Abstract: Human resource development (HRD) professionals play a critical role in socializing newcomers into organizations as part of new employee onboarding. However, some of the face-to-face techniques traditionally used to ensure new employees transition to insiders have become outdated or irrelevant as technology, public health, and the rise of remote work have changed. While many organizations were forced to grapple with hiring employees remotely during COVID-19, about 60% of companies who offered remote work plan to keep these policies in place (Maurer, 2022). In fact, the percentage of employers offering some form of remote work has increased from 22% in 2019 to 40% in 2022 (Maurer, 2022). This means that as organizations continue to hire more remote employees, they need to design and implement a successful virtual onboarding program. However, there is limited scholarship exploring virtual onboarding and socialization experiences. We therefore introduce socialization in virtual onboarding, propose propositions for a future study, and offer implications for both scholars and practitioners interested in successful socialization of newcomers during virtual onboarding. Background and Significance Because employees are seeking increased flexibility and autonomy, remote work options are expected to grow, but employees still want to feel connected and like they belong to an organization despite not seeing other employees daily. Socialization is “the process by which an individual acquires the social knowledge and skills necessary to assume an organizational role” (Van Maanen & Schein, 1979, p. 211) through direct observation from newcomers and informal actions from both insiders and other newcomers (Feldman, 1989; Reichers, 1987). While much of the current virtual onboarding work has focused on getting information about the organization and the job to the newcomer, scholars have consistently reported the importance of consistent daily interactions with peers, supervisors, and senior managers (Louis, Posner, & Powell, 1983; Korte, 2010; Saks & Gruman, 2021) to ensure the newcomer feels part of the team and well-integrated into the organization. Rollag, Parise, and Cross (2005) noted a correlation between adjustment to insider and the breadth of relationships newcomers develop. Knowing that these daily interactions and relationships are important to transition from outsider to insider and that remote work is on the rise, organizations and leaders stand to benefit from understanding how to create relationships and social ties during virtual onboarding. The creation of socialization experiences which are similar to in-person work environments is a primary concern in virtual onboarding. Effective socialization is both desired and, and research shows, needed for newcomers to successfully transition. HRD scholars are therefore facing head-on a challenge to successfully deliver a virtual onboarding experience that not only makes the employee feel prepared and productive but also fosters and creates space to develop relationships with key stakeholders in the employee’s new organization. This paper examines existing onboarding practices and considers how they may be sufficiently adapted to create relationships between newcomers and insiders, which will help an increasingly remote workforce feel socially accepted and more committed to the organization. Proposed Study Since we are particularly interested in relationship-building, our study will focus on understanding when and how newcomers interact with insiders at their organizations during virtual onboarding. We will collect time-lagged ratings of the virtual onboarding experience including information about how and when newcomers communicate with insiders and consider how that communication information relates to newcomer social acceptance, person-organization fit, and perceived organizational support. We will also collect supervisor and colleague perceptions of newcomer adjustment. We therefore propose the following research questions: 1. What forms of communication during the first three months of virtual onboarding lead to the highest levels of newcomer social acceptance and person-organization fit? 2. How do newcomers engage in communication that is not focused on work-related tasks during virtual onboarding? 3. What actions does the newcomer’s supervisor engage in to increase their feelings of perceived organizational support? Discussion and Implications Virtual onboarding and the virtual socialization of newcomers will persist as organizations adapt to a workforce demanding flexibility and autonomy. It is imperative that organizations do not ignore relationship-building during these virtual processes. We argue that creating relationships virtually needs to be a focus for HRD professionals as they design and rollout virtual onboarding programs. We propose that the focus on relationships will not only lead to satisfied newcomers but will lead to newcomers feeling more supported and being more committed to their new organizations, thus reducing the chances of early turnover.
