Migrating between rice and wheat cultures: Cultural fit moderates the effect of work centrality on newcomers’ job satisfaction in the post-pandemic era

Abstract

Beyond the individual and organizational factors, macro situational factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and cultural differences can also shape newcomer socialization. The present study tests the effect of work centrality on job satisfaction among a group of new employees in China. Limited research has examined the effect of work centrality on newcomers’ job satisfaction in the post-pandemic era, as well as the impact of the regional cultural differences within a single nation on the work centrality-job satisfaction link among new employees. Drawing upon the person-environment fit theory, cultural fit can significantly influence newcomer socialization. Newcomers who grew up in rice, as opposed to wheat culture and started to work in a different regional culture (i.e., migrant workers) could experience more difficulties in socializing in their jobs particularly when facing the challenges and strains of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using two-wave data collected from 154 new employees residing in different rice-wheat farming regions across China, the results showed that (1) work centrality remained positively related to newcomers’ job satisfaction post-pandemic; (2) cultural fit affected the work centrality-job satisfaction relationships. Specifically, among non-migrant newcomers, work centrality positively predicted job satisfaction, whereas among migrant newcomers, centrality did not predict job satisfaction. These findings suggest that cultural fit facilitates newcomers to leverage their work-related strength (i.e., work centrality) and to socialize well in the aftermath of the pandemic.