Which onboarding practices do HR-employees and newcomers view as important, and how do onboarding practices contribute to workplace socialisation?

Abstract

The purpose of this master’s thesis was to explore onboarding and workplace socialisation in Norwegian organisations. Furthermore, the study aims to research how onboarding can affect the workplace socialisation for the newcomer. The research question is “Which onboarding practices do HR-employees and newcomers view as important, and how do onboarding practices contribute to workplace socialisation?” To answer the question, this study uses a qualitative research design with 6 Norwegian-based companies, which formed six individual cases. The chosen method for data collection was through semi-structured indepth interviews with one HR-employee and one newcomer in each case. These interviews were transcribed and analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The results from the thematic analysis were highlighted in the findings and analysis chapter. Furthermore, the results were grouped together into main findings in the discussion chapter and concluded in the conclusion. The four main categories of findings were 1) onboarding, 2) workplace socialisation, 3) sample differences, and 4) employer branding. The research showed that some of the most important onboarding practices for HR-employees and newcomers were the use of mentors, social gatherings, digitalised tools for learning, initial courses, and graduate programs. Many of the respondents also mentioned that the onboarding process should already start in the recruitment process, rather than in the preboarding phase. This helps the newcomer to become more familiar with the organisation's values and culture, allowing him/her to get an initial insight into their new workplace as early as possible. The majority of the respondents thought of workplace socialisation as a vital part of the onboarding process. Furthermore, multiple of the onboarding practices used by the organisations in this sample indicated a positive effect on workplace socialisation. The use of social mentors and inviting the newcomer to social gatherings during their preboarding phase is something the respondents mentioned as a great help in their workplace socialisation.