An Investigation into the Impact Onboarding in a Remote Setting has had on New Hires Working in a Utility Organisation

Porter-Lynam, Amy (2022) An Investigation into the Impact Onboarding in a Remote Setting has had on New Hires Working in a Utility Organisation. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Onboarding can be defined as “the process of helping new hires adjust to social and performance aspects of their new jobs quickly and smoothly” (Bauer, 2010, p. 1). This is an empirical study focusing on the impact remote onboarding has had on new hires working within a utility organisation. This has been a topical and challenging issue for human resource professionals in recent times due to accelerated use of remote working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic (Sibisi & Kappers, 2022). As it is a recent phenomenon, little research has been conducted to date on the impact joining an organisation remotely has had on new hires. Statistics show that 10-25% of new employees leave their role within the first six months (Weiss, 2017). With there being so much movement in the labour marker currently with lots of organisations experiencing labour shortages (Sibisi & Kappers, 2022; CIPD, 2022; BBC, 2021), it is now more important than ever for organisations to review their onboarding practices, adapt them to a remote setting, and improve them where possible in order to give new hires a great induction experience and increase employee retention.

This research investigated how onboarding in a remote setting has impacted new hires. It examined the challenges new starters and organisations have faced and has recommended ways to overcome them. This study adopted a qualitative approach, interviewing the Onboarding Specialist and six new hires who joined Company A from their laptops at home. The findings suggest that while the induction process is the same for all new hires, they each had a unique experience with it. This research found that joining a company remotely has had a significant impact on new hires working in a utility organisation. By conducting a thorough analysis of the interview results, it is evident that remote onboarding has impacted the way onboarding is delivered to employees, how they absorb the organisational culture, their training, and how they socialise within the organisation. The findings suggest that joining an organisation remotely has had minor impact on the engagement levels of new hires.

This study proves that remote onboarding has significantly impacted new hires working in a utility company, and their experience with the program differed due to them being on different teams and departments. The research suggests that organisations can improve their onboarding program by putting formal procedures in place to help new hires learn and adapt to the organisational culture and aid them in networking virtually. By implementing these steps, new hire commitment, job satisfaction and retention rates will be increased, and the delay before full performance is reached will be reduced (Harpelund, et al., 2019).

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management > Performance Management > Employee Engagement H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Arts in Human Resource Management
Depositing User:	Clara Chan
Date Deposited:	21 Nov 2022 13:00
Last Modified:	21 Nov 2022 13:00
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/5905

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