Virtual Onboarding: Learning from Newcomers' Information Seeking

Abstract: The physical space of work is changing for employees from a designated site to various, individual remote locations. This shift in space has caused an upstream impact on how to onboard employees into an organization. Our main research question is how does virtuality affect the clarification outcomes of onboarding process? We seek answers from theorizing different tactics that newcomers seek for different types of information and provide concrete guidance for research and practices to effectively reduce new employees' uncertainty. Our research proposes to focus in the changing nature of clarification in the 4C’s model of the onboarding program proposed by Bauer (2010) to propose ways that organizations could promote clarification. In particular, based on uncertainty reduction theory and social exchange theory, we suggest mechanisms that individuals do to reduce uncertainty via information-seeking behaviors in online environments. First, we will discuss onboarding in depth, including the goals and expectations from an organizational and employee perspective. Next, we will analyze the role of uncertainty in the onboarding process. And finally, we will provide recommendations on how to adjust to the changing work environment including proposals for future research.