touched on

during job interviews (I1_127-144).

“I did not know at all what are my tasks and responsibilities. I mean, I was aware of the tasks

from the job ad, that I must do this and that but company-related, I did not know what can be

expected. Whether I need to produce exactly this product or […]. Detailed information was

missing.” (I10_175-180)

"[…] Even though I received some pre-information on areas of responsibility, I didn’t know

for sure what it means […].” (I1_19-20) As can be seen from the statements above,

newcomers usually have a rough idea about their future tasks, but a lack of clarity and details

impedes understanding and leads to uncertainty.

“It was not sure what will be my fields of activity, what departments I will be assigned to and

when the program ends.” This is a statement of a new employee participating in a trainee

program and reflecting upon the phase prior to the first day of work. Unfortunately, he didn’t

receive any job-related information in advance (I7_34-36).

It has been shown that with certain tasks, newcomers can identify from the outset, whereas

other tasks trigger severe insecurity on the part of the newcomer. Interestingly, tasks that

require a higher personal initiative and that are associated with more responsibility are most

feared by newcomers compared to tasks with shared responsibility. However, it can not be

generalized and often, the way new employees perceive and manage new tasks simply

depends on their personality and attitude towards work (I1_127-144).

As mentioned above, before the first day of work, there exists a strong fear of failure among

newcomers, since they only know roughy what tasks they need to fulfill and what skillset is

required. However, as the first week has just started and newcomers are confronted with

reality or even overstrained with new tasks, tension increases. At this point, newcomers often

realize that there are more fields of action than expected, in which they must catch up and

improve themselves (I3_142-151).

What is more, and by this referring to social integration, newcomers fear disappointing their

colleagues and supervisor as they don’t know how accurate and comprehensive tasks need to

be completed. What seems “normal” to and is everyday practice for established employees

still represents a challenge for newcomers, such as how to prioritize tasks, how to allocate

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time appropriately, and so on. In particular, perfectionists struggle significantly if they are not

provided with information on how detailed and thoroughly tasks need to be fulfilled and

activities prioritized. “[…] In particular in the beginning, I find it very difficult since I don’t

know what, how and by when tasks need to be completed.” (I3_228-235)

Eventually, due to a lack of initial support and integration by colleagues and supervisors,

newcomers might not be able to complete tasks as demanded (I3_112-115). Added to that is

the fact that some employees are studying besides, which increases their stress level

immensely and results in additional tensions. That’s what a newcomer revealed who was in

his first week at work (I3_151-156). Another candidate felt insecure about whether the bank

sector is the right surrounding for her as she previously worked in the textile sector. In this

case, she was even more nervous since she is not familiar with the upcoming tasks (I8_8-9).

In addition, due to incomplete information, newcomers feel insecure about their future

responsibilities. An employee from the industrial furnance sector, for instance, knew in

advance, that it will be, among others, his task to work at the building site. However, he had

no information concerning when, where and with whom he will be working, which, in turn,

created additional tensions on the part of the newcomer (I9_72-75).

Similarly, a candidate wanted to be prepared for his first day of work and went through his

former school materials as he wanted to avoid getting embarrassed in front of his colleagues.

However, he did not know exactly what topic areas he should look at which resulted in the

newcomer being even more nervous and confused. In the end, the first week proofed to be

more of an introduction or overview of the company and departments rather than a “jump into

cold water”. If he would have known this in advance, the new employee had concentrated on

other things and prevented unnecessary stress an insecurity (I9_260-265).

4.4.4 Self-doubts

During the phase prior to the first day of work, newcomers are confronted with many

questions such as “Am I good enough?” (I2_110), “Am I really able to do this?” (I4_16) or

“What if it wasn’t the right decision?” (I4_160). Since they do not know for sure what can be

expected from the new position, they start questioning whether they can fulfill tasks and

responsibilities as required (I3_111-112, I4_17, I9_150-152_I3_12-14).

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“[…] At my previous company, I’ve been only for one month. Therefore, I was more careful

and I kept myself saying that I do not want to repeat my mistakes and choose a company I am

not overall satisfied with.” Due to negative occurences at the former company, newcomers

are biased, skeptical and have doubts concerning the new position (I5_84-86).

“[…] Self-doubts, whether I can do a satisfactory job or whether I can manage the

pressure.” To continue the last statement, newcomers question whether they have been the

reason for the termination of the employment relationship or if it was the company’s fault.

Hence, a lack of self-confidence and believe in their own abilities prevents them from

developing trust in in the new company (I5_110-114).

“You don’t know where the path will lead you and, I mean, it will take time until I settled in,

[…], because the work I did before was actually easy and without any problems.” (I4_163-

165) As can be seen from the statement, newcomers often start to question and rethink their

decision and whether it is worth all the new effort. Since they have been working for the

previous company for more than 10 years and they did an acceptable job, there was no more

need to demonstrate their abilities and knowledge (I4_31-33).

The closer to the first day of work, the more insecure newcomers feel and the more they try to

justify their decision. They want to make themselves clear that this is the right way to go and

that it was the right decision to quit their previous job (I4_159-166). Here again, newcomers

are worried about both, the social and technical integration. As some employees did not have

a harmonious relationship with former colleagues or even experienced workplace bullying,

they have doubts whether they get along well with new colleagues and get accepted as team

member. “What if my colleagues are not nice or they do not want to help me? […] Obviously

this creates anxiety and doubts.” (I1_87-89, I4_176-179, I5_35-38)

In addition, newcomers start comparing themselves with long-term employees and ask

themselves why they do not understand tasks as fast and effective as they do (I3_149-151).

This, again, leads to the newcomer doubting their own abilties and strengths. What’s more,

since some newcomers have made bad experiences with their previous employer, they fear

having an unhealthy relationship with their future supervisor, as well. “In my last job, it was

very challenging to communicate with my boss as he usually looked down on his employees

and caused anxiety.” (I8_126-130) However, there has been the impression that newcomers

are rather doubtful about their technical integration which is to be explained as follows.

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In particular, new employees have doubts when it comes to technical integration. Due to a

lack of experience or negative experiences with the former company, some employees lack

self-confidence on the one hand and are concerned about not being able to meet the

colleagues’, company’s and even their own expectations on the other hand. Let’s take a closer

look at some examples:

An employee who switched from the textile sector to the bank sector, for instance, doubts

whether she can pass the introductory test as she does not have the technical know-how and

experience (I8_103-110). “I don’t know anything from the bank sector, this is completely new

to me.” (I8_90-91) Another example is an employee who did competition bodybuilding in his

“previous life” and has just started to work as a sales manager. Due to this substantial

transition from “physical work” to “brain work”, the new employee questioned whether he

can fulfill the new tasks (I3_65-73).

Similarly, a young employee who has just graduated from a secondary technical school fears

that the company might has exaggerated expectations due to his technical background and

consequently, he might not be able to fulfill these. “I have the theoretical knowledge, but I am

not sure if I can put this knowledge into practice.” Concerning this aspect, the new employee

was worried about lacking self-efficacy, hence the ability of recalling significant information

and knowledge (I10_102-108).

“It’s a different situation if you just graduated from university or if you have years of hands-

on experience […]” This is a statement by a former student who has just started to work

(I3_120-122). Obviously, as soon as newcomers lack experience and knowledge in certain

areas, they do not feel comfortable and start doubting their abilities (I3_174-177, I4_149). In

particular, if the new task is connected to an elevated amount of responsibility and decision-

making power. “I will have the power to decide who is participating in the program and who

is not. This is a responsibility I have never had before. Concerning this, I have doubts

whether I am able to handle this sort of pressure.” (I1_130-138)

Consequently, newcomers have a variety of concerns and doubts before the first day of work.

One the one hand, they do not know what to expect from the new position and whether they

can meet company expectations. On the other hand, newcomers are truly concerned about

meeting their own expectations (I3_8-9 & 113-114, I4_11 & 17, I10_103). “Demands and

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expectations of myself are very high and I didn’t know if I can fulfill them to my own

satisfaction.” (I3_33-34)

4.4.5 Surprises

In addition to self-doubts and a lack of experience, what further contributes to concerns and

fears on the part of new employees are surprises. Even though surprises can be of positive

nature, in the initial stage of integration, they can cause significant uncertainty among

newcomers. Surprises mainly relate to technical integration where new employees are

challenged by and confronted with new tasks and changes.

On the very first day of work, new employees usually experience a great deal of surprises.

They are confronted or rather overstrained with a variety of topics including appointments for

meetings, trainings, seminars, intoductions, and so on. This “jump into cold water” or

“confrontation with reality” might be one way to introduce the newcomer to the company.

However, expecting too much from day one might result in the adverse affect, that is

confusion and intimidation. “[…] On the first day of work I received a program of actions or

activities for the first week. If I would have known this in advance, I could have prepared

mentally. I was quite surprised.” (I3_254-255, I10_154)

Similarly, another candidate expected her first day at work to be more easy-going, general or

basic, to get smoothly introduced to the company. However, the company started at a very

fast pace and plunged right into the subject matter. For her to understand the overall

production line, she would have been interested in understanding interrelationships and

receiving some background information on the different departments and products. “[…] The

whole introduction was not very general. […] They could have waited for the second day to

get started with everything.” (I6_31-43)

In addition, there have been surprises regarding the social integration of newcomers. A young

employee participating in a trainee program got the impression that the company did not

expect the newcomer as they were surprised when he started his first day of work. The

employee was disappointed and complained about a lack of communication and overall

structure and organization. “When I think of the first day, people have been quite surprised

and they did not expect that I am already there. […] They have been completely unprepared.”

Consequently, a lack of internal communication puts the newcomer in an unpleasant situation

and causes uncertainty and confusion (I7_136-139). Similarly, what another newcomer

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experienced in her previous company was that they have been introduced to a new employee

even though they did not receive any pre-information on her arrival. This is not only

embarrassing for the new employee but for established employees as it let the company

appear in a very poor light (I4_267-273).

In particular, when talking about the first day or days of new employees, they might be

surprised about the tremendous change and initial challenges that come with the new position.

A newcomer who started his work as sales manager, for instance, was surprised about the

high affinity with IT required to be able to complete tasks. As he realized in which areas or

subjects he is expected to perform well, uncertainty and enormous pressure to succeed has

built up. This might be reduced to incomplete or unrealistic information provided to the new

employee in advance. This, again, clearly shows the significance of a Realistic Job Preview

(I3_142-146).

Consequently, even though new challenges and changes are interesting and exciting on the

one hand, they can be intimidating on the other hand. “[…] This is something completely new,

which I’ve never had before, and that’s the challenge, yes […].” (I1_141-144, I5_116-118)

The transition from being a professional athlete to working as sales manager, as mentioned

before, resulted in a real change for the new employee, not only technically, but also mentally.

“I would say the greatest fear was that I didn’t know for sure whether I am up to the new

challenge or change.” (I3_12-14)

What further increases tensions on the part of newcomers are transitions from school or

university to work or switching from one industry or sector to a totally different one. “At

work, the daily routine is so much faster, that’s not comparable with studying, not at all.”

(I3_96-100) “This has been a point in time, where I was not sure whether I want to remain

this area or I want to change completely.” As some newcomers experience a significant

change in their lives, they need to be treated respectfully by companies and require individual

onboarding approaches (I3_74-76).

New challenges and changes also relate to the social integration, as new employees fear that

they do not receive the required support of their colleagues. “What I was most concerned

about was that there will be so much new things at once and no one stands by my side, no one

has time or considers taking time to help me.” (I3_109-110).

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This has been an overview of some main concerns and fears of new employees before the first

day of work or during their initial phase at work. However, there are a variety of other topics

newcomers are concerned about within pre-boarding. Some of them are to be briefly

discussed in the following

4.4.6 Other concerns

Other concerns new employees have before their first day of work include a work-life balance

and language barriers. When talking about “Work-Life Balance”, more often, new employees

fear managing private and business life at the same time. Even though for most people work

has a high priority, it is at least as important for them to use their leisure time wisely and find

time for family and friends. “There is always the question how much time remains for a

relationship, family and friends. […] Is the work really worth sacrificing other important

things in life?” Such thoughts concern a new employee who is within his first week at work.

He is studying besides, practicing a time-consuming hobby and considers himself as family

man. Consequently, he is worried about fitting all responsibilities under one hat (I3_158-166).

Similarly, another newcomer mentioned that flexible working hours are a decisive factor for

her in order to balance private and business responsibilities. “[…] working hours are a big

point, because, of course, I like my spare time and want to have time for other activities as

well.” (I1_92-93) This leads to the importance of companies creating individual incentives.

Besides, languge barriers might impede a successful integration and cause uncertainty and

fears among newcomers. “It was very exciting and emotional. I am a foreigner and it is

difficult. There are so many things in my life I must deal with at the moment. Being it the

accommodation, the new work, the language or everything together.” (I6_19-21) On the one

hand, the newcomer is concerned about the social integration and, by this, whether she can

communicate properly with her new colleagues and whether they accept her as group

member. On the other hand, she fears technical integration. Due to language barriers, she is

concerned about fulfilling tasks and responsibilities as required (I6_49-53). Besides a proper

work-life balance and language barriers, newcomers are concerned about other topics such as

the company’s dress code, etc. However, this is not going to be discussed in further detail.

The last chapter has mainly contributed to answering the research question, that is “What

concerns do new employees have before their first day of work?” First of all, when talking

about concerns and fears of new employees, it is important to distinguish between concerns in

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the field of human relations and concerns in the technical field. Even though newcomers can

either be concerned about the social or the technical integration such as being included into

the work group or the accomplishment of tasks, there exists a list of other concerns and fears

that involve a technical and social perspective. These include, among others, initial

uncertainties, anxieties, tensions, self-doubts, expectations, past experiences, surprises, new

challenges, changes, and further concerns and fears such as a proper work-life balance or

language barriers.

The next chapter gives a brief overview of companies’ current actions on reducing initial

concerns and fears of newcomers and, at the same time, on integrating them successfully and

stably into the work group and company. Those measures can be classified in three main

categories, namely relationship-building, providing information, maintaining contact, and

organization and structure. Concrete actions that relate to each of these categories are to be

discussed in the following:

4.5 Corporate actions

There are a variety of actions and measures companies initiate to reduce newcomers’ concerns

and fears before their first day of work. First is relationship-building, and by this, companies’

efforts on bonding, establishing a conncetion to newcomers and, consequently, on earning

newcomers’ trust.

4.5.1 Relationship-building

By arranging first touch points, companies can significantly facilitate the integration of

newcomers to the company and team. This can be a short get-together before the first day of

work, as an example. In particular, job interviews, meetings or other company invitations

represent good opportunities to introduce the newcomer to the company and work group,

provide him or her with valuable information and stimulate bonding (I5_155-158). “People

during the job interview have been really nice and I got the feeling that all employees are very

friendly […] I felt good here.” (I6_103-105)

An informal talk with supervisors and colleagues, for instance, make it easier to “break the

ice” and create a positive atmosphere (I1_46-48). “I could call my boss by his first name,

right after our second meeting, that’s what I really liked.” (I9_90-91) Similarly, another

candidate talked in glowing terms about his supervisor and appreciated his honesty and open-

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mindedness. “I got along with my supervisor right away. He didn’t behave like he is my boss

[…]. It was not very formal since we were on a first-name basis from the beginning.”

(I2_131-133)

Besides, the future work group or colleagues can accelerate and positively influence

relationship-building and bonding. As mentioned earlier, newcomers desire to get along well

with colleagues and seek contact (I1_51-52). “My future colleagues have introduced

themselves, which made it easier for me. […] Walking around, getting to know each other and

having an informal chit chat. This created a relaxed atmosphere right away.” (I5_155-158)

As can be seen from the statement, early contact with colleagues significantly influences the

newcomer’s attitude towards the company and creates harmony (I1_155-162 & 247-248). The

way of announcing newcomers is not solely a sign of respect and appreciation but lays the

cornerstone for future collaboration and long-lasting relationships (I1_171-175, I4_92-95

I10_147-148).

Besides personal meetings, there are other ways to convey the new employee positive feelings

and make him or her enthusiastic about the first day of work. This might include a short

phone call or a personalized letter. “Person x from the HR department called me and ask how

am I doing, whether I am looking forward to the new work, […], and that I should enjoy my

vacation. I was really happy and surprised that she touched base with me one more time.”

(I8_152-156) Actions like these help companies establish good relationships from the outset

and reduce early tensions and insecurities. Similarly, another candidate received a phone call

by the HR department, saying “We hope to receive a positive answer from you soon, because

we really want to have you in our team.” (I7_247-252)

For most employees, a “sense of well-being” is fundamental to build relationships. Some

companies succeed in conveying this feeling by simple actions such as welcoming the

newcomer and integrating him or her to the new work group (I5_38-39). “I really had the

feeling they are looking forward to me and this was wonderful.” (I4_54-55 & 213-214)

“From the team, I couldn’t think of a better integration, I got warmly welcomed.” (I4_141-

142) In particular, treating newcomers not like “newbies” but instead if they have been with

the company for years, contributes to a better well-being (I4_242-245). “I felt comfortable

right away. They all gave me the feeling, that everything’s gonna work out well. […] This

definitely created a sense of well-being.” (I1_53-56) “This was the decisive factor, that I feel

comfortable and that I get accepted the way I am.” (I1_48-49 & 90-91)

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Consequently, companies that aim at addressing the emotional side of new employees before

the first day of work, can substantially reduce early concerns and fears. The way companies

approach new employees and win their confidence can vary greatly. However, if done right,

by considering their individual needs, even small actions without much effort can make a real

impact and result in long-lasting relationships.

4.5.2 Maintaining contact

Obviously, without maintaining contact, there is no way for companies to establish

meaningful relationships with newcomers. New employees want the company to keep them

up to date during the entire integration process and receive a regular status update. There are

various sources of communication utilized by companies to stay in contact with the new

employee. This includes, among others, personal meetings, communication via telephone, E-

Mail, or personal letters (I1_212-221, I9_191-192, I10_12-13).

However, by far the preferred and most effective method of communication are personal

meetings. A new employee who has just started his job as sales manager in the medical

technology industry perceived the possibility of having additionl personal meetings as

privilege and goodwill on the part of the company. “What I must say is that my direct

supervisor arranged another meeting, even though he was on vacation and had other

responsibilities at the same time. It was important to him to understand my concerns.” This

mainly contributed to reducing initial fears and motivating the new employee to accept the job

offer (I3_187-201).

Right after personal contact comes communication via telephone. Newcomers want to keep

communication short and appreciate the opportunity of contacting the company anytime they

feel the need for further information and clarification. “In between, if there has been anything

unclear, I could have called anytime, even my supervisor, not just the HR department.” (I2_5-

6, I3_206-207). Not solely having the opportunity to call anytime but receiving regular phone

calls from the supervisor or other company members facilitates the onboarding process and

demonstrates interest (I8_152-156). “One day before my first day at work, my supervisor

called me and provided me with all information necessary to successfully start in the first

week.” (I4_50-52 & 135-136 & 210-211)

Besides communicating via telephone, some firms think of other creative ways to stay in

contact with the newcomer and reduce initial fears. A newcomer was delighted, for instance,

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about receiving a personal letter before the first day of work in saying “Welcome to company

x, we are looking forward to welcoming you in our team.” Simple word like these can trigger

excitement and motivation on the part of the newcomer (I4_202-204).

As can be seen from the above-mentioned statements, it is usually not only one person that

feels responsible for maintaining contact with the new employee. Depending on the company,

position and candidate either the supervisor, the HR department, the secretary, a department

manager or a combination of them stays in contact with the newcomer. Newcomers usually

appreciate the possibility of getting to know and talking to key people of the firm prior to their

first day of work. However, in some cases, as outlined in previous chapters, this might lead to

a confusion of responsibilities.

Besides relationship-building and maintaining contact and by this, addressing the emotional

side of the newcomer, there are a range of actions initiated by companies to facilitate

integration, such as providing information. This includes, among others, a RJP, a welcome

package, a tour throughout company facilities, etc., which will be elaborated in the next

section.

4.5.3 Providing information

Overall, there has been a perceived lack of information provided to new employees before the

first day of work. However, newcomers obtained some basic information in advance and had

a general idea of what can be expected from the advertised position (I1_18-20, I3_138). “[…]

I received some paperwork, basic information but there have been no concrete measures that

would have eased my integration.” (I6_188-189)

From job ads and during job interviews, new employees received (comprehensive) company

and task-related information (I6_99). “From the job advertisement, I had a rough idea about

the tasks and responsibilities that relate to the position.” (I10_175-178) “During job

interviews, they told me simple things like how the work will be like […].” (I9_189-191) In

particular, one employee appreciated the transparency and honesty of her supervisor during

their meeting. Discussing positive as well as negative aspects of the position created a realistic

picture of how the job might look like. “I obtained detailed information on my future tasks

and responsibilities […]. This has made it easier and helped me a lot […].” (I1_155-165 &

249-251) As can be seen from the statement, a Realistic Job Preview results in more clarity

and transparency on the part of the newcomer and reduces initial concerns.

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Another candidate described his second interview as rather informal as he could explore

offices, departments as well as take a first look at his future tasks. This hands-on information

and experience did not only give the newcomer a more realistic picture about his future work

place, but reduced initial concerns as well (I9_14-16). More like a short company tour, some

candidates got special insights into the company, departments and a brief introduction to some

of the production facilities and programs the company is dealing with (I9_24-28).

In addition, what some companies further do is to invite newcomers to a trial day before the

first day of work. This enables both parties, the company as well as the newcomer to

experience first-hand whether there exists a person-organization fit and, consequently,

whether the candidate can identify with the company, its products and get along well with

colleagues. Above all, it represents an excellent way to convey the organizational culture and

provide significant information (I10_43-48).

Besides job interviews and other personal meetings, newcomers receive information via

telephone. As mentioned earlier, supervisors, the HR department and other company

members, try to maintain contact with the newcomer and keep communication short. “They

called me in advance and told me what can be expected and explained everything to me […].”

(I4_49-52 & 222)

What is more, companies facilitate onboarding by sending newcomers some job-related

material via E-Mail or mail, such as the employment contract or a welcome package. This

gives the newcomer the possibility to go through and sign the employement contract in peace

and make some early preparations (I2_157-161, I4_50). A welcome package usually includes

information on the company, such as the company newspaper, some goodies as well as job-

related information (I4_91-92 & 200). It further provides information on when and where to

go on the first day, how the first day is organized and what are the main activities planned

(I4_192-194 & 211-215, I8_177-178).

Besides, another candidate exchanged E-Mails with his future boss before the first day of

work to receive information on how he can prepare himself best for the new job (I9_17-19).

Even knowing what to wear on the first day, where to go and further information (material) is

highly appreciated by newcomers as it makes them feel better prepared for and getting excited

about the first day of work (I8_142-146, I9_178-180).

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This has been a summary of company actions on providing new employees with information

before the first day of work. Besides, companies take measures on ensuring orientation and

structure before the first day of work. Setting up a formal onboarding program or organizing

the workplace in advance, conveys the impression that the company is prepared and looking

forward to the new employee.

4.5.4 Orientation and structure

Even though desired by most newcomers, hardly any company can provide new employees

with a formal or personalized onboarding program before the first day of work. However,

firms usually make use of a rather general, theoretical integration procedure that applies to all

newcomers. This includes a plan with a rough timeline and key activities that aims at ensuring

a fast and efficient integration (I7_169-178, I9_107-109 & 238-244). Instead of prioritizing

tasks and providing newcomers with a framework within which they can move, companies

usually leave a lot of freedom regarding how and by when tasks are expected to be executed.

In particular, creative minds appreciate this kind of integration as they can complete tasks to

their own requirements (I3_228-235).

What further contributed to a better orientation on the part of the newcomer, has been a

preview on upcoming trainings, seminars and examinations (I8_103-112). “I knew in advance

that there will be trainings and that they will be quite time-consuming.” (I6_128) “I am really

excited about having trainings and seminars in the initial phase. […] Because my former job

has been quite boring lately and you just worked to rule […].” (I8_62-65) The more detailed,

structured and transparent trainings and developments are organized by companies, the more

excited newcomers get and the more they are looking forward to expanding their skillset

(I8_180-189).

Besides, an organized and fully prepared workplace before the first day of work ensures an

efficient and rapid integration. Also, it gives new employees a feeling of safety, appreciation

and makes them feel more comfortable. “Everything you need has been prepared in advance.

And you don’t sit anywhere but you have your own workplace and are seated next to your

colleagues.” (I1_181-186) Similarly, another candidate justified his delayed start at work with

the fact that important working materials had to be organized in advance. “[…] All the IT

equipment has been managed and prepared for me, to have everything ready for the first

day.” (I3_54-56) Also, an employee who works in the industrial furnance sector was

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delighted about the company’s preliminary work. “The workplace was fully prepared. As

soon as I arrived, everything has been there, I didn’t have to wait for my computer […]. This

was really good because I had something to occupy right away.” (I10_114-121)

As can be seen from the statements, since newcomers are concerned and nervous about the

new work anyways, they appreciate company efforts on providing orientation and doing pre-

work. Even if it’s just conveying newcomers a realistic picture of what’s happening on the

first day, whether there will be meetings, they will receive further information material, or

whether other newcomers will start on the same day, reduces initial fears and helps structure

their thoughts (I8_43-45 &177-179).

These are actions companies take upfront to ensure a smooth integration. However, most

firms put their focus on the first day(s) or week(s) of work when it comes to providing

information, orientation and structure (I2_157).

4.5.5 The first day(s) and week(s)

It has been shown that it is commonly the first day or days (of work), where most company

actions and introductory work take place. On the first day, employees usually start in the HR

department, in case it hasn’t been taken care of in advance, to receive the employment

contract and discuss remaining questions and work-related details (I1_196-197, I5_161-162).

“That there exists a program of actions for the first week I got told on my first day of work.”

(I3_254-255). Information on trainings, seminars and other important appointments are

usually announced on the newcomer’s first day. (I3_249-250). Besides, an information map is

handed to newcomers as well as meetings arranged by the HR department to welcome the

newcomer, provide him or her with further company and task-related information and

introduce him or her to the work group and colleagues (I4_195-198, I6_83-85).

On the first day, the supervisor or HR department usually feels responsible for devoting some

time to the new employee. This includes arranging a short company tour, showing them their

new office and introducing them to key people (I9_110-111). “On my first day, I got picked

up from the reception. They showed me around, we took a quick look at the production

facilities, like a short tour where I got introduced to key activities.” (I10_147-152) More

often, the HR department takes on the task of receiving the new employee and providing him

or her with further instructions. “[…] Person x from the HR department welcomed me, we had

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a friendly conversation, he perfectly explained the company structure and provided me with a

well-prepared plan and a map for newcomers.” (I2_169-172) What newcomers further value

is, not only getting introduced to colleagues but getting shown their workplace, getting

explained any technical equipment and told were to find office supplies, etc. (I10_114-121).

Another very effective way of introducing the newcomer to the company and team, that is

frequently used by company members, represent so-called “mentoring tours” within the first

week. Such tour is usually guided by an experienced employee who has been working for the

company for years and knows the company including all departments and people very well.

He or she can provide newcomers with unique insights and company-specific information.

Going from department to department and getting introduced to key people, significantly

helped newcomers to receive a good first impression of the company and orient themselves.

Being warmly welcomed by company members makes the beginning easier as it reduces early

concerns and stress on the part of the newcomer (I1_165-177).

The last section has demonstrated that the first days and weeks should be put to beneficial use

and companies attach even greater importance to the first day than to the phase prior to the

newcomer’s first day. Structuring the first day is perceived as essential in order to ensure

clarity, provide newcomers with an overall plan and make him or her feel comfortable and

secure. Whether this is the “right approach” and what impact it has on newcomers is to be

analyzed in the chapter 5 Discussion as well as 6 Managerial Implications and Outlook.

As can be concluded from the previous chapter, today’s companies initiate a variety of actions

before the newcomer’s first day of work to successfully incorporate the candidate to the

company and team. Key actions comprise in particular those addressing the emotional aspect

of the newcomer, hence that focus on relationship-building. This involves, among other

factors, conveying the newcomer a sense of well-being as well as feelings of appreciation and

trust. Ensuring a positive working atmosphere and creating opportunities to get to know each

other mainly contribute to overall satisfaction and promotes bonding. In order to create long-

lasting relationships, maintaining contact becomes pivotal during pre-boarding. Companies

apply different modes of communication to practice and open and transparent interaction with

newcomers. This includes personal meetings or regular contact via telephone, E-Mail or even

mail. Usually, companies hold more than one person responsible for staying in contact with

the newcomer. Besides maintaining contact, providing information to newcomers is crucial in

the early stage of integration. This can be in form of a Realistic Job Preview, sending

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newcomers a welcome package, arranging a company tour or even a trial day. What further

contributes to the newcomer getting stably integrated to the new company is providing

orientation and structure. A rough introduction plan, pre-information on trainings and

seminars as well as organizing the newcomer’s workplace in advance, reduces initial concerns

of newcomers and makes them feel better prepared for the first day of work. Referring to the

last point, it has been shown that the first day(s) and week(s) are decisive and mainly shape

the integration process. The way newcomers are received by company members and the more

efforts firms make to integrate the new employee, the more likely concerns can be alleviated

and a sense of well-being and harmony established.

The purpose of the empirical part of the thesis was to answer the initial questions about how

new employees perceive the overall onboarding process, what concerns and fears new

employees have before their first day of work and what actions companies take upfront to

eliminate those fears. As a next step, by means of empirical data, the aim is to establish

interconnections to the topic “integration of new employees”. In the discussion part, a

comparison between theory and empirical findings will be conducted to be able to draw

conclusions and derive future expectations.

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5. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

Integration of new employees has become more challenging as can be derived from literature

and practice. Increased internationalization, globalized markets, innovations, etc. result in

permanent changes and, consequently, in altered demands, expectations and increased

concerns and fears on the part of new employees. The growing mobility of employees, an

increased “war for talents”, higher rates of quitting, and many other factors indicate the need

for HR managers to shift their way of thinking and adjust onboarding practices. Obviously,

many companies cannot keep pace with the permanently changing environment, and a lack of

time devoted to newcomers as well as a lack of professional and individualized onboarding

practices prevent them from acquiring and retaining top-tier employees. In the following,

main congruences and discrepancies of literature and practice are to be demonstrated and

critically examined.

Phases of onboarding

There has been a perceived incongruence when it comes to the phases of onboarding. Based

on theory, there exist mainly three phases of integration, including the phase prior to the first

day of work, the first day(s) and week(s), and induction and probation. Unfortunately, as can

be derived from empirical findings, companies underestimate the pre-boarding phase and pay

special attention to the newcomer’s first day of work. Even though the first day in any

company has special significance and must be put to beneficial use, the phase before the first

day of work greatly influences newcomers’ emotions, feelings and shapes their attitude

towards the company as well as foundations for future collaboration.

The phase before the first day

When it comes to concerns and fears, theory and practice agree in saying that the pre-

boarding phase is characterized by an elevated level of psychological stress and burden as

well as increased uncertainty on the part of the newcomer. As mentioned in the Senator für

Finanzen (2004) and as depicted in the empirical part of the thesis, new employees are

confronted with significant changes and new challenges. Concerning this aspect, Wanous

(1992) refers to college graduates, as an example, and points to the role change from being a

student to becoming a full-time employee, to newcomers that are relocating, or to foreigners,

as they are confronted with additional challenges such as housing or language barriers.

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On the one hand, they are concerned about the social integration, hence about getting

included into the workgroup and building meaningful relationships with colleagues. On the

other hand, newcomers worry about the technical integration and, by this, they have self-

doubts whether they can complete tasks and responsibilities as required. It has been shown

that younger employees are less concerned about their professional incompetence rather than

about interpersonal relationships. Due to a lack of experience and self-confidence, they have

doubts whether they get along well with their work group and get accepted by their future

colleagues and supervisor.

Failed integration measures further contribute to increased uncertainty before the first day

of work. In this regard, theory strongly corresponds with empirical findings in a way that

companies lack flexibility and employee orientation. According to Kieser (1992) and

Neymanns (2011), instead of adjusting onboarding practices to circumstances and individual

needs and expectations of the employee, companies prefer a rather standardized procedure

that applies to all newcomers. This, in turn, leads to employees feeling less valued,

appreciated and adequately supported during pre-boarding. To ensure a systematic and rapid

integration, Bröckermann (2009) recommends an individually adjusted training plan or

checklist handed to employees before the first day of work. According to Lohaus and

Habermann (2015), such plan should not solely contain a list of required tasks but also

integration goals and priorities. In terms of the latter, empirical results confirm that

newcomers want to know in advance what kind of tasks need to be completed with what

priority and urgency. In the initial stage, newcomers feel insecure anyways and demand

clarity, orientation and structure.

Overall, it can be deduced from empirical findings that newcomers do not feel adequately

supported before the first day of work. Only in rare occasions, a key person of contact is

assigned to newcomers. More often, interactions occur with different persons from different

hierarchies and areas of responsibility, being it the supervisor, the HR department, managers

or the secretary. This, in turn, leads to confusion and uncertainty on the part of the newcomer.

Even though Lohaus and Habermann (2015) stress the importance of assigning a “buddy”,

mentor or another contact person, as it increases the predictability of tasks and interactions,

newcomers usually experience it otherwise. A lack of internal communication and

coordination leads to a confusion of responsibilities and conveys the impression that the

company is not prepared.

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In accordance with theoretical findings and based on empirical results, certain foundations

need to be established before the first day of work. As per Brenner (2014), Stein (2015) and

Blum (2010), this includes maintaining contact, hence regular communication and

interaction with the newcomer. As from the beginning, newcomers demand special support

and want the company to demonstrate interest and show that they are looking forward to the

new employee. In particular, regular phone calls and personal meetings proofed to be most

effective as it reduces anxiety and stimulates positive feelings and excitement. More

importantly, it is a sign of appreciation and professionality on the part of the company and

conveys newcomers a feeling of security. Consequently, regular communication and

interaction significantly shapes the social integration of new employees as it fosters

relationship-building and bonding.

Providing information is, as well, perceived as being essential during pre-boarding. In

theory, authors stress the importance of a Realistic Job Preview, hence providing not only

sufficient but accurate and realistic information about the respective job. In practice, however,

newcomers experience it differently as some companies withhold valuable information, in

particular when it comes to tasks and responsibilities of the new job, required skills,

information concerning the first days or weeks in the company, or future opportunities. Even

though in the article of White and White (2014), the authors indicate the significance of

clarifying each other’s expectations in advance, interview results have shown that the first day

is characterized heavily by surprises and confusion on the part of new employees. As claimed

by Rhen (1990), a lack of role clarity leads to initial uncertainties in a way that new

employees do not understand what kind of tasks with what priority and scope they are

expected to fulfill. Distorted information results in early conflicts, as mentioned by Porter et

al. (1975,) and newcomers cannot make a wise choice, one that matches individual and job

wants.

Based on empirical findings and as stated by Wanous (1992), providing information fulfills

two main functions and, by this, counteracts two main concerns, namely the “what kind of

event” and “how you will feel”. The first one relates to technical integration and involves

providing task-related information such as when to begin, what to be done and how long it

will take. The second type relates to social integration, hence providing information on

upcoming physical and emotional sensations. This primarily includes information on values

and norms of the work group as well as on interpersonal relationships.

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Key people that exert substantial influence on the employee before the first day of work

proofed to be similar in theory and practice. First, the manager or supervisor takes a special

role within pre-boarding. He is mainly responsible for the newcomer getting stably integrated

to the company and team as well as providing support throughout the entire integration

process. Besides providing the newcomer with information before the first day of work, it is

his task to ensure orientation and cordially receive the newcomer on the official start day. In

practice, however, due other responsibilities, managers and supervisors are often not visible to

newcomers on their first day of work. Nevertheless remains that the way newcomers are

received and incorporated greatly influences ongoing motivation and commitment.

Theory and practice strongly agree in the fact that newcomers want to feel comfortable and

welcome and, therefore, strive for a positive working atmosphere and a sense of well-being.

As stated by Weiand (2011), one of three main goals of employee integration include

establishing an emotional attachment to the newcomer. Whereas this sounds fundamental and

some companies succeed in this regard, others fail entirely in their efforts on bonding and

establishing relationships. Wanous (1992) has found that learning and relationship-building

during pre-boarding mainly facilitate newcomer socialization. Exchange processes and

interactions between newcomers and supervisor, as well as newcomers and co-workers, can

reduce initial anxieties and result in a smooth integration. As claimed by Kieser (1990), the

more the work group conveys the impression that they are looking forward to the new

employee and the more open-minded they are, the more successful social integration will be.

In practice, however, there exists barely any contact between newcomers and work group

before the first day.

Both, theory and practice have demonstrated that it is mainly the social integration and

relationship-aspect new employees are concerned about. Consequently, certain values and

attitudes need to be displayed by the company in order to allay fears and win new

employee’s confidence. As Brenner (2014) outlined earlier, empathy, hence the ability to

listen to the new employee as well as considering individual needs and expectations, is crucial

within pre-boarding. What further contributes to positive feelings is meeting newcomers with

trust and great sensibility. This involves, among other factors, trust and believe in the

newcomer’s abilities and skills. Establishing a basis of trust and harmony is perceived as

essential as it determines future collaboration, company commitment and shapes the attitude

of the newcomer. In particular, as can be derived from interviews, new employees strive for

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appreciation and acceptance by their peers, supervisors and other company members. They

want to become an essential part of their team and make a significant contribution. Therefore,

early and regular contact, practicing an open and honest dialog, and efforts on addressing new

employees’ underlying values as well as meeting individual needs can accelerate relationship-

building, bonding and, consequently, reduce initial concerns and fears.

This has been a brief reflection and comparison of theoretical and empirical findings. By

taking a closer look at the phase prior to the first day of work and considering new

employees’ needs, expectations as well as concerns and fears, it becomes obvious that

newcomers require special attention and support, hence a carefully planned and a well-

thought-out onboarding process. Depending on the industry, company, position and

personality traits of newcomers, different onboarding approaches need to be applied. In the

last chapter on Managerial Implications and Outlook, concrete conclusions will be drawn,

main impacts and consequences of findings highlighted, as well as future expectations

derived.

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6. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS AND OUTLOOK

Companies still pay too little attention to the phase prior to the first day of work. As can be

seen from empirical results, newcomers are commonly in a state of uncertainty and demand

special attention and support. In particular, more time should be devoted to social integration.

Bonding and relationship-building cannot be achieved overnight. Rather, it is a process that

needs to be initiated at an early stage. Building trust, and this relates mainly to younger,

unexperienced employees, requires regular communication and strong social skills such as

empathy and patience. What this means exactly for literature and practice and what

implications and conclusions HR managers can derive from results, is to be illustrated

graphically below. In order to reduce insecurities and fears of newcomers before their first

day of work and to ensure a successful integration, companies should pay special attention to

three main factors, namely motivation, information and communication.

Figure 11: Successful onboarding process

(own illustration)

First is motivation, hence stimulating excitement and enthusiasm among newcomers. Before

the first day of work, companies need to influence the newcomer’s first impression and

convey positive feelings. Newcomers are curious and thrilled but also concerned about the

upcoming challenges of the new position. Consequently, they want to get included from the

very beginning and want company members to demonstrate interest and show that they are

looking forward to the new employee. Newcomers want to feel welcome, comfortable and

strive for harmonious relationships with peers and the supervisor. An invitation to company

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events or an inclusion into activities of the workgroup, as an example, represent opportunities

to get to know the company, the work group and other company members in advance. If the

company can succeed in creating this “Wow-Effect” on the part of the newcomer, foster

relationship-building and bonding among company members and the new employee and, by

this, winning the new employee’s confidence even before the first day of work, he or she

immediately develops a positive attitude towards the company and can get integrated faster

and more effectively. Above all, positive experiences by the candidate during pre-boarding

and even small company efforts on relationship-building do not only put the company in a

good light, but reduces early tensions and stress of newcomers and significantly shapes future

collaboration and commitment.

Second is communication, as newcomers strive to maintain contact and practice an open

dialogue with company members. A key contact such as the supervisor or the HR department

should put the time between signing the employment contract and the newcomer’s first day of

work to beneficial use and actively seek contact. Similar to motivation, regular interaction

with the newcomer gives the company the possibility to foster relationship-building and

bonding, and reduce initial insecurities and fears. In addition, it demonstrates appreciation and

professionality of the company and shows that they actually care about the newcomer. There

are many ways for companies to maintain contact, such as via mail, E-mail, telephone or in

person. Most effective proofed to be personal meetings in form of company invitations or trial

days, where new employees have the possibility to get to know the company and work group

in advance and clarify each others’ expectations as well as delicate matters such as salary

negotiations or career opportunities. Besides, phone calls right before the first day of work

can make a significant contribution. By this, not only first day details can be discussed but it

gives the company another chance to express their gratitude and anticipation. Besides, a

personalized letter in saying “Dear Person X, we are pleased to welcome you in our team and

are looking forward to meeting you soon”, are highly appreciated among new employees.

Third is information and, by this, providing newcomers with a Realistic Job Preview. This

relates to social as well as technical integration. New employees desire to increase the

predictability of interactions between themselves and others within the organization. On the

one hand, they want to know with whom they will be collaborating, who will be their direct

person of contact, what are their roles within the company and work group, how’s the

relational structure or what are the company’s “unspoken” rules, corporate values, and so on.

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On the other hand, newcomers want to receive transparent information regarding tasks and

responsibilities, on interrelationships of departments, on the company history or on how they

can develop within the firm. Overall, newcomers demand a realistic picture of what can be

expected, including not only positive, but also negative aspects and challenges of the

respective position. New employees want to be prepared for the first day, and sufficient pre-

information ensures clarity, gives them a feeling of security and prevents unpleasant surprises

as well as unmet expectations. Consequently, sending newcomers a welcome package, an

information brochure, the company newsletter or information specifically tailored to the new

position helps them prepare mentally and physically for the new job. This does not only

reduce early insecurities but makes the first day more transparent and facilitates integration as

the newcomer is already familiar with key topics. In particular, a checklist handed to

newcomers before the first day of work is effective in a way that the newcomer can structure

his or her thoughts and is able to plan and think ahead.

As can be seen from the last section, a main emphasis during pre-boarding should be put on

conveying positive feelings to newcomers and stimulating excitement, providing newcomers

with a Realistic Job Preview, and maintaining contact, hence regular communication with the

candidate. Consequently, even though onboarding practices cannot be generalized and should

be individually adjusted to the needs and expectations of the new employee, HR managers are

challenged to put a greater focus on the social or emotional aspect. The pace and success at

which newcomers become integrated into the team and company substantially depend on a

firm’s efforts on relationship-building and bonding. The “right” company actions before the

newcomer’s first day can significantly influence the way he or she feels and whether he or she

looks to the first day with fear or excitement.

As a final remark, and by this, referring to the limits of the thesis, it should be mentioned that

onboarding is more comprehensive and includes a variety of other factors. Integration of new

employees is a process that involves other phases or stages of onboarding than the phase prior

to the first day of work. Since the research question aimed at the pre-boarding phase, further

stages of the staffing needs coverage process are not to be covered in more detail within this

thesis. In addition, when it comes to types of newcomers, the focus of the thesis was on

externals who are about to start their first day or who are within their first week at a new

position and company. Specific needs of other types of newcomers and target groups,

however, should not be neglected and represent areas for further research.

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8. APPENDICES

Appendix 1 – Checklist before the first day of work

Table 8: Checklist before starting work

(own illustration based on Lohaus & Habermann, 2015, 131)

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Appendix 2 – Interview Protocol

Topic: „Onboarding – Integration of new employees“

Research Question: “What concerns do new employees have before their first day at work?”

If I know right, you’ve been with company XY already for XY weeks and work in… /

You are about to start your first day of work at company XY in XY weeks as employee of…

1) How do you (did you) experience the overall recruiting/onboarding process (so far)?

a. How do (did) you feel during the phase prior to your first day at work?

b. What or who has (had) the greatest impact on how you feel?

c. How long did it take company XY to decide for you?

2) Have you ever thought of not taking the job? What could have been reasons?

(Follow up: It still happens that new recruits “jump ship” before day one at work. What do you

think motivates a person to this decision?)

3) When you think (thought) of your first day(s), week(s), month(s) at company XY,

a. What are (were) your expectations/desires?

b. What are (were) your thoughts? (doubts, concerns, insecurities, anxieties, etc.)

(workplace, team, supervisor, responsibilities, social integration, etc.)

4) At company YX, what measures/actions are (have been) taken to facilitate onboarding?

a. More specifically, what actions are (have been) taken to reduce potential concerns and

insecurities?

(maintaining contact, providing information concerning 1st day, key contact/mentor, work

group/team, supervisor, materials, etc.)

5) What are (could have been) potential areas of improvement to ensure a smooth onboarding?

a. More specifically, what could (have been) be done to address/reduce uncertainty and concerns

before the first day on the part of company XY?

b. Can you think of specific actions/examples?

6) Is there anything else important from your point of view regarding this topic?

Industry/Sector: Age:

Company: Gender:

Interviewed Person: Position: