Perceived Challenges When Changing Employer

Abstract: Joining a new employer is an exciting but also challenging experience. To learn more about new employees’ transition into a new work environment, we interviewed newcomers in a medium-sized German IT service provider about the challenges they experienced during organizational entry and how onboarding helped them cope with these. Analyses revealed that participants predominantly experienced professional challenges. A combination of activities – especially social support and integration into everyday work – helped the new hires overcome the challenges they experienced. Findings also showed that opportunities to participate and contribute to the new work environment gain relevance as socialization progresses. These insights into newcomers’ experiences may enable organizations to design an employee-centered onboarding strategy that contributes to newcomers’ successful organizational socialization.