Investigating the role of social events on newcomer adaptation: Insights from two studies

Chen, Jenny; Cooper-Thomas, Helena; Trenberth, Linda

Abstract

Newly hired employees are frequently encouraged to participate in company social gatherings, such as lunches, outings, and welcome parties, as a means to familiarise themselves with their colleagues. Although conventional wisdom suggests that participating in social events (i.e., general socialising) is beneficial for newcomer adaptation, we argue that the value of general socialising depends on the social and task factors. These predictions were investigated using two studies (Study 1, newcomers in a large food organisation in China; Study 2, newcomers in an Australian university). Results of our analysis will be presented. We hope this research contributes to understanding how newcomer general socialising actions, work design, and the social environment jointly shape newcomer adaptation outcomes.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: BAM2023 Conference
• Start Date: Sep 1, 2023
• End Date: Sep 6, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 18, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 18, 2023
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11126106