Open Access

Alessa Samlowski

• The necessity and efficiency of a well-designed onboarding program is undeniable. In addition to the individual design of an onboarding program, the presentation and marketing of the activities in this context differ, with potential indications of onboarding strategies. The thesis aims to investigate the communication of onboarding-relevant content by German companies to detect characteristic indications of two controversial onboarding strategies – the Cold water and the Babysitting approach. In this context, the following research question was established: How do German mid-sized companies present their onboarding activities? The research is based on communication content, whereby the qualitative content analysis according to Mayring was applied which provides the basis for subsequent analyses investigating linguistic and industrial interrelationships. The study was performed on the 50 MDAX-listed companies as a representative of all German corporations. The qualitative examination revealed a strong preference towards the Babysitting approach. Here, linkages were identified regarding a segmentation of the onboarding content by target groups based on entry and experience levels, supporting the detailed presentation and implementation of this approach. Also, the address towards potential candidates of these companies was increasingly characterized by a personal 'Du' address. These findings support the associated perception of the employer as employee- oriented and are thus coherent with the characteristics of this approach. Indications of the Cold water method were found more among innovative industries. The analysis also demonstrated the use of existing employees as transmitters regarding onboarding relevant content, with storytelling and blogs emerging as the primary channels of communication of Cold water corporations. Additionally, the communication of general rather than specific onboarding topics supports the characteristics of the Cold Water approach, as the onboarding phases are non-prestructured and the responsibility of a successful integration lies with the new employee.